Creating a Tibetan Thangka

Thangkas (pronounced “Tonka” – like the trucks) are Tibetan paintings developed to teach and visually describe various aspects of Buddhism. They were originally painted scrolls which could be rolled up and carried through the mountains by lamas to teach Buddhism to the Tibetan people. They show various deities – Buddhas and Taras, lamas and arhats, as well as symbolic depictions of Buddhist philosophy.

Earliest Thangkas are found dating from the 10th century, and because of the strict adherence to tradition, their structure and imagery remains mostly unchanged since that time. Traditional Thangka canvases are made from stretched cotton or other cloth, primed with a gesso-like substance, then polished and dried. The painting is done with water-based paint, as well as various inks.

Dry powdered pigment made from various mineral colors (lapis lazuli, malachite, etc) are ground with mortar and pestle and made into paint with animal glue and added in small strokes (no larger than a grain of rice). You can see the tiny strokes in the sky and water of the Padmasambhava and Medicine Buddha Thangkas.

Water based paints are added and outlined in ink. Finally real gold is applied, polished and detailed.

The last painting step of a Thangka is the painting of the syllables OM AH HUNG on the back of the canvas at the brow, throat and heart of the deity. Finally comes the consecration of the painting by a trained lama.

Making a Thangka Canvas

In traditional Thangkas, a wooden stretcher frame is used. The first step is to cut cotton fabric to size

Hems along each side are sewn, and bamboo dowels are inserted through the hems for structure. Fabric is stretched and sewn to a larger wooden frame

Gesso is made from white clay and and animal glue, then slightly colored

Gesso applied by hand to both sides of fabric

Thangka canvas is dried in the sun

Strings tightened evenly around the framework to make canvas taut

Canvas is polished with smooth stone, and allowed to dry

Lines of orientation are made

Canvas is ready to paint - drawing will be traced on canvas, then inked and painted

Creating a Medicine Buddha Step by Step

Grids of traditional proportions are used in the making of a Thangka

The grid is used to create the face in proportion

The grid for the body of Medicine Buddha

The grid proportions in units called “sor” are used to draw the image at the desired size

The drawing is inked, then traced onto the canvas, where it is inked again

Ground mineral colors in powdered form are made into paint and applied in very small strokes (no larger than a grain of rice) for the sky and landscape areas