Writing
an Icon |
All
text in quotations on this apge are directly from John Walsted. |
|
There are three processes involved in making egg tempera paint:
The Pigments John uses ground mineral pigments. The pigments are stored in airtight containers to keep them dry until he's ready to use them. Preparing the Egg Yolk
He then very gently picks
up the yolk sac between his thumb and forefinger and pricks it with
an artist's knife, allowing the yolk to run into a bowl and discarding
the yolk sac. If any of the yolk sac mixes into the yolk, it will cause
the paint to crack as it dries.
Mixing the Pigments and Egg Yolk John then mixes the pure yolk with an equal amount of water and a small amount of white vinegar. He spoons into the well of a palette a small amount of dry pigment with enough water to make a paste. Some pitments require a small amount of rubbing alcohol to break the surface tension and go into solution. He then pours in some of the egg yolk mixture.
In picture number seven (below), John is writing the Synaxis of the Holy Angels icon. He's applying some dark shades to the edge of an angel's wing.  |
The next section shows the process of writing an icon from start to finish. |
John
starts with a fresh egg at room temperature (fresh eggs have a stronger
yolk sac than older eggs). He cracks the shell and separates
the yolk from the white by passing it back and forth from one shell
half to the other.
When
the yolk is completely separated from the white, John passes the yolk
from the palm of one hand to the other, drying each palm as he passes
the yolk to the other in order to dry the sac that holds the yolk. When
done properly, the yolk sac becomes dry enough to roll gnetly around
in the palm of John's hand without leaving a trail or sticking.
Getting
the right ratio of pigment to egg-water medium is not scientific. Each
pigment requires a different amount of medium. John determines the correct
ratio with a few trial strokes of paint on a test surface. If the paint
looks chalky or dull, there's probably too little egg yolk in the mix.
If the paint strokes take more than a few seconds to dry, or if they
look greasy, there's probably too much egg yolk in the mix. 
The
picture to the right shows John mixing a dark brown color for the top
of an angel's wing. This color is used for deep shadows, outlines,
or folds in clothing. John adjusts the mixture and consistency of the
tempera by dipping his sable brush into the dustalled water (picture
number 6) and dragging egg yolk and pigment together in the well on
his palette.
Shadows and skin tones on an icon may consist of several dozen layers
of paint. The darker shades go on first, and successively lighter shades
of color are applied over the top. This gives the appearance of depth.
The finished picture has an almost porcelain look to it.