St. Elias - gilded halo

Gilding is done before any paint is put to the surface. These images show the gilded halo. The halo goes up onto the kovchek (ark) - uniting heaven with earth.

St. Elias - inked cartoon

As I work on this icon of St. Elias, I will post images of its progress. This shows the fully prepared board with the inked cartoon. The board has a raised edge all around called a kovchek (or ark). The kovchek developed from the practical need to protect the surface of the icons that were stored stacked in cabinets in the churches - each being brought out for veneration on its relevant feast day. Symbolically, the kovchek functions much like the iconostasis in a church, marking the line between heaven and earth.