Blaise Mibeck

We don't teach mathematics to children until they are taught arithmetic. We don't teach literature until we teach reading and writing. For the same reasons Art should not be taught to children until they learn to draw.

Drawing is absolutely essential to a person's education. Not knowing how to draw is like not knowing how to read -- except that people brag about not knowing how to draw. In the book by Bruce McIntyre called the Drawing Textbook, he argues why Art classes should be replaced with Drawing classes. He also argues that people who do know how to draw are not artists, but simply people who can draw. The occupation of artist is based on the skill of drawing, but so are the occupations of engineer, teacher, doctor, and a million others. Of course it is good for people to know that, if they like to draw and they persist, they can become artists. Similarly, a person who writes with persistence can become an Author. Teaching Art wastes time because it puts children in a subject without tools, basic skills or even the basic vocabulary of drawing.

In the Chicago suburb I grew up in, the public schools cut back on funding for art classes. My grandfather, Art Czajkowski,  is a fine arts graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago.  He took it upon himself to teach art classes to interested students after school at the public library. My brother and I learned to draw at our grandfather's classes, which he taught using methods similar to those employed in Bruce McIntyre's Drawing Textbook. This is a good book. You can find it here, at Amazon or here, at Emmanuel Books

How I make icons...

I started painting Icons about five years ago because of my brother. He builds violins and once saw an instrument repair that was unusual. The back of this violin had an exquisite icon of the Theotokos (Mother of God). The repair was for a crack through the plate that this icon was painted on. My brother wanted to understand exactly how an icon was created so that he could make the repair with as little damage to the icon as possible.

He sent me a link to the Saint-Andrew workshop, a community of Byzantine iconographers. I really like the process. Never would I have guessed how these beautiful images were made. Also, for the first time, I began to understand the geometry and aesthetics being used in icons.

I make icons without the exact materials mentioned on the Saint-Andrew workshop website. Traditional iconography depends on finding materials in the wild (wood, mineral pigments, rabbit skin for glue). My icons depend on me finding materials around me. Also, I am a cheapskate and resist buying anything, especially if I am simply trying something out.

I use 1/2 inch pine board coated with wood glue. A scraper makes the glue layer even. I apply a piece of cotton (from and old pillow cover). I was careful to stretch this out over the board. Using a plaster knife I smooth out the cotton in each direction until there were no bubbles.  Traditionally, a glue made from rabbit hide would be used.

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Next, several coats of acrylic gesso are applied. Traditional icons use a chalk mixture, almost a plaster. This has the same function of sealing the canvas that gesso has, but would certainly absorb paint differently. After this I transfer my design using stylus. Traditionally, this would involve pressing lines into the chalk layer and then highlighting this with pencil. I decided early on to use carbon paper.

After drawing the lines I apply the gold leaf for the halo. If you buy a fake gold leaf kit, you are set. You can save a couple dollars by just getting the fake gold leaf in a pack. To apply it, you make a 50/50 mixture of white glue and water. You then apply the glue/water onto the halo area. Let this dry for an hour or so. If you want it to be a little more tacky before putting the gold on, just breathe on it.

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After the gold is applied, you can start painting lines. I use a dark brown or sort of brownish-reddish mixture of acrylic paint and a line brush. The paint is watered down so a line can be pulled with a thin brush. I start thin and go over the lines that look like they should be thicker.  I let the lines dry before going to the next step.

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Now this is called sanguine. Traditionally egg tempura is used. I use gauche because it is not permanent like the acrylic, but it isn't thin (transparent) like water color. I make a mixture of brown and red and yellow ochre, then add water and paint in such a way to get something that looks like melted milk chocolate. It has to be thick enough so that it is easy to control. I pour this indiscriminately over the face and hands. It looks weird because you just worked so hard to get the lines painted and then you cover it all up. After this I let it dry.

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Gauche is water soluble, so after it dries, with a moist clean brush (flat with curved edge work best) I can pick up or slosh pigment around and make gradations that show the curves of the face and figures etc… It is really neat, especially if you are good with volumes and weight or can think in 3-D. At the same time you do not shade and highlight the figure as though it is being lit from a particular direction. You are mainly concerned with making the face look like it is 3D and glowing from inside out. At least that is what I try to do.

Traditional icons are made with egg tempura. I think tempura behaves like the gauche, but have no experience with egg tempura. Apparently, when an iconographer lays down the lines and then covers them with paint, they disturb and disrupt the lines. They know were the lines are and make sure to keep replacing lines they disturb.  For painting the figure's clothes  I use gauche for the lines, then cover this up with a layer of color.  I then go through remove color, keeping the lines. I use acrylic to define the lines of the face and hands so I don't get totally lost. The clothes are easier because they flow and over lap randomly. Highlights, decorations, background and calligraphy come last.