Painting the Icon (Part One) - Transferring The Image On To the Icon Board

With the sketch completed, the time has come to begin painting the Icon onto an icon board.
The icon board is a wooden board onto which 12 layers of gesso has been applied and sanded in between each coat to leave a smooth, ivory-like finish.The sketch is then traced on to tracing paper.

The prepared Icon Board.

 The image is then traced on to the board using a special "carbon paper". The "carbon paper" is a sheet of art paper on which is rubbed the dry pigment of Burnt Sienna.

Burnt Sienna being rubbed on to art paper to produce "carbon paper".

The prepared "carbon paper"

T






The "carbon paper" is then placed face down onto the surface of the icon board and secured.

Securing the "carbon paper" on to the icon board.

The tracing paper image is then secured on top of the "carbon paper"

Placing the tracing paper image over the "carbon paper".

The image is then traced over again:

Tracing the image.

When the image is traced, the tracing paper and "carbon paper" are removed, and we are left with a feint, burnt sienna image of the icon on the icon board which can be painted over.

the image on the icon board.