An Archangel for Christmas
Archangel Gabriel on Watercolour Paper.
Archangel Gabriel on watercolour paper
Christmas greetings icon friends!
A few lines to say thank you for your companionship during my first year of icon painting. It has been lovely to have your quiet support and interest encouraging me to keep on posting and writing up notes etc!
There are a few more video clips of Aidan Hart’s in-class demonstrations over on You Tube and I have written up some supporting notes to go with them. These are not direct transcripts, simply notes to help as you try out the various stages of painting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3a6puiMDuQ Aidan Hart demonstrates underpainting for the Membrane Technique Click here for Notes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaSi-WVHGaY Aidan Hart demonstrates applying flesh membrane to icon bust Click here for Notes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr4R8BzMpPc Shadows and highlights on garments using membrane technique Click here for Notes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiFkJrsDS1s Aidan Hart demonstrating halos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFG-XxPqiSI Aidan Hart demonstrates painting Mandilion hair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbwE0QY1aOw Aidan Hart demonstrates painting garments Click here for Notes
I have enjoyed the monochrome icon studies on watercolour paper and thought I would have another go at the Archangel Gabriel based on the Annunciation of Ustyug. I stretched some Fabriano Artistico paper and painted using the membrane technique. The colours are much softer on paper – lines are not quite as crisp unless you go over them several times. However, it is a great way of practicing if you haven’t got a board prepared.
Underpainting: the face is in Terre Verte and a touch of Yellow Ochre Maimeri, garments and wings in a mix of English red ochre, French ochre Sahara and Avana.
Membrane applied to flesh parts.
Building up the hair and facial highlights.
Highlights added to wings and sleeves
Preparing to gild using Roberson’s gilders size – applied over the halo which has undercoat in red ochre.
Gilding the halo. Applying final facial highlights
Finished angel with halo, staff and lettering.
It is a better attempt than my last one but there is a long way to go before I become fluent and produce anything nearly as elegant as the original. All the same, it comes with my very best wishes for a happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas wherever you are in the world. Thanks for reading.
Happy Christmas, Ronnie
PS…Some years later and I did revisit some of the finer details on Archangel Gabriel’s face – around the upper lip. I am now happy with this and it is listed here in my Etsy shop.
Icon Diploma Student 
2 Responses to “An Archangel for Christmas”
Beautiful. Thank you Ronnie. Happy Christmas to you too.
Love Susan
Thank you Susan!Wishing you and yours and all the friends at St Luke’s icon centre a very happy Christmas and may 2015 be brimming with fresh icons!