A small story about olifa in my work!

  • First and foremost, it is important to remember that olifa is used only in egg tempera painting - an icons painted with fry pigments, to which egg yolk is used as a binder. Ready-made tube tempera is not suitable!
  • Before using olifa as a final varnish, it is important to know, how much egg yolk to use with the pigments when you making paint. If there is too much egg yolk, the olifa will not absorb because the egg yolk itself forms it own coating. It is always better to use less egg when painting!
  • Another important factor is the composition of the levkas (gesso). For my icons that I make myself, I make levkas from chalk, linseed oil (for painting) and gelatin, using very specific proportions. Over time, I have become convinced that this recipe is the right one! How to determine if the levkas is authentic? Just smell it!  Authentic levkas will smell like bones, like fish. And it will be in a warmest color. Synthetic levkas will be bright white, often without a smell or smelling like synthetic materials. When I ordering boards from outside, levkas is often made with synthetic binders. In this case, it is difficult to predict how olifa will behave. If I order boards from outside, I always consider whether to use olifa or to use varnish intended for oil works, as the egg yolk makes the painting oily.
  • Therefore, varnishes used for oil paintings are suitable. Even for these cases, I have found a solution on how to use olifa!
  • Olifa is a hight-temperature boiled linseed oil that forms a flexible, air-permeable coating.
  • When absorbed into the painting, olifa passes through all the layers, as can happen when varnishing an icon with chemical varnishes.
  • Olifa forms a protective layer for the painting against mechanical damage, moisture, and other possible damages.
  • The most wonderful property of olifa is to highlight the richness of colors, to show the beauty of the pigment!
  • Olifa is one of the oldest techniques of "varnishing" icons, which has stood the test of time.
  • I also use this method in my work.

The method of applying of olifa  is quite a complex process:

  • after painting an icon, it needs to dry for at least 5-6 days. The longer the icon dries, the better. If the icon can stand for 6 months before olifa, that would be the best option;
  • wipe the icon by hand to remove dust;
  • pour a drop of olifa in the center of the icon, and with the outer edge of the palm, without pressing!, evenly smooth it over the entire surface of the painting. Important! As I gild only on bole, I also apply olifa on gold. Gold is porous, olifa seeps through it to the bole layer and then to the levkas layer. Olifa gives gold a warm, rich tone and also protects the gold from damage. Any other varnishes (like special for gold - synthetic varnishes) are not needed;
  • the time of year of olifa is used is of great importance. The best time for applying olifa is winter, as the drying time of olifa is more uniform then. In hot weather, the surface layer dries quickly, but the inner layer is still viscous;
  • after the olifa is smoothed out, it takes 4-5 hours for the entire painting to absorb in all layers. During this time, I keep the icon in a closed place. I use the box with holes for ventilation;
  • after 4-5 hours, the most responsible time begins - every 15 minutes, the layer of olifa must be smoothed out by hand to evenly cover the icon. Thus it may take 5-6 hours or more, depending on the room temperature;
  • after 5-6 hours the olifa will have become thick. I check it carefully by gently pressing my finger against the corner of the icon;
  • when i feel the "right" release moment, I know, I can start moving  - that is the process you see in the video below;
  • in this way, with a little force, smooth out the olifa over the entire painting. Here, the sound is important! You can hear it in the video. In terminology, it is called "fikanie". A characteric sound that indicates that the olifa is still movable, but only enough to finish the process of applying the olifa;
  • thus the icon is finished;
  • as I said, the winter is the best time for olifa. When the olifa process is complete, I put the icon in the box with holes in cool place. It can be a woodshed, or any unheated place. Why? So that a protective layer gradually forms without haste;
  • so - to use olifa in icon painting, several factors are important: colors, levkas, room and outside temperature, pernica itself.
Each icon painter will find their "perfect" materials for work. To be sure, you can only experiment and experience failures. I have been working since 2009, and I have enough failures to draw conclusions! But I continue to improve  my professional skills. And, that is important - never stop learning!

I invite you to watch short video where I perform the final process of icon movement or "fikanie" for  Archangel Gabriel icon. Once, that is done, I leave the icon to dry in the cold. WATCH VIDEO!

I will see how the olifa dries outside, February 22, 2024: WATCH VIDEO!

  • If you would like to learn the secrets of icon painting, invite me to your place with an Icon Painting Master-class. There are so many nuances that I can not tell, but I can show it to you! Information about the Master-classes: READ HERE!
  • Information about my classes in my studio: READ HERE!

Some photo when olifa has just been poured on icon.


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