www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Icons & Iconography Writing Icons?

I adore the liturgical art of the East. I want to try creating my own iconographic artworks. Are there any special "rules" I need to follow? I won't be writing any with paint or anything just yet. I'm just thinking about drawing some up for now and see what happens from there.

Just for openers, the expression "writing" icons is nonsense. Some languages use the same verb for "writing" and "painting" (as in art, not as in house-painting); Greek and Church-Slavonic both do that. This has zero theological implications.

To take an example which Father Taft enjoys, Greek uses the same verb (grapheo) with regard to photography - but nobody says that a photographer "writes" photographs!

Fr. Serge

Being a cradle Orthodx I still use the traditional expression writing icons.
The following is some info I was given in a course a few years ago. Hope the sites are still up:
Also you can oder iconograpgers manual from this site if you really want to pursue this:
http://www.iconofile.com/search_results.asp?subcatid=79


The best book is still Ouspensky's The Maning of icons
http://www.iconofile.com/detail.asp?product_id=150:091383677X

This prayer is from the manual by Dionysius of Fourna
which is from another class (in Slavic Culture, not in icongraphy this time) I took many years ago at the Uiversity of Alberta:

I did a sketch to try out the methods they have on the weblinks you gave me. I wasn't able to successfully follow all of them and I was off on a lot of the geometry. Is the sketch I made too Western looking? I think I made it a little too realistic. How can I achieve a more Eastern style? That's one thing I noticed as I drew this up was that being surrounded by Western art my whole life, it was very hard drawing things differently than what I would expect them to be (i.e. the long nose, absence of depth, ect.). By no means do I consider this an icon at all, I was just testing the waters.

Here's a link [freewebs.com] to the drawing I did. Click on it to make it bigger. (God keep me from any pride, the reason I'm sharing this is to achieve the right style otherwise I would not have any reason to match my name to the image.)

Wow! You have a God-given talent. God bless you for sharing.
What I especially like is the eyes. You have portrayed the intensity of Christ's love and concern for us. Most beginners make the eyes too stern or even lifeless. I can really feel the eyes of Christ looking into my soul. What power and compassion at the same time.
Also your nose and eyebrows are very good. I always remeber my instructor talking about the symbolism of the eyes and eyebrows looking like a palm tree which is the symbol of eternal life.
Try to get the mouth a bit smaller next time.
As I said you have a God-given talent and I hope you can continue. I am still at work and there is a really bad snowstorm outside so I have to leave. Otherwise I would say more. I'll be in touch.
Orest

Tom,

I have to admit a prejudice. When I read a post by a Latin of relatively little exposure to the East who espouses a sudden interest in iconography that goes beyond mere curiousity or an appreciation of the spirituality and instead proposes a desire to write or draw icons, I cringe. And, truthfully, that was my reaction when I read your opening post.

However, I must echo my brother Orest's observation. Your drawing indeed evokes "Wow!". Without question, the drawing is technically striking; more importantly, it conveys a sense of the spirituality which is the essence of iconography and what nakes it such an essential aspect of Eastern Christianity. In my own experience (strictly as an iconophile, I am neither an iconographer nor an iconologist), it is rare to see early efforts that bring both of those qualities to either preliminary or finished works.

I'd strongly encourage you to pursue your knowledge of Eastern Christianity, learn about the spiritual aspects involved in the holy work of the iconographer, and study the various iconographic styles, schools, and techniques.

Orest has already offered you some excellent links. I'll try and retrieve some additional ones, from a piece that I wrote some time back.

Many years,

Neil

I am at a loss for words. It is beautiful, and if you pursue this gift that God has given to you, I would like to ask that you consider writing an icon for me. I can't give 'technical' feedback like the replies above, but your sketch evoked a very prayerful feeling in my soul.

All the glory to God. It's by His Will and graces that I was able to do that and may He protect me from any pride. I didn't even know I could do that to be honest. I really did just "try it". Glory to God for the gifts He gives us!! Isn't He amazing?

Thank you all for your comments. Again, for now I think I'll just play around with the style until I get comfortable with it. I'm still a little confused as to where the line lies between making the depiction appropriately symbolic or "Western-ly" realistic.

Irish Melkite,
I would have to admit a prejudice against my own work as well!! I thought the same thing to myself in the sense that here I am, a silly Latin, diving in to an art form that's nearly a millennium old. Don't feel bad! I was thinking the same thing!

The weblinks are very good suggestions. You might also want to check with Orthodox and GC parishes in your area to see if any have classes or iconographers' groups. I am blessed to have a iconography workshop in my parish, St. John Chrysostom in Seattle. Besides several members of our own parish and from St. George's in Olympia, participants include some Latins and Orthodox. And, oh yes, one Methodist.

Occasionally, I have seen brochures and flyers for iconography retreats. These tend to be pricy though.

I also get the impression that you are attempting to draw your cartoon free-hand. You might try photocopying the icon you wish to write (or paint, whatever!) and then use chalked paper to transfer the major lines to your surface.

Dear Fr. Serge,
your blessing!

But don't you think that "mistake" of "writing icons" could gain a richful sense? The icons are not mere pieces of art, as they are transmissors of a deep "logos", a meaning understood basically through words.