About

How to Learn Iconography Online


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Learning Iconography Online

Our online courses allow to study iconography at your own schedule and pace. Every course is made as a series of assignments - pre-recorded video tutorials with homework instructions, which can be watched at any time during the course and remain available afterwards. Spending several months planning, filming and editing every course we provide our students with most essential practical instructions and extensive theoretical background.

Right before starting a new course we launch a fresh Google Classroom and encourage our students to share photographs of their drawings and paintings as often as they wish. The advantage of using the Classroom is that you can see other students' homework and teachers' feedback as well. You can spot a lot of useful comments and suggestions that will help in your own work. Our whole idea of teaching iconography is not about performance or skills. Checking the homework we evaluate how a student understands what is being done and why; why this or that technique is needed, what goal it serves, et cetera. We never use any destructive critique or allow anybody to express any disdain towards the works of fellow-students.

Our Experience

We began teaching iconography in 2005, and it's always been about sharing share our own knowledge and skills. We used to teach face-to-face workshops in Australia, Canada, Italy, Russia and the USA. Our current online courses began with the pandemic in 2020 and we discovered, that this way of teaching has many advantages. First, - it provides more time for learning than in a real class situation. Now we have several courses for students of different levels and work on new ones, hoping that they will be ready soon.

We provide

Structured information, real time help, work in a team, unlimited access to materials

Support

All students receive constructive feedback from the instructors in no later than 48 hours (weekends excluded)

Class

We encourage our students to actively share their drawings in Google Classroom, it allows learning from classmates

Lifetime Access

After the end of the class students receive PDF summary of the assignments and all videos remain available

Our Team

Philip Davydov and Olga Shalamova; Sacred Murals Studio (Saint Petersburg, Russia).
About Learning Iconography Online

Philip Davydov

Iconographer, iconography instructor and web-site administrator M.A. from State Fine Art from the Academy of Saint Petersburg, faculty of Theory and History of Art. He is a professional, second-generation iconographer with more than 15 years of teaching experience. He is also a professor at the Institute of Theology and Sacred Arts and the head of The Sacred Murals Studio in St. Petersburg, Russia.
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About Learning Iconography Online

Olga Shalamova

Iconographer and iconography instructor

M.A. from State Fine Art from the Academy of Saint Petersburg, faculty of Theory and History of Art. She is a member of the Union of Artists of Russia and is chief artist of the embroidery workshop at Feodorovsky Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. She is also an active participant in exhibitions of contemporary ecclesiastical art.

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What people are saying

Our Online Iconography Drawing Course 1 overwieved by course participants:

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Dear Olga,

Thank you for your corrections (and for ALL of your teaching) - they are very helpful, and they make me look more carefully at what I've done, hopefully before I send it to you, but the learning is equally good when I get it 'wrong' anyway!!(...)

I now find this online way of working is actually more helpful for me - it gives me time to try to understand what I need to do before I try to do it. I am also allowed to work at a pace that suits my temperament - and being able to come out to the studio when I am in the right 'frame of mind' is very good also; sometimes even in the middle of the night, when everything is quiet.

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Dear Philip,

It’s a very interesting approach - I see the value straight away - instead of just copying, even good copying, you can now understand what you are actually copying! And therefore you can actually have more confidence and understanding when you’re constructing your own faces, or still copying for that matter. It’s a good solid way to learn.

K.R.

Dear Philip and Olga,

Thank you for your reply. All constructive criticism is welcomed! That is how one learns. I respect your teaching methods and understand what you are striving for in your students.

Every lesson is building on the previous one. You both are excellent in the videos and explanations. I like how Olga illustrates the shape of the face and measurements in each lesson, this is a very good recap or repeat/reminder of the previous lessons! Now we are at assignment #4. I also realize more practice with the Basics is needed to learn, apply and understand. Analogy is: ( You can't build the frame of the house if the foundation is not well built).

This class is the first class that makes sense in learning from the very beginning from measurements- not tracings from a prearranged drawing to achieve a portrait. Your hard work, hours, planning and energy that both of you have achieved to produce a successful class on line is valued very much! Many cheers to you both!

Looking forward to the next week's lesson.
Thank you both again for helping me improve in this class!