The drawing process
was usually performed simultaneously with the
mudding process as follows:
The man who lays the
mud used to prepare a mixture of lime , sand (harsh
river sand ) , hay and hemp , as these materials
plays a big role in reinforcement , in order to make
cracks in the mud , the mixture was left for fifteen
days till it is fermented and hold together .
A piece of the wall
was to be plastered twice with a thickness of
(5-6mm) to provide the Iconographer with as much
space as possible and in the next day , he lays the
final layer , which consists of lime and a small
quantity of sand , and this layer is so thin order
to cover the hay and make the layer so smooth .
Afterwards , the
Iconographer start to paint the icon with the earthy
colors which are extracted from earth and mixed with
lime water only .
The Iconographer used to draw the
icon very carefully , as any mistake is not
correctable in frisk drawing .
The color is immediately absorbed by
the plastered layer , and that is why the painter
had to finish drawing before the wall is dry .
The more the
plastering and the colors are wet , the more they
react with each other , in addition to the reaction
of the lime with the air , the thing that forms a
crystal layer , which lasts for many centuries .
All the icons of the Churches were
drawn according to the a/m method and they stayed in
good shape and resisted moisture and time factors .
There are another method for drawing
wall icons and it is done drawing on the dry wall
after rubbing it till it becomes smooth then washing
it with water and soap in order not to leave any
dirt, dust and candle , lanterns and incense smoke
on it , then after the wall becomes dry , we paint
it with a layer of foundation material and
afterwards , we begin drawing the plan of the saint
or the theme in the designated place , according to
the rules of the ecclesiastical law of drawing .
This method can not
be used for the Churches that were built many years
ago , as their walls are saturated with smokes and
oils to the extent that it became almost impossible
to clean them .
Thus the walls are
not going to be able to absorb the colors , but
instead the colors are going to remain on the
surface of the wall and by time passes the stubborn
oils , which we could not clean , will come to the
surface and eliminate the colors .
Since ancient times
till present time, those wall icons are still drawn
on cloths, then glued on the wall ,and finally the
final touches are done .
The first method or
this kind of art has proved its efficiency , as the
results indicates that it is more positive than
direct drawing on the wall .
The cloths used in
our studio are made or cotton and fully prepared us
and the drawings are performed with the colors
extracted from the earth .
But
here they are mixed with wet insolating glues
instead of eggs
After finishing the
portrait ,e stick it on the wall by means of a
special technique ,which requires a great deal of
experience ,and as a result , the cloth and the wall
become one part
.
.
|
70% of the icon is
executed in the studio and the other 30% (Shadow
–Lighting – Gilding ) are done in the Church , in order
to establish a connection and harmony between the
portraits and the Church ( such as lighting ,
architectural plan and height ) as the environmental
conditions of the studio differ from the environment of
the Church . |
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Pictures
on phases of technique of wall icon
