How Orthodox Icons Are Made

How Orthodox Icons Are Made

Traditional Orthodox icons are created through a careful process that combines craftsmanship, sacred imagery, and centuries of Christian artistic tradition.

A hand-painted icon may begin as a simple wooden panel and pass through many stages before the finished image appears: preparing the wood, applying layers of gesso, transferring the composition, gilding, building colors with egg tempera, adding highlights and inscriptions, and finally protecting the finished surface.

Although techniques vary between iconographic schools and individual workshops, the basic methods used today remain closely connected with those developed in the Byzantine Christian world.

The result is not simply a religious painting. Every stage is intended to serve the sacred image and its role within Orthodox prayer.

Traditional Orthodox Icon Painting Is a Craft Passed Down Through Generations

Orthodox iconography developed over many centuries across Byzantium, Greece, the Balkans, Georgia, the Middle East, Russia, Eastern Europe, and other Christian regions.

Different schools developed their own materials, colors, facial styles, decorative traditions, and working methods.

Yet traditional iconographers generally work within an inherited visual language rather than beginning each image entirely from personal imagination.

A Christ Pantocrator Icon, for example, follows recognizable forms that connect a newly painted icon with images created many centuries earlier.

This continuity is one of the defining features of Orthodox iconography.

Step 1: Choosing the Wooden Panel

Many traditional Orthodox icons begin with a wooden panel.

The exact type of wood depends on region, availability, workshop tradition, and the size of the icon.

Historically, icon panels have been made from woods such as:

• Linden
• Poplar
• Pine
• Cypress
• Beech
• Oak
• Other stable local woods

The wood must be properly seasoned because excessive movement, moisture, or warping can eventually damage the painted surface.

Larger traditional panels may include structural supports on the back designed to help keep the board stable over time.

Why Wood Has Been So Important for Icons

Wood was widely available, durable, portable, and suitable for preparing a smooth painting surface.

Portable wooden icons could be placed in churches, monasteries, private chapels, and homes or carried while traveling.

This helped panel icons become one of the most recognizable forms of Orthodox sacred art.

Wood also connects naturally with the broader material culture of historic churches, where carved iconostases, crosses, furniture, and liturgical objects were often created by skilled woodworkers.

Step 2: Preparing and Sizing the Panel

The wooden surface usually requires significant preparation before any image can be painted.

Traditional workshops may first apply a sizing material based on animal glue or another suitable binder.

This helps prepare the porous wood for the layers that will follow.

In some icon-making traditions, a piece of fine linen or cloth is attached to the panel before the ground is applied.

This fabric layer is often known in Slavic traditions as pavoloka.

Its purpose is to provide additional stability between the wooden panel and the prepared painting surface.

Step 3: Applying Gesso or Levkas

The next major stage is creating the smooth white ground on which the icon will be painted.

Traditional icon panels are often coated with multiple thin layers of a chalk- or gypsum-based preparation mixed with an appropriate binder.

In many Slavic iconographic traditions this ground is called levkas.

Each layer is allowed to dry before additional layers are applied.

Once sufficient thickness has been built up, the surface is carefully sanded and polished until it becomes extremely smooth.

This pale ground provides a bright foundation beneath the transparent layers of egg tempera and gilding.

Why the Surface Must Be So Smooth

Traditional icon painting depends heavily on thin, controlled layers of color.

An uneven surface would interfere with fine lines, facial details, inscriptions, and gold leaf.

The carefully prepared ground allows the painter to create the clean forms and luminous surfaces associated with Byzantine iconography.

Preparing the panel may therefore require considerable time even before the visible painting begins.

Step 4: Transferring the Iconographic Drawing

Once the panel is prepared, the composition is transferred or drawn onto the surface.

Traditional iconographers generally work from established iconographic models rather than inventing sacred compositions without reference to tradition.

