Icon Painting Beginners

Beginners Iconography workshop

SHORT DESCRIPTION

This five-day foundational icon painting workshop is for iconographers who want to develop professional-level skills in freehand drawing and traditional painting.

Over the course of the week, we’ll study the proportions, structure and expressive features of the human face. You’ll learn how to analyse ancient examples, understand their unique visual language, and apply those insights in your own work. We’ll also cover traditional methods for painting facial features and for drawing the maphorion (veil) of the Mother of God. Each day includes focused drawing sessions to build fluency and hands-on practice in the egg tempera technique.

Model for this workshop: The mosaic of the Theotokos from the Archiepiscopal Museum in Ravenna.

People watching iconographer instructor drawing on easle.

GOAL

PROGRAM

Making a new version of an old icon may seem easy, yet it is a complex mission. We have chosen a fragment of the mosaic Mother of God (Theotokos) from the Archiepiscopal Museum in Ravenna — however, we will not be copying it directly. The main focus of the course is learning how to draw a frontal iconographic face. Throughout the entire course, we carefully observe each student’s work and provide individualized feedback — including hands-on assistance when needed. You’ll receive personalised guidance throughout, with one-on-one feedback and hands-on support when needed. By the end of the course, you’ll have the confidence and skills to draw icon faces independently.

The course also teaches how to work respectfully and creatively with medieval models, using them as inspiration to develop original icons as unique pieces of liturgical art.

PROGRAM

Each day we will produce numerous drawings to help students build fluency in drawing and develop practical skill in egg tempera . The course follows this format: the instructor invites students to gather around the demonstration panel, where a particular action is shown and explained. Students are then asked to repeat this action on their own with advice or help of the instructor provided if needed.

During the final day and a half, you’ll produce a shoulder-length image of the Mother of God based on the chosen model. This consolidates all the skills learned and helps anchor the method in your future personal practice.

PRACTICE

The workshop will begin on Tuesday May 12 at 8:30 AM and will end about 4:30 PM on Saturday May 16, 2025. Every day we will work according to daily agenda (see above) from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM with one hour break for lunch and tersext and two (or more) short breaks for lectures with coffee or tea (provided) accompanied by slides. The course follows this format: the instructor invites students to gather around the demonstration panel, where a particular action is shown and explained. Students are then asked to repeat this action on their own. Throughout the entire course, we carefully observe each student’s work and provide individualized feedback — including hands-on assistance when needed.

We will start our study drawing frontal face proportions, construction, and structure with pencil on paper. After performing several exercises we will begin drawing and paint with egg tempera, learning the traditional construction of head, face and garments. During the final 1.5 days of the course, all participants will begin and complete a shoulder-length image of the Mother of God based on the chosen example, consolidating the skills acquired throughout the course.

This course is conducted in a calm and quiet setting, without music or unrelated conversation. This atmosphere supports the slow, deliberate nature of icon painting and helps foster deeper focus and understanding.

To make learning process more effective, we have developed a series of instructional drawings and guidelines to help students better absorb the material and feel more confident both during and after the course.

WHAT TO EXPECT

FOR WHOM

This workshop is ideal for anyone interested in iconography and the traditional techniques of drawing and painting.

Whether you’re just starting out or a practicing iconographer ready to move beyond tracing and copying, this workshop is designed to take your skills further.

COST

FOR WHOM

$1,100 for 5 full days.

The fee includes:
Professional instructions and all materials including board, paints, and brushes.

Students are invited to join the monks for all meals.

SCHEDULE

FOR WHOM

ACTIVITIES

Period: May 12 -16, 2026.
Icon Workshop Daily Agenda:
7:15 am – Matins
8:00 am – Continental Breakfast
8:30 am – Workshop
12:15 pm – Dinner
1:00 pm – Tersext
1:15 pm – Workshop
4:30 pm – End
5:00 pm – Vespers
6:00 pm – Supper

ACTIVITIES

Hands-on demonstrations, drawing and painting with personalised mentoring and comprehensive feedback, lectures and discussions.

Attendees of the workshop are invited to participate in daily church services and to be the guests of the monks for meals.

MATERIALS

ACTIVITIES

MATERIALS

We provide students with all the necessary tools and materials, however we recommend bringing own aprons, textbooks and pens/pencils for notes.

