LEARN BYZANTINE ICONOGRAPHY
Online
Writing the Divine: An Introduction to Byzantine Iconography
Discover the historical practice of Orthodox iconography and write (paint) your very own icon in this 8-week introductory course.
ONLINE COURSE DETAILS
Writing the Divine is an immersive introduction to the ancient art of Orthodox iconography, created for those wishing to learn the tradition from anywhere in Australia.
Guided step-by-step by iconographer Apostolos Lagoutatzis, you’ll discover the history, symbolism and sacred visual language of Byzantine icons while learning the traditional techniques used to create an icon from beginning to end.
Through detailed video demonstrations and a comprehensive 70-page illustrated course manual, you’ll learn how to prepare and work with traditional materials, mix and apply egg tempera, prepare pigments, build colour through successive layers, create garments and facial features, work from darkness towards light, and complete your icon with its final highlights and inscriptions.
Every stage has been carefully documented so that you can watch the process, follow it at your own pace and return to individual demonstrations whenever you need them.
The course has been designed specifically for beginners and requires no previous experience in iconography.
Discover centuries of tradition. Learn the craft. Write an icon of your own.
MATERIALS
One of the most important aspects of Writing the Divine is learning with the correct materials from the beginning.
Rather than leaving you to source unfamiliar specialist supplies yourself, we will prepare and send you a course package containing the principal materials and tools used by Apostolos throughout the program. This means that when a particular pigment, brush or tool is demonstrated in a lesson, you will have the corresponding material in front of you.
Your course package includes:
A custom-made tabletop easel with mahl stick, specially adapted for working on an icon board
A traditional icon board, handmade and prepared by Apostolos, ready for you to begin your icon
A set of quality artist brushes, selected specifically for the techniques demonstrated throughout the course
The same pigments used throughout the demonstrations, supplied in the quantities required for the course
An egg tempera mixture bottle for preparing and working with your egg tempera medium
Pencil for drawing and preparatory work
Artist palette for mixing pigments and colours
A pigment scoop/spatula, allowing you to measure the proportions demonstrated in the course with greater consistency
Your 70-page Writing the Divine course manual, developed specifically to accompany the program
The course manual is much more than a set of class notes. It has been designed as a practical reference that you can continue to use at the iconographer’s table long after completing the course.
It includes detailed step-by-step instructions corresponding with the video demonstrations, traditional egg tempera recipes and proportions, pigment and colour references, illustrated stages of the study icon, practical guidance and exercises, and notes on the history, symbolism and visual language of Byzantine iconography.
Together, the manual, video demonstrations and supplied materials allow you to see each process performed, understand why it is done, and then reproduce it at your own iconographer’s table.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS REQUIRED
There are a small number of readily available materials that cannot practically be included in your course package. These are discussed in the course, with guidance provided on what to purchase and how each item is used.
You will need to purchase:
Venetian Red acrylic paint, Matisse or a similar suitable artist-quality brand
Ox Gall, Winsor & Newton or a similar brand
A compass with ruling pen, Staedtler or a similar suitable compass
Masking tape
Fresh eggs
Dry white wine
Spray varnish, brand noted in the course
Optional: basil oil
These items can generally be sourced from art-supply stores, supermarkets or other readily accessible retailers.
STARTING YOUR COURSE
Because some of the materials supplied with Writing the Divine are made and prepared specifically for each student, please allow approximately two weeks for your course package to be prepared and delivered.
In particular, your traditional icon board and customised easel are individually prepared for you before dispatch.
Inside your package, you will also receive a welcome letter containing your personal username and password, together with instructions for accessing your online course.
Once your materials have arrived and your account has been activated, you can begin.
LEARN AT YOUR OWN PACE
Writing the Divine is designed to give you the flexibility of online learning without losing the structure and careful progression of traditional instruction.
Once you begin, you can work through the course at your own pace and revisit the video demonstrations and course material whenever you need to.
We recommend completing approximately one lesson or major stage each week.
This pace is intentional. Iconography is a gradual process, and certain stages require adequate drying time before the next can begin. Allowing approximately a week between lessons also gives you time to practise, revisit the demonstrations and absorb the history, theology, symbolism and technical information introduced at each stage.
There is no need to rush. The purpose of the course is not simply to arrive at a finished icon, but to begin developing an understanding of the process and tradition behind it.
FEEDBACK & QUESTIONS
Although you will be undertaking the course from home, you will not be learning entirely on your own.
Throughout Writing the Divine, you will have the opportunity to ask questions about the techniques, materials or stages you are working through.
At designated stages of the course, you will also be invited to photograph your icon and submit your progress for feedback from Apostolos before moving on.
This provides an opportunity to identify anything that may need adjustment, receive practical guidance and gain reassurance before progressing to the next stage of your icon.
If you encounter a question or difficulty along the way, you will also be able to get in touch for guidance.
The aim is to combine the flexibility of self-paced online learning with the personal support and feedback that are so important when learning a traditional craft.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
By working through the complete creation of a traditional study icon, you will learn not only how an icon is made, but begin to understand why it is made in this particular way.
Throughout the course you will explore:
The history and purpose of the Orthodox icon
The traditional icon board and preparation of the painting surface
Understanding the prototype and transferring the drawing
The role of gold and gilding within the icon
Traditional pigments and their preparation
Preparing and working with egg tempera
Colour mixing and the building of harmonious tones
Developing garments through successive layers
Building the face and flesh from the darkest foundational tones towards the light
Fine brushwork and controlled highlights
The meaning of light, colour, gesture and form within Byzantine iconography
The distinctive use of perspective and the human figure in the Byzantine tradition
Final highlights, inscriptions and finishing your icon
By the end of the course, you will have completed your own hand-written icon and gained a practical foundation from which to continue studying and practising Byzantine iconography.
DETAILS & INCLUSIONS
Comprehensive online introduction to traditional Byzantine iconography
Designed specifically for beginners - no previous iconography experience required
Step-by-step video demonstrations with Apostolos
Create your own traditional hand-written icon from beginning to end
Traditional handmade icon board prepared specifically for the course
Customised easel and mahl stick
Selected brushes, pigments and specialist tools used throughout the lessons
Comprehensive 70-page illustrated course manual
Traditional recipes, proportions and reference material
Personal online course access
Learn at your own pace from home
Opportunity to submit photographs of your icon for feedback throughout the course
Ongoing opportunity to ask questions as you progress
Recommended pace of approximately one lesson/stage per week
Not simply how to paint an icon, but how to begin to understand its language.
Writing the Divine brings the materials, instruction and guidance of the iconographer’s workshop to your own home, allowing you to encounter this centuries-old tradition wherever you may be.
