How to Make an Orthodox Icon of a Priest
Orthodox icons have an incredibly distinct style to their artwork. The figures in these images have rigid lines and stiff, stylized poses. This is possibly due to the importance of ritual and tradition in the Orthodox church. Whatever the reason, these images have a truly evocative look about them. Creating an Orthodox icon of a priest can be done very simply with paper and pencil or you can turn the image into an elaborate painting that you can use as decoration.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper or illustration board
- Pencil
- Black ink pen
- Kneaded eraser
- Art markers or acrylic paint
Instructions
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1
Draw the skeleton of the figure using basic geometric shapes as guidelines. This will help you flesh out the character with details later. Draw the head with a long oval shape. Make the bottom of the oval thin so the face will be slightly gaunt. Add the chest with a rectangular shape that has curved lines on the top and bottom to simulate a ribcage. Add the hips with an upside-down triangular shape. Connect the hips to the chest with a vertical line.
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2
Add the shoulder guide lines with two small circles on the upper left and right sides of the chest. Attach vertical lines to the shoulders to create the upper arms. Add a very small circle as elbow guide lines at the end of each upper arm. Attach a horizontal line to the left-side elbow for the forearm. Draw a circle at the end for a hand guide line. Attach a diagonal line to the end of the right-side elbow and add a circle to the line for the hand.
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3
Draw a vertical line for a staff in the right-side hand. Add the legs with two straight lines coming down from the hips. Add knees with small circles in the middle of the legs. Add the feet with triangular shapes at the base of the legs. Draw a cross or "t" shape across the face to help you mark out the facial details later.
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4
Draw the outline of the clothing on the figure. Create the hat with a curved line over the top of the head. Complete the shape with a horizontal line across the forehead. Add the hair with two L- shaped curved lines on the left and right sides of the face. Add the sleeves of the robes by drawing a large cone shape on top of each arm. Be sure to make the end near the hands large and wide. Add the base of the robes with a vertical rectangular shape around the legs. Create the ornamentation on the staff with a diagonal line at the top, a horizontal line under it, a large circle with a horizontal line transecting it below the first two lines and a diagonal line about halfway down the staff.
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5
Draw the details on the robe and the hat. Add curved lines to the upper right and left corners of the hat. Draw three small circles in a line across the top of the hat. Add the color to the robes with two diagonal bands coming across the chest. Make the right-side band overlap the left-side one. Add a band to the end of each sleeve and to the bottom of the robe. Add a vertical band running down the center of the robe. Draw a parallel line around all the shapes on the staff to make the staff thick.
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6
Add the eyes with two oval shapes on the horizontal facial guide line. Create the nose with a "V" shape along the vertical facial guide line. Add the mouth with a curved line below the nose. Add eyebrows with a curved line above each eye. Add a mustache with two curved bands under the nose.
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7
Ink all of the lines on the icon of the priest that you wish to keep. Let the ink dry and carefully erase the pencil lines, leaving behind a line drawing of the priest that you can use as is, color or paint.
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8
Color the icon with art markers or use acrylic paint. Use red for the robes and the hat. Use gold or yellow ocher for the trim of the robe. Color the hair of the priest dark brown and the skin beige. Add shadows for extra detail. Use a dark gray or dark red color at the base of the hat to create the effect of shadows. Add shadows under the bottom and sides of each band as well. Add brown shadows under the eyebrows, to the side of the nose, under the nose and under the mouth.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep the image very stylized by not trying to create an image that is too realistic or natural.
Be sure to let the ink dry thoroughly before erasing the pencil, or you will smudge the icon.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Illustrations by Andrew DeWitt
