St. Joseph - hair highlights

St. Joseph - flesh highlights

St. Joseph - robe highlights

St. Joseph with prototype

This image show the icon of St. Joseph with one of the prototypes Katie Russell is using.

St. Joseph - base coat of flesh and doves

St. Elias - hair - first and second highlights

St. Elias - flesh - first and second highlights

St. Elias with prototypes

This photo shows the icon of St. Elias with some of the prototypes I am working from.

St. Elias - kovchek

Wanting to follow the prototypes of this icon, I used an ochre for the kovchek. However, since the halo comes onto the kovchek in this icon, I needed to use a darker ochre than is common to provide some contrast with the gold. This is straight Brown Ochre, applied in many layers in every direction, as with the background.

St. Elias - scroll base coat

Following a prototype, I used cinnabar as the base coat of the scroll. As the scroll represents the prophecy of St. Elias, I believe this color may signify the fire of the Holy Spirit, as it does in the background.

St. Elias - ochre robe highlights

St. Elias - outer robe highlights

St. Elias - highlights of the scarf

Though the base coat of the flesh and hair needs another coat or two, my instructor, Mother Katherine and I decided that I should proceed with highlighting the scarf and robes and then reinstate the base coat of the flesh and hair over this. Having finished highlights beneath will add to the translucency of the hair and highlighting without having to dance around the hands and hair allows for a freer stroke. These images show, in several stages, the highlighting of the scarf.

St. Joseph - base coat of the outer robe

The base coat of the outer robe, shown here in four stages, is a mixture of yellow ochre and venetian red.

St. Elias - base coat of face, hair, and hands

The base coat is applied in several layers, shown here in four stages.

Green Earth Light, Yellow Ochre, and Venetian Red - the colors mixed to make the base coat for the flesh and hair.

Before painting over the gilding, it is necessary to prepare the gilded surface with garlic, applied directly with a clove, shown here. The garlic acts as a glue to adhere the egg tempera to the gilding. Without it, the paint cannot be applied evenly in these areas.