Traditional icons are actually written, meaning that the...

Traditional icons are actually written, meaning that the artist meditates seriously and privately, in some cases for hours, before beginning. This puts the artist in a specific frame of mind and soul. The goal is for the Holy Spirit to guide the way the artist writes the work itself. Very rarely does the artist sign their name. (The work is) done anonymously as a devotion to God. Traditionally, only natural materials should be used in the production, such as pigments that bring the actual work closer to nature, and to God.