LOCATION

ACTIVITIES

MATERIALS

New Skete Monastery
273 New Skete Rd Cambridge,
NY 12816, USA

New Skete on Google maps

THE INSTRUCTORS

Philip Davydov

Second-generation iconographer with M.A. from State Fine Art Academy of Saint Petersburg (faculty of Theory and History of Art).
2001 co-founder of Sacred Murals Studio (St. Petersburg, Russia).
2005 - present: iconography instructor in the USA, Italy, Australia and other countries.
2006 - present: member of Union of Artists of Russia
2009 - 2022: professor at Institute of Theology and Sacred Arts (Saint Petersburg).
2021 November - December: head of Iconography School of St Petersburg Seminary.
2022 March - present: Iconographer, iconography instructor working in Tbilisi (Georgia).

Olga Shalamova

Philip Davydov

M.A. from State Fine Art Academy of Saint Petersburg (faculty of Theory and History of Art).
2009 - present: ember of the Union of Artists of Russia
2015 - 2021: chief artist of the embroidery workshop at Feodorovsky Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. 2022 March - present: Iconographer, iconography instructor working in Tbilisi (Georgia).

Author of the majority of our offline and online courses.
Actively participates in exhibitions of contemporary ecclesiastical art in Russia and abroad.

Plan

Day 1

Basic face proportions. How to draw face oval, nose, eyes, lips. How to connect head and neck to she shoulders. Pencil drawing, no models.

Day 2

Day 1

Drawing process: The importance of modelling the shape of the face. Drawing the veil and the bonnet, finding individuality of the image. Drawing with a brush. Arranging the image on paper or icon board. Painting drapery with egg tempera - modeling forms with shadows and creating soft an gradual transitions.

Day 3

Day 1

Day 3

Learning the basic principles of egg tempera: preparation of egg emulsion, mixing colours, varying the consistency of paint, learning to apply the paint evenly. Starting the final image.

Day 4

Day 3

Drawing and Painting the final image of Theotokos on a primed painting panel. Learning how to make color transitions, glazing, highlighting. Basic methods of face painting.

Day 5

Day 4

Day 5

Drawing and Painting the final image of of Theotokos on a primed painting panel

Ready to Enroll?

The Off-Line Iconography Workshop for Beginners Frontal Faces. Theotokos will begin on Tuesday May 12 at 8:30 AM and will end about 4:30 PM on Saturday May 16, 2026 and the cost will be $1100 USD for 5 full days.

The fee includes: Professional instructions and all materials including a gessoed board, pigments, and brushes for the period of the workshop. Students are invited to join the monks for meals. This includes a continental breakfast each morning, dinner (the monks eat their main meal of the day at 12:15pm), and a light supper

Accommodations are not included.

Due to the small class size, the cost of hosting this workshop, and the distance the instructor(s) will be traveling, we must adhere to a strict cancellation policy.

Your $300 non-refundable deposit must be received at the time of registration. You may pay the balance in full at any time, otherwise a monthly payment plan will be established. (Reminders will be emailed.) Balance must be paid in full by March 30, 2025.

All payments are non-refundable unless the workshop is canceled.

Should circumstances require you to cancel, New Skete will make all reasonable attempts to fill the vacancy. If the vacancy is filled, New Skete will refund all but the $300 deposit.

Area Information

Guest Rooms at New Skete

Great room at Emmaus House - guesthouse at New Skete monastery. Snow in windows. Couches and chair

There are a limited number of guest rooms at the monastery.

If rooms are still available, links to request a guestroom will be emailed to you upon completing the registration and payment.

A list of inns, hotels, and motels will be emailed upon registration.

Area Information

Guest Rooms at New Skete

For information on the area visit,

Cambridge Valley Chamber of Commerce

Washington County New York

Bennington Vermont Chamber

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Icon Painting Workshop for Beginners

Frontal Faces. Theotokos

What We Will Do

Beginners Iconography workshop

SHORT DESCRIPTION

GOAL

PROGRAM

PROGRAM

PROGRAM

PROGRAM

PROGRAM

PRACTICE

WHAT TO EXPECT

FOR WHOM

FOR WHOM

FOR WHOM

COST

FOR WHOM

FOR WHOM

SCHEDULE

FOR WHOM

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES

MATERIALS

ACTIVITIES

MATERIALS

LOCATION

ACTIVITIES

MATERIALS

THE INSTRUCTORS

Philip Davydov

Philip Davydov

Philip Davydov

Olga Shalamova

Philip Davydov

Philip Davydov

Plan

Day 1

Day 1

Day 1

Day 2

Day 1

Day 1

Day 3

Day 1

Day 3

Day 4

Day 4

Day 3

Day 5

Day 4

Day 5

Ready to Enroll?

Area Information

Guest Rooms at New Skete

Guest Rooms at New Skete

Guest Rooms at New Skete

Area Information

Guest Rooms at New Skete

Guest Rooms at New Skete

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