5 things you need to paint an Icon
If you are interested in exploring your creativity and want to learn how to paint an icon, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to learn more about what you need to begin your icon painting journey, and where to find it.
1. An image to work from
Orthodox icons are sacred paintings that depict religiously significant scenes and figures from Christianity. They are slowly and carefully prepared and painted by hand in a traditional process that’s considered to be very spiritual, and when finished become holy images for the viewer to find space to reflect in and spiritually connect with themselves.
Choosing an icon image that resonates with you will help you build a deeper connection to the process as you paint (or write) the icon. This could be a well-known icon such as Christ the Pantocrator, or an icon depicting a story or a particular saint you find meaningful and connect with.
You can find images of icons online, or in iconography books that you can print off/photocopy to trace and transfer to your prepped panel or board.
2. A surface to paint on
Traditionally, icons are painted onto wooden panels that have been prepped with gesso and gauze. Nowadays you can buy pre-prepped panels such as this one at Jackson’s Art, or clay boards such as this one.
If you are interested in making your own gesso and prepping your own board for icon painting, we have a recording of our Traditional Gesso Making workshop available for purchase and lifetime access!
3. Pigments and egg medium
Traditional icon techniques use egg tempera to paint with, which is a paint made of an egg medium that’s diluted and mixed into pigments. You can find a tutorial to make your own egg medium on our blog.
When it comes to buying pigments, we recommend the 25g pots from Jackson’s – a little goes a long way and when you’re just starting out it keeps things a little more affordable if you buy small quantities to begin with.
4. Paintbrushes
Natural fibre brushes that are suitable for watercolour painting or can hold liquid well are the best kind for icon painting – we use small, round brushes as paintings are built up in layers of small brush strokes. Our favourites include this Synthetic Kolinsky Brush in size 0, and this Squirrel Mix series in sizes 2, 3 and 5.
Looking after your paintbrushes will help extend their life; some simple, regular paintbrush care steps will save you money as you won’t need to replace them as often! You can find a guide on how to care for your paintbrushes on our blog.
5. To paint an Icon you need patience!
You have your chosen image and all your materials ready to go, but the final and most important thing needed to make an icon painting is patience! This is a slow, and sacred process that should be done mindfully – and if you are new to icon painting, it’s important to have grace and patience with yourself as you learn these new skills and techniques. You’ll find calmness and connection in each brush stroke as you build up the layers of the image, and have a meaningful work of art to reflect on when you finish!
