Iconographer’s Supplies
Good materials become familiar companions in the studio. Here you’ll find the brushes, paints, gilding supplies, and tools we use in our iconography work and classes, with personal notes to help you choose supplies for your own practice.
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Paints and Pigments
Egg tempera has been used in iconography for centuries and remains a valued tradition today. Many contemporary iconographers also work with acrylics for their convenience, versatility, and quick drying time. In our studio, we use GOLDEN acrylics, which offer richly pigmented colours with strong resistance to fading. Their professional Heavy Body and Fluid ranges use pigments rated excellent or very good for lightfastness, making them a dependable choice for our iconography work.
Byzantine Palette
Mixing cups
Small plastic cups are useful for mixing and organizing the colours of a Byzantine palette. They allow you to prepare enough of each mixture for consistent colours throughout your icon. Cups with lids help keep acrylic mixtures from drying out between painting sessions.
P.S. Yes, that’s a 12-cup muffin tray holding our main colours—a simple way to keep the studio palette organized!
In icon painting, we use a wide variety of brushes, each suited to a particular task. We recommend this set as a starting point for painting panel icons.
Brushes
Inexpensive flat synthetic brushes work well for applying varnish. In our studio, we use a fresh brush for each varnishing session and discard it afterwards
A soft, round barber’s brush is useful for gently sweeping away excess gold leaf flakes after gilding. Its broad shape makes it especially practical for large backgrounds and murals.
A 9 × 12-inch panel is a good size for a half-length icon of a patron saint.
Panels, Boards and Gesso
A good board for icon painting should be prepared with gesso and have a smooth, even surface. Any texture or imperfections in the ground can show through the painting, and gold leaf makes these especially noticeable.
Traditional icon panels are often made from solid wood, with a recessed central area surrounded by raised borders. These panels can be custom-made for a particular icon, with the proportions and borders designed to suit the composition. Preparing them is a slow and costly process that may require collaboration with a skilled carpenter, and the finished panels can be quite heavy.
Gessoed gallery-style wooden panels are also perfectly suitable for icon painting practice. For acrylic painting, choose a rigid panel with a smooth acrylic-gesso surface; for egg tempera, choose one prepared with traditional, absorbent true gesso.
A 12 × 16-inch panel is suitable for a half-length icon of a saint, offering more room for detail. It also works well for festal compositions and icons of the Mother of God with Christ.
If you have a bare wooden board, you can prepare it for icon painting by applying gesso and sanding it to a smooth, even finish. For egg tempera, use traditional chalk-and-animal-glue gesso, known as levkas; for acrylic painting, acrylic gesso is suitable.
A 12 × 24-inch panel has an elongated 2:1 proportion, making it well suited to full-length figures of saints and compositions designed for a tall, narrow format, such as an elongated icon of Transfiguration.
Drawing and Measuring Tools
A compass set with a ruling pen attachment is essential for painting clean, precise halo outlines over a gilded surface.
Varnishes, Gilding and Finishing Materials
We use Dux Quick Dry Gilding Size to apply gold leaf to backgrounds and large halos.
Dux Water-Based Gilding Size is ideal for applying fine gold lines and intricate ornamentation.
GOLDEN MSA Varnish with UVLS helps protect your icon from surface scratches, dust, and the UV.
As of January 1 / 2012 our Byzantine Icon Studio will become official distributor of Iconographers Supplies by “Pandora pigments”.
Please contact for prices, availability and other products by e-mail byzantinestudio@gmail.com. Currently we are out of stock, please use the materials suggested above.
PIGMENT SETS
ICON BOARDS (ALL SIZES AND SHAPES)
Iconography Sets
Agate Brushers
Brushes
Gilding kits
Gilding tools
ASSIST
Clay Bole Solution
