Creating Icons with Children

Creating Icons is the most involved visual art activity that the children will do all year. You can follow the dates suggested for this activity or take as many Sundays as you prefer. Being open to many different renditions of the icon allows several age groups to be involved at one time. If the children are interested, you might do this activity more than once.

“We are brought into the presence of one who contains everything, who makes everything hang together, who gives us the power to see all things freshly”—Rowan Williams, The Dwelling of the Light: Praying with Icons of Christ.

What you will need

Choose one of the following:

• Slab of wood OR press board, 5” by 8”
• Card stock OR regular paper OR painting paper, 5” by 8”—cut an 8-1/2” by 11” sheet to size

Choose one of the following:

• For wood or press board—light blue and gold acrylic paint
• For card stock or painting paper—light blue tempera paint
• For regular paper—soak dried felt markers in water and use the water as paint—the less water used, the brighter the colour; the longer markers soak, the more intense the colour

Choose one of the following:

• Gold or silver foil paper
• Gold or silver markers
• Gold, silver or yellow crayons
• Yellow or gold paint

Plus

• Paintbrushes, glue, scissors, coloured markers, pencil crayons or crayons, paper, pencils, a small/medium bowl, picture examples of icons—you may have an icon at your church, you might borrow a book from the library or do an Internet image search for “religious icons”

Optional

• Glitter or gold/silver sequins
• “Mod Podge”—available at most craft and art stores

What to do

1. Preferably each time you do this activity (and certainly the first time), have a priest bless the hands of the children: “We are going to do special art work today…”
2. You may introduce the activity, “Today we are going to make pictures that will be like icons. Icons are extraordinary, special pictures that help us to think about Jesus or Jesus’ mother, Mary, or other important people we hear about in the Bible. Icons are pictures of these people. People who make icons are called ‘iconographers.’ Iconographers practise for many, many years to create icons. Creating icons is like praying, so, as we make our icons today, let’s try to have peaceful hearts and let our hearts guide our hands.”
   1. If you take more than one class-time to complete this activity (three Sundays are recommended—consult Marks of Mission Monthly Planner and Calendar), review the above introduction with the children. Questions like, “What was your favourite memory about our last class when we were making icons?” are helpful. You might want to share additional information about a certain icon that the children were drawn to last week. You might want to share your own favourite memories from the last class. Children might want to present their work and share their process so far.
3. Show or review the pictures of icons that you have brought.
   1. Offer stories about the people in the icons.
   2. Look at the features of the icons—the colours, the circular halo, the facial features, stars or any other decorations, the name of the saint on the icon.
   3. Ask, “How do you think that the artist made…?” (Name an element mentioned above.)
4. The creation of the icon may be simple or elaborate, depending on the skill level of the child. The children’s own ability to use their hands will guide what they are able to produce. In this activity, there is room for many visual renditions!
5. Start by warming up your hands together and inviting the children to do the same: clap your hands; rub your hands together briskly; rub each finger from the bottom to the top using your thumb and forefinger; squeeze your hands tight and stretch them out. This warm-up will especially help children who struggle to use their hands.
6. Explain the process to the children, giving a brief overview of the following directions. You may begin the activity or pick up the activity from where you left off.
7. Mark the back and front of your wood or paper with an X that meets all four corners, then mark the back of your wood or paper with a + that meets all four corners. You may only get this far the first Sunday—this is a good place to stop.  
8. Use the bowl to trace a circle in the centre of the paper or wood—the circle should be about one-quarter of the way down from the top. (See photo 1.)
9. Colour in the circle with a marker or crayon, using gold, silver or yellow. This will be the halo. You may also use gold or silver foil, if you have any, to create the halo. (See photos 2, 3 and 4.) Alternatively, cut a saucer-size circle from yellow paper and glue it to the wood or paper.
10. Have the children take their other blank piece of paper and place it on the table so that the bottom paper edge is about three-quarters of the way up their forearms. (See photo 5.) Then, have the children interlace their fingers and place both entwined hands on the paper. Have the child’s partner or yourself trace around the hands and forearms, right down to the bottom paper edge. This will be the head and neck of the icon. Cut these out as a single piece.
11. Have the children place the head and neck portion onto the halo that they have made. At this point, if they have not already, the children should choose who they would like their icon to be.
    1. Questions to ask: “What is a Bible story that you remember?”…“If you could be like anyone in the Bible, who would you be like?” For children who aren’t sure who to choose, Jesus or Mary as a child are good suggestions.
12. Now the children will draw the face of their icon. They will need a pencil to start and will benefit from a “practice run.” Note the L-shape of the traditional icon nose, the simplicity of the almond-shaped eyes; the circles within circles within the eyes. Lips can be simple or elaborate, depending on the child’s skill. Cheeks may be blushed or not. Enjoy! (See photos 6 and 7.)
13. Paste the face on the halo. (See photo 8.)
14. Paint on stars around the icon. You may also paste on sequins or other decorations.
15. Write the descriptive name of the icon on the icon. Children can take some time to consider what they want to call their icon. Traditionally, names on icons are written using the first letter of each word in the name. For example, “Jesus Helper of Children” would be “JHoC” on the icon. (See photo 9.)
16. You may complete the icon with a coat of Mod Podge to add shine, but this step is optional.
17. With parents’ permission,^*  take photos of the children with their icons and send the photos to the General Synod website, “Sunday School section.” (See Photo 10.)