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 . |
 |
Pictures
on phases of technique of wall icon