The drawing establishes:

• The position of the figures
• Faces and hands
• Halos
• Clothing
• Architecture
• Mountains and landscapes
• Objects and symbols
• Inscription areas

Accuracy is important because the drawing provides the structure for every later stage.

What Is an Iconographic Prototype?

Iconographers often work from earlier compositions sometimes described as prototypes or traditional models.

This does not mean every icon is an exact mechanical copy.

Rather, established forms preserve the theological identity of the image.

For example, an icon of the Nativity of Christ may contain recognizable elements that have appeared in Orthodox iconography for centuries.

Individual iconographers may vary details, proportions, colors, and decorative treatment while preserving the fundamental composition.

Step 5: Preparing Areas for Gold Leaf

Gold backgrounds and halos are among the most recognizable features of Byzantine and Orthodox icons.

When real gold leaf is used, the areas intended for gilding must be prepared carefully.

Different workshops use different gilding techniques.

A traditional method may involve applying a special smooth clay preparation known as bole beneath the gold.

The surface is polished, moistened or activated according to the particular technique, and extremely thin sheets of gold leaf are carefully placed over it.

How Thin Is Gold Leaf?

Gold leaf is extraordinarily thin.

Individual sheets can be so delicate that ordinary handling would tear or crumple them immediately.

Special gilding tools and brushes are therefore used to lift, position, and smooth the leaf.

After gilding, the surface may be burnished to produce the brilliant reflective quality associated with traditional icons.

What Does Gold Mean in an Orthodox Icon?

Gold is not used simply to make an icon look expensive.

Within traditional iconography, gold often symbolizes divine light, heavenly glory, and sacred reality beyond ordinary time and space.

A gold background removes the figure from an ordinary natural landscape and surrounds the image with luminous space.

This is why gold appears so frequently around Christ, the Theotokos, angels, and saints.

Step 6: Preparing Egg Tempera Paint

One of the most important traditional painting techniques used for Orthodox icons is egg tempera.

Egg tempera uses finely ground pigments combined with a binder based on egg yolk.

Different iconographic traditions and workshops may use slightly different recipes, sometimes including water, vinegar, wine, or other ingredients in carefully controlled proportions.

The mixture creates a durable paint capable of being applied in very thin layers.

Why Egg Tempera Is Used for Icons

Egg tempera dries quickly and allows iconographers to build color gradually.

Rather than applying thick opaque paint, the artist can work with many fine layers.

This makes it possible to create luminous transitions in faces, garments, landscapes, and architectural details.

When properly prepared and preserved, egg tempera can also be remarkably durable.

Many historic icons painted centuries ago still retain extraordinary color.

Where Traditional Icon Pigments Come From

Historically, icon painters obtained pigments from mineral, earth, plant, and manufactured sources.

Traditional palettes could include substances associated with:

• Ochres
• Iron oxides
• Azurite
• Malachite
• Carbon blacks
• Earth pigments
• Vermilion and other historic reds

Modern iconographers may use both traditional and modern artist pigments, depending on their working methods and safety considerations.

The precise pigments used vary widely between periods, regions, and individual workshops.

Step 7: Painting From Dark to Light

One of the most characteristic features of traditional icon painting is the gradual movement from darker foundational colors toward lighter highlights.

Instead of beginning with a naturally illuminated face and adding shadows, an iconographer may first establish a darker base tone.

Successive lighter layers are then built over it.

The face appears to emerge gradually into light.

This approach is both a painting technique and one reason traditional icons have their distinctive luminous appearance.

Painting the Face of an Orthodox Icon

The face is one of the most demanding parts of an icon.

The iconographer first establishes the basic facial structure and underlying tones.

Gradually, lighter colors define:

• The forehead
• Cheeks
• Nose
• Eyes
• Mouth
• Neck
• Other illuminated areas

Fine highlights may then be added to create the characteristic sense of spiritual luminosity.

The goal is not photographic portraiture but a face consistent with Orthodox iconographic tradition.

Why Orthodox Icon Faces Look Different From Realistic Portraits

Orthodox icons generally do not attempt to reproduce the human face exactly as a camera would.

