7 Years of the Byzantine Iconography Tutorial Project on Patreon
Seven years ago a friend sent me a link for Patreon. I had come across the site a year or two earlier and kept it in the back of my mind as a useful platform for making iconography tutorials. But at that point, I didn’t know if my health problems would allow me to. But on that day 7 years ago something told me “now is the time!” So I took a leap of faith and set up the site and announced that one month later I would be releasing the first tutorial. So with the bare minimum of equipment (and old camcorder) I set out to record that first tutorial, “Introduction to Line, Rhythm, and Drawing the Face.”
So why did I start this project? Well, as an admin of the Facebook group “Orthodox Iconography Students Association Worldwide” I realised that there was enormous interest form learning iconography but most people simply don’t have access to iconography lessons, or can’t afford to attend workshops. In most cases these weekend workshops only teach “paint-by-numbers” iconography where students simply trace and copy an icon without actually understanding what they are doing and how line, rhythm and colour function in the icon. The idea, that appeared in the 20th century, that iconographers must only make exact copies of old icons couldn't be further from the actual iconographic tradition of the Church. A study of the historical development of Byzantine Iconography shows a great variety of styles and creativity all within the same Byzantine System of Painting.
More disturbing was the fact that people who had attended a weekend workshop now considered themselves qualified to teach others how to paint icons resulting in an abysmal standard of iconography. So I started the Byzantine Iconography Video Tutorial Project on Patreon to produce a comprehensive series of tutorials that will teach this Byzantine System of Painting that allows iconographers to create within the tradition of the Church. That is why these tutorials start from the foundation of drawing and composition before progressing to painting with the traditional limited tetrachrome palette.
While it is impossible for online classes to replace in-person lessons, my hopes when starting this project was to be able to give people serious about learning iconography a good starting point and I have seen how students who have worked seriously have improved immensely.
Access over 50 drawing and painting tutorials from only €5/month. Choose the benefits tier that suits your needs. Benefits include:
Early access to new tutorials
Real time bonus videos of icons I’m working on
Resource PDF
Digital time-lapse sketches and paintings
Assignments for feedback and correction
Free Udemy Codes
Exclusive content
While my chronic health issues may sometimes get in the way of me releasing the tutorials as often as I would like, this is a project with endless possibilities, that if God wills, will continue for many years into the future. It is only through the support I receive on Patreon that I am able to keep this project going. It has also allowed me to upgrade my equipment for better quality tutorials.
Even if you don’t wish to learn to paint icons you can still support this project on one of the Supporter tiers where for every year of support you will receive an original hand-painted icon.
To celebrate the 7th anniversary of this project I am offering 2 months free for annual pledges during September. Don’t miss out on this opportunity. For more information about the Student and Supporter tiers on Patreon just click the link below.
