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After the artist had drawn the design onto the surface of the size in thin green or brown paint, he would put the paint on in  layers, building up the colours bit by bit. Most of the colours were quite transparent and this made the painting look glowing. When the figures were finished the artist would set the work in a wooden frame and "gild" it by covering the background with a little pieces of gold leaf that had been beaten into very thin sheets. When a candle was lit near the icon, it shone on the gold surface and made the figures stand out.