An iconographer in Orthodox Christianity is a practitioner of iconography, the art of icon painting. The word iconographer means "image writer", and comes from the Greek εικον (image) and γραφειν (to write). Iconographers translate revealed scripture and divine truths into visual images, writing/painting the icon with consecrated brushes, paints, and materials. Ideally, they should be pious individuals trained by holy fathers. Monks and nuns, therefore, have traditionally been the primary source of icons.