St. Joseph - background

Finished Background

Fourth Layer (applied diagonally)

Third Layer (applied diagonally)

Second Layer (applied horizontally)

First Layer (applied vertically)

When the icon is not to be gilded, as in this case, the background is painted after the cartoon has been inked.

Ochre is the most commonly used color in the background of an icon without scenery or gilding. This ochre is a mixture of Green Earth Light, Yellow Ochre, and Buff Titanium. She used mostly Green Earth Light and only a very small amount of Buff Titanium. Green Earth Light is coarse and requires grinding with a pestle.

The layers, shown here in five stages, are applied vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, rather than unilaterally, to create a cloudy or atmospheric texture. Some iconographers use a puddling technique to achieve this.