Features may be elongated, simplified, or emphasized according to iconographic tradition.

Eyes may appear particularly attentive.

Expressions are usually calm and controlled rather than dramatically emotional.

The intention is to communicate a person transformed by life in God rather than simply reproduce ordinary physical appearance.

Step 8: Painting the Garments

Garments are also commonly built from darker foundational tones toward increasingly lighter areas.

Lines of light define folds and help give structure to robes without relying entirely on naturalistic shadow.

Colors and garments may also help identify the sacred figure.

Bishops, monks, martyrs, rulers, Apostles, prophets, angels, and the Theotokos may all appear with distinctive clothing associated with their identity or role.

Step 9: Painting Architecture and Landscapes

Buildings, mountains, caves, trees, and other elements appear frequently in Orthodox icons.

They are usually not intended as realistic landscape painting.

Architecture may appear compressed, opened outward, or arranged in ways that would seem unusual according to conventional perspective.

Mountains may rise in sharp geometric forms.

Buildings may function symbolically rather than as accurate architectural plans.

The scene serves the theological meaning of the icon rather than the rules of photographic realism.

Step 10: Adding Halos

Halos identify figures associated with holiness.

They may be painted, gilded, engraved, punched with decorative patterns, or otherwise ornamented depending on the iconographic tradition.

Christ's halo is especially distinctive.

It normally includes a cross and may contain the Greek letters Ο ΩΝ, traditionally understood as “He Who Is.”

The halo therefore serves both an artistic and theological purpose.

Step 11: Adding the Inscriptions

An Orthodox icon is normally identified through inscriptions.

These are not optional decorative labels.

They help establish who or what the image represents.

Common inscriptions include:

• IC XC — Jesus Christ
• MP ΘY — Mother of God
• Ο ΩΝ — “He Who Is”
• IC XC NIKA — traditionally understood as “Jesus Christ Conquers”

Icons of saints generally include the saint's name.

Feast icons may also include the title of the event.

Depending on the region and intended community, inscriptions may appear in Greek, Church Slavonic, Georgian, Arabic, Romanian, English, or other languages.

Step 12: Adding the Final Highlights

The final painting stages often involve extremely fine details.

Bright highlights may be added to garments and faces.

Small lines define hair, eyes, hands, decorative borders, buildings, or inscriptions.

At this stage, the iconographer balances the complete composition so that individual elements work together rather than competing for attention.

These final details can require extraordinary control and patience.

Step 13: Protecting the Finished Icon

After the painting has fully dried and stabilized, the icon may receive a protective finish.

Historic and contemporary workshops use different materials and techniques.

Some Eastern European traditions traditionally used an oil-based protective coating known as olifa, while other iconographers use different varnishes or finishing systems.

The purpose is to protect the paint surface from handling, dust, and environmental exposure while preserving the visual character of the icon.

How Long Does It Take to Paint an Orthodox Icon?

There is no single answer.

The time required depends on:

• The size of the icon
• The number of figures
• The complexity of the composition
• The amount of gilding
• Decorative details
• Drying and preparation time
• The iconographer's technique

A small, relatively simple icon may require far less time than a large feast icon containing many figures and architectural details.

Complex commissioned icons can involve many weeks or significantly longer from panel preparation to final completion.

Does an Iconographer Pray While Painting?

Many Orthodox iconographers understand their work as connected with prayer and spiritual discipline.

Practices vary between individuals and traditions.

Some iconographers pray before beginning work, maintain particular spiritual disciplines, or work under the guidance of an Orthodox community or spiritual father.

However, it is better not to reduce iconography to the idea that every brushstroke follows one universal ritual.

The spiritual practices surrounding icon painting vary, while the relationship between iconography and the prayer life of the Church remains important.

Are Orthodox Icons “Written” or “Painted”?

You may hear the expression that an icon is “written” rather than “painted.”

