Icons

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GrandChurch

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Would it be okay to print an Icon from the computer? Or would that be an invailid icon??
 
I want to get an icon of Mary. Is their a certian icon I should look for?
 
I have the impression that a hand written icon has a much higher spiritual value than a mechanically produced one due to the prayer and human effort involved. Can we get an Eastern opinion on this?

Meanwhile, I have several mechanically produced one which help me with prayer time.
 
I would agree (yes I know I am not eastern yet, but…) that human written Icons are better. I actually just finished writing my first Icon and love it much more than printing one and taping it to some construction paper (which I also did today). I can post my written one tomorrow and you guys can help me name it!😃
 
It is ok to print an icon from a computer. My prayer corner only has those because I’m not sure it would be a good idea financially right now for me to pay someone for hand written icons. I printed off high-quality prints from photos online of icons I like personally (that prints were not already being sold for so I wasn’t ripping anyone off) and then mounted them on wood. I stained the wood and then put a protective glossy coat over the entire product. When they were done I took them to my local Orthodox Church for Vespers so Father could bless them. He did that by putting them on his altar during Vespers. The icon I have of Mary is a copy of the miraculous myrrh-streaming Hawaiin Iveron Icon. I’ve been blessed to venerate the actual icon twice and so felt it appropriate to have in my prayer corner.
 
John_of_Patmos said:
I actually just finished writing my first Icon and love it much more than printing one and taping it to some construction paper (which I also did today). I can post my written one tomorrow and you guys can help me name it!😃
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Who is the icon of? I would like to write my own ico, but I can’t draw/paint very well
 
Authentic hand-written icons can be incredibly expensive–up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars, depending on the iconographer and where it comes from and how old it is. If one has the money, then, hey…go for it. If not, there’s nothing inherently less “spiritual” or “holy” in a mass produced reproduction of an icon or one printed from a computer. As far as I’m concerned, the value of an icon is in its ability to draw our attention to that which it represents, and instill in us an attitude of prayerful worship and thanksgiving.

Having said that, there’s the whole issue of the “miraculous” and/or weeping or myrrh-streaming icons. Those, however, are very few and very far between. While the icon itself can be reproduced, the myrrh issuing from it cannot.
 
While on the topic of icons, is it okay for a RC to use Eastern Icons as I find them incredibly beautiful.
 
GrandChurch said:
Who is the icon of? I would like to write my own icon, but I can’t draw/paint very well
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It is of Christ. I cannot draw (and in this case write) well either, but if you have a reference, it is easier (I based mine off of a Melkite stained glass Window). I drew/wrote it on thick white paper and used colored pencils. I was able to immitate the gold leaf very well. Note that Icons tend to be unrealistic anyway, so this makes it easier. My dad is going to get me wood, which I will paint and then we will gloss it on.

I’ll post it later.
 
Here it is:
Sort of an ethiopean style, from what I have seen. Look into Coptic icons.
 
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