Icon Painting Course starts

Today has been completely taken up by the first day of the Icon Painting course, just five of us and it was very interesting. There were two other people who came along a bit after we had started, they go to a regular icon painting group with Ian who was running the course today. They came and worked and it was interesting to see the complicated boards they were painting. They were happy to talk to us and were also very encouraging. Ian provided lunch and cake for the afternoon, he is a great cook so we had home made bread and French onion soup with salad, fruit and some other bits and  delicious apple sponge cake for the afternoon break. 

We had separate tables and all equipment was supplied. I managed to blur the one with the untouched board!

We then had to transfer the icon onto the board, not using carbon paper but paint granules rubbed onto the back. Used a red biro to trace it down so that we could see where we had been!

Once it was on we had to mix pigment with water and egg tempera which we had help mix earlier. Then use that to fine pint the lines so that they were permanent.

Then we mixed different pigments for the background and this also had grains added to give texture. These had to be carefully removed when it was dry.

The that was painted over with another mix pigment, each mis used the egg tempera and water.

Then he demonstrated gilding with gold leaf. I have never done that before and it involves a special glue applied very carefully and hopefully evenly!

We finished there for today, but it was pretty full on and I am sure we will forget everything by next Monday!

Off to see 

Sarah and David this evening.