How to ground a board to write a byzantine icon.

A board and sticking cloth

Traditionally icons are written on wooden board.

The board can be purchased at the shop with equipment for artists or you can use any of the old table top or shelf, cut to the desired size. Old wood has the advantage that it is perfectly seasoned.

The board can be flat or with depression, so. kowczeg.

I usually use flat boards, bought from carpenter or coming from old shelfs, table tops or so on.

On the prepared board you should stick a cloth or gauze. I usually stick canvas. For this I use classic, natural carpenter's glue (it's an animal glue).

I prepare it the day before, according to the proportion:

One portion of the glue and 7 parts of water.

I pour this mixture with lukewarm water and leave overnight.

The next day I hit the "glued water"  in the "water bath" to a temperature about 70 ° C. In the "water bath" means that I put the pot with "glued water" to a bigger pot so that the pot with "glued water" don't touch the bottom of bigger one, holding the edge at the "ears" and the whole is heated up on the cooker. The "glued water" has a temperature of about 70 ° C when it is very hot, but you can still put your finger inside. Glue can not overheat because it stops sticking.

Now I take sizable, flat brush and smear the board from all sides. When it dries, with another portion of glue I stick canvas. Exactly speaking, I take a piece of cloth a little larger than the board, dip it in a pot of glue at a temperature of 70 ° C and apply to the board, smoothing, not to create bubbles. I always prepare a few boards at once.

When the glue dries, which is usually the next day, I cut with a sharp knife pieces of canvas protruding outside edges of the board.

In the meantime, I prepare the next "glued water" by the proportion:

100 g. of an animal glue on one liter of water. "Glued water" is again leaved overnight.

The next day, I prepare the ground.

Priming a board

In my case, I prime several canvas at once.

The ground is a mixture prepared with the "glued water" with Bologna chalk, bought in a shop with materials for artists.

Proportions:

1 liter of water - 100 g. animal glue for carpenters - 1 kg of chalk Bologna.

The "glued water" prepared the previous day, I heat in the "water bath" to 70 ° C, such as for fixing the canvas, then slowly pour the entire kilogram of chalk, stirring gently. I keep the mixture at a temperature of 70 ° C (do not overheat).

Now I take a flat brush with short bristles or cut off to a length of 2-3 cm. and I smear the boards with a ground. Total of about 10 layers.

The first 3 layers I smear and leave the boards for 2 hours to dry a little. Next 4 layers I smear and "hammer" the ground with a tip of the short bristles. I leave everything for 2 hours to underpaintings dry a little. Last 3 layers I put with a spatula.

I leave underpaintings overnight to dry.

The next day I impose sandpaper on a wooden block and polish primed underpaintings smoothly, decreasing gradation of sandpaper.

Now underpaintings are here and you can start writing icons.

My newest icon - Jesus double blessing. Stylized a bit as an old. The inspiration was from 13th century fresco from Sopocani Monastery in Serbia.