This phrase has become popular in English because icons communicate Christian theology through images and inscriptions.

However, it should not be treated as a strict theological rule.

Calling the process painting an icon is completely appropriate.

Traditional Orthodox languages do not require the English distinction sometimes suggested by the phrase “icon writing.”

What makes an Orthodox icon distinctive is its sacred subject, theological meaning, iconographic tradition, and devotional purpose—not the English verb used to describe its creation.

Does Every Orthodox Icon Have to Be Hand-Painted?

No.

Hand-painted icons represent an important and highly valued form of Orthodox craftsmanship, but Orthodox Christians also use sacred images produced through other methods.

Modern icons may include:

• Traditional hand-painted icons
• Hand-finished icons
• Printed icons mounted on wood
• Metal icons
• Embossed icons
• Mosaic icons
• Embroidered icons
• High-quality reproductions of historic icons

The production method affects craftsmanship, uniqueness, price, and artistic value, but hand painting alone does not determine whether an image can be used as an Orthodox icon.

How Are Mounted Reproduction Icons Made?

Many Orthodox icons available today are reproductions of traditional sacred images mounted onto wooden panels.

A high-quality image is printed using an appropriate printing method and attached to prepared wood.

The surface may then receive protective coatings, decorative finishing, gilded details, aged effects, or hand-applied elements depending on the workshop.

This process makes traditional sacred imagery accessible at a very different price point from a fully hand-painted original.

Hand-Painted Icons vs. Reproduction Icons

Both can have a place within the Orthodox home, but they are different products.

A traditional hand-painted icon is individually created by an iconographer through a labor-intensive artistic process.

No two hand-painted icons are perfectly identical.

A reproduction icon uses an existing sacred image that is reproduced and mounted or printed using modern techniques.

Reproductions are generally more affordable and make historic iconography available to a much wider number of Christians.

When purchasing an icon, the product description should clearly explain which method was used.

What Makes a Hand-Painted Icon More Expensive?

The price of a hand-painted Orthodox icon can reflect many factors.

• Hours of skilled work
• Panel preparation
• Quality of pigments
• Gold leaf
• Complexity of the composition
• Number of figures
• Decorative details
• Experience of the iconographer
• Custom design or commissioning

A hand-painted icon should therefore not be compared directly with a mechanically reproduced image simply on the basis of size.

They represent very different forms of production.

How Are Mosaic Orthodox Icons Made?

Mosaics are another ancient form of Christian sacred art.

Instead of paint, the image is constructed using small pieces of colored stone, glass, ceramic, or other materials called tesserae.

Byzantine churches became famous for monumental mosaics containing brilliant gold and richly colored glass.

Because mosaics can be extremely durable, important examples have survived for many centuries.

How Are Metal Orthodox Icons Made?

Metal icons may be cast, stamped, engraved, embossed, enameled, or created using combinations of techniques.

Bronze, brass, silver, and other metals have been used throughout Christian history for portable icons, crosses, reliquaries, and liturgical objects.

Some painted icons also receive decorative metal coverings that protect parts of the surface while leaving faces and hands visible.

These traditions demonstrate that Orthodox iconography has never been limited to one material.

What Is an Icon Riza or Oklad?

Some Orthodox icons, particularly within Russian and Eastern European traditions, may be partially covered by a decorative metal covering known as a riza or oklad.

The covering may reproduce garments, halos, backgrounds, or decorative elements while leaving painted faces and hands visible.

These coverings could be made from silver, gold, brass, or other metals and sometimes incorporated enamel, precious stones, or intricate repoussé work.

They were often created both to honor and to protect highly venerated icons.

Are Orthodox Icons Blessed After They Are Made?

Practices vary across Orthodox communities.

Many Christians bring a newly acquired icon to their parish priest for a blessing, and traditional prayers associated with icons exist in various local traditions.

However, blessing practices should not be confused with the actual artistic manufacturing process.

A priest does not turn ordinary religious artwork into an Orthodox icon simply by performing a blessing.

