The word tempera originally comes from the verb temperare which means "to mix to obtain the desired consistency." Dry pigments were combined with various water-based binders such as gum, casein, eggs, and animal glues.

Tempera was used in ancient Egypt, China, Greece, Rome, Babylonia. It was used for wall painting, stone columns, papyrus, blackboard painting, manuscripts, decorating altars, portraits and mummies.

Tempera is one of the most durable painting techniques. The oldest preserved Fayum portraits made with this technique date back to the 1st century BC or the beginning of the 1st century AD.

Traditional tempera painting on wooden support is a long process.

The first step is to properly prepare the support by soaking its surface with warm animal glue, the so-called lanthrization. Then, the canvas is usually glued to the face of the canvas, which is to stabilize the ground surface.

A chalk mortar is applied to the prepared support. Depending on the type of tempera used, more or less absorbent mortars are used. The mortar consists of glue and mixtures of various types of chalk and plaster. The most frequently used ones are Polish, Champagne and Bolognese chalk (it is actually plaster).

The mortar is laid in several layers so that its thickness is over 1 millimeter. After drying, it is polished with abrasive materials to obtain a smooth surface.

The priming process is very time-consuming and prone to many errors that can cause, for example, paint cracking.

The next step is to transfer the drawing outline and gilding works. The outline of the drawing was transferred in the past with the help of powdered charcoal. Currently, we use ready-made pigments in the studio. The transferred contours are fixed with paint or engraved with a sharp stylus.

The gold in the icon is a symbol of God. This dazzling color / metal symbolizes the divine nature and the uncreated light of God Himself. After all, there is no night in the kingdom of God, only an eternal day.

In gilding, we can generally distinguish matte and gloss gilding, or polishing. There are oil, pulping and mixed techniques, and recently there are also techniques based on polyacrylic resins.

The most effective and the most beautiful gilding of icons is gilding on pulment. This type of gilding makes it possible to obtain matt and polished gilding. By polishing gold with a trackpad, you can get a strong shine of gold, thus emphasizing the beauty and value of a gilded object.

This technique is not easy to learn, it requires not only knowledge but also practical experience. It is a time-consuming technique that requires patience and diligence.

Pulment, which is a mixture of clay and animal glue, is applied to the carefully prepared surface. After several layers have dried, gold leaf is applied and then, depending on the work performed, the gold is polished or not polished.

In the past, the polished, gilded surfaces of icons had a utility function, reflecting the glow of candles in the church, illuminating it.

After the gilding work has been done, the canvas has been cleaned of unnecessary pieces of gold, the painting begins. The colors check with my glaze layers as the subtle side presents between the additional color layers. The quick-drying tempera is placed by the scales on the brush side.

We meet the colors from the darkest to the brightest. The white background at the level of the transition to tempera works at the level of the transition of pigments to ensure the combination and the delicacy and intensity of the action. Finally, the painting is an examination with a wax or oil varnish, which enhances these experiences.

Although prayer is not a component of the icon's technology, it is nevertheless an integral part of it. A spiritual element. The icon is a mediator between Earth and Heaven, between the divine and human dimensions.