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Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God icon and other fall classes

Faye Drobnic • Jul 25, 2022
Mother Protect
The Protection of the Mother of God

Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God icon and other fall classes

Surrounded by the heat of one of the warmest summers I can remember, I have spent the last week working on the drawing of the icon for our upcoming Fall Intermediate Class: The Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God. The Virgin is shown with her arms outspread, holding a white veil that symbolizes her protection over those who implored her help. This prototype was developed in the 12th century and is a beloved icon of the people of the Ukraine. The unfinished drawing of the image is pictured below.

Our work in painting this icon will be rooted in our prayers for peace in the Ukraine, and those prayers will be reflected in the icon by the details in our image: the bands of trim on the Virgin’s white veil will be painted in blue and gold (the national colors of the Ukraine), and her halo will have an optional decorative design of embossed sunflowers (the national flower of the Ukraine). 


UPDATE: Fall Classes 2022 have now ended! The Protection of the Mother of God class is complete, as is the beginning level Theotokos class. I am blessed to have dedicated, hard-working students who paint with me weekly during the year to complete these projects and learn more about the joy of icon painting! May God continue to prosper the work of our hands in 2023!

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi — Series starts February 2024

By Faye Drobnic • 07 Feb, 2024
A standing figure of St. Francis of Assisi, with the walls and buildings of Assisi in the background, will be our 12-Week Intermediate Class Project beginning in February 2024. This class will focus on the development of the standing figure, including the techniques of painting a smaller, more graphic face.
Paint mixing and beginning series 2024

Paint mixing and beginning series 2024

By Faye Drobnic • 08 Nov, 2023
The teaching program for beginners at St. Elizabeth Icon Studio consists of an Introduction to Paint Mixing and Pigments Class (3 consecutive days) followed by a Beginning Project Class (weekly on Saturdays for 10 weeks).
St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles icon

St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles icon – Series starts July 2023 - St. Elizabeth Icon Studio

By Faye Drobnic • 06 Jun, 2023
Christian iconography is essentially the faithful transmission of the truths of the faith. The canons of the eastern Church tell us that new icons should be based on older icons when possible. In developing an icon of a saint, we first study existing iconography.
The Archangel Michael

The Archangel Michael, Warrior icon – Series starts July 2023

By Faye Drobnic • 06 Jun, 2023
The Christian tradition teaches that angels are bodiless spiritual beings created by God who often serve as messengers between God and humankind. As such, they are portrayed in Byzantine iconography in the robes of the Byzantine court.
The search for the perfect icon paintbrush

The search For The Perfect Brush

By Faye Drobnic • 07 Jan, 2023
The most important tools in an iconographer’s supply box are our brushes. Many of us have spent years on a quest for “the magic brush,” hoping that once it was found all our brush strokes will be perfect and our brush control will be sublime.
St. John the Baptist icon

St. John the Baptist icon – Series starts February 2023

By Faye Drobnic • 11 Dec, 2022
St. John the Baptist — also known as St. John the Forerunner — is one of my favorite saints to paint! I love his wild hair, his long straggly beard, and his green camel’s hair garment that looks like water.
Teaching beginners to paint icons online

Teaching beginners to paint icons online – New classes start in February 2023

By Faye Drobnic • 10 Dec, 2022
How do you teach someone with little or no painting experience how to paint an icon in an online class? That was a question I faced almost three years ago when COVID-19 closed the country, and Vladislav Andreyev asked me to teach a beginning-level online class for the Prosopon School.
New Packet: Icon of St. Thomas Aquinas

New Packet: Icon of St. Thomas Aquinas

By Faye Drobnic • 03 Aug, 2022
Not long before we closed our local icon studio in Lafayette because of the start of the covidpandemic, one of our students requested that we paint an icon of St. Thomas Aquinas.
New Packet: Icon of The Kazan Mother of God

New Packet: Icon of The Kazan Mother of God

By Faye Drobnic • 19 May, 2022
The icon of the Kazan Mother of God is one of the most loved of all the images of Our Lady. It is the newest tutorial packet from St. Elizabeth Icon Studio. According to Russian tradition, this icon appeared in the city of Kazan in 1579.
OVERVIEW OF CLASSES 2022

OVERVIEW OF CLASSES 2022

By Faye Drobnic • 31 Dec, 2021
Three sessions of classes are planned for 2022: Winter-Spring (February-April), Summer (June-August) and Fall (September-November). We will kick off the year with a Paint Mixing & Pigments Class in mid January. All classes are taught via Zoom and are recorded.
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