The sacred subject and its relationship with Orthodox iconographic tradition remain fundamental.

How Can You Tell How an Icon Was Made?

When shopping for an Orthodox icon, read the product description carefully.

Look for information such as:

• Hand-painted or reproduced
• Egg tempera or another painting medium
• Wood panel type
• Gold leaf or gold-tone finish
• Printed and mounted construction
• Hand-applied finishing
• Dimensions
• Country or workshop of production

Terms such as “handmade,” “hand-finished,” “hand-painted,” and “printed” describe different production methods and should not be treated as interchangeable.

Why Traditional Craftsmanship Still Matters

Modern technology makes it possible to reproduce historic sacred images with remarkable detail.

Traditional icon painting nevertheless remains important because it preserves a living craft passed from one generation of iconographers to another.

The careful preparation of wood, gesso, pigments, gold, brushwork, inscriptions, and finishing connects contemporary iconographers with centuries of Christian artistic practice.

Both traditional hand-painted icons and carefully made reproductions allow Orthodox sacred images to remain part of Christian homes today.

Explore Orthodox Icons

Understanding how icons are made can help you better appreciate the differences between materials, craftsmanship, and production methods when choosing an icon for your home or as a gift.

Explore the Orthodox Icons collection at Mercy Fold, including:

• Orthodox Christ Icons
• Orthodox Virgin Mary Icons
• Orthodox Saint Icons
• Orthodox Archangel Icons
• Orthodox Guardian Angel Icons
• Orthodox Apostle Icons
• Orthodox Prophet Icons
• Orthodox Holy Trinity Icons
• Orthodox Nativity Icons
• Orthodox Crucifixion Icons
• Orthodox Resurrection Icons

Each product description provides information about the materials, construction, and craftsmanship of the individual icon so you can choose the piece that best fits your prayer space and needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are traditional Orthodox icons made?

Traditional icons are commonly created on prepared wooden panels. The process may include sizing the wood, applying gesso or levkas, transferring the composition, gilding, painting with egg tempera, adding inscriptions and highlights, and finally protecting the finished surface.

What kind of paint is used for Orthodox icons?

One of the most important traditional methods is egg tempera, in which pigments are combined with an egg-based binder. Modern iconographers may also use other carefully selected materials depending on their workshop tradition.

Why are Orthodox icons painted on wood?

Wood provides a durable and portable support that can be prepared with a smooth ground suitable for tempera and gilding. Wooden panel icons have been part of Eastern Christian tradition for many centuries.

Why is gold leaf used on Orthodox icons?

Gold often symbolizes divine light, heavenly glory, and sacred reality beyond ordinary time and space. It also produces the luminous appearance associated with traditional Byzantine icons.

What is levkas?

Levkas is a traditional term, especially common in Slavic iconography, for the smooth white ground applied to an icon panel before painting. It is usually built up in multiple thin layers and carefully polished.

Are Orthodox icons always painted with egg tempera?

No. Egg tempera is one of the most important traditional techniques, but Orthodox sacred images have also been created as mosaics, frescoes, metal icons, embroideries, prints, and through other methods.

Are all Orthodox icons hand-painted?

No. Orthodox Christians use both hand-painted icons and reproductions. Modern icons may be printed and mounted on wood, hand-finished, made from metal, produced as mosaics, or created using other techniques.

How long does it take to paint an Orthodox icon?

The time varies greatly depending on size, complexity, number of figures, gilding, decorative details, and the iconographer's technique. A complex commissioned icon may require many weeks or longer to complete.

Is an icon “written” or “painted”?

Both expressions may be encountered, but “painted” is entirely correct. The popular English phrase “writing an icon” should not be treated as a mandatory technical or theological rule.

How can I tell whether an icon is hand-painted?

Check the product description for specific information about the technique. A seller should clearly distinguish between hand-painted, hand-finished, printed, mounted, and mechanically reproduced icons.