HOLY HOLY HOLY TRANSFIGURATION MONASTERY

My husband and I spent a week at a retreat painting icons at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Redwood Valley, CA. Here are the steps.
1) Trace your drawing onto a gesso board.
2) Etch out the drawing.
3) Write people's name that you want to pray for over the drawing.
4) From the Bible, in the beginner there was darkness. So you start with a dark temper color. Tempera is egg, vinegar and water.
5) You put down clay for where the gold will be and then put sheets of gold over it.
6) .Then you begin to paint in layers the icon while in prayer.
7) When it dries, seal it with beeswax with lavender.
Here is my painting of  the Good Shepard,

Good Shepard