Making of a Tibetan Thangka - An Unusual Journey of Mind, Body & Soul

I feel happy for all my friends who actually gave up those super demanding and very well paid jobs to do what they enjoyed doing the most. While all the jobs I have done in the past and present have offered me ample learning, varied experience, and opportunity to live in cities that have rich cultural backgrounds, but besides that, what has kept me motivated and grounded over the years are my hobbies and my fondness for Mother Nature, colors and ancient art forms; be it in palaces, forts, or places of worship. 

One day I was generally scrolling down the news feed on Facebook and found that my batch-mate from school Sarika and her husband Master Locho (Lobsang Chogyal) have setup Thangde Gatsal - Thangka Art Studio and School in a small, beautiful village of Dharamshala. Both of them have studied under the guidance of Master Tempa Choephel, at the prestigious Norbulingka Institute in Dharamshala. 

For those who do not know what Thangka is: The literal translation of the Tibetan word THANG KA means 'recorded message'. Thangkas communicate a message to the practitioner, serving as an aid to teaching and as an aid to meditation through the visualization of the deity. It is a medium through which the Buddhist philosophy can be explained. Originally lamas and monks used scroll paintings to instruct the Buddhist Dharma (teachings). These paintings were easily transported and unrolled to suit the needs of the mainly nomadic population. The lama would go to a village, unroll a Thangka and use it to illustrate their tales on Buddhist philosophy when narrating before an audience. Thangkas also have public ceremonial uses. Up until today some monasteries possess huge (usually appliqué) Thangkas that are unrolled on certain holidays for viewing and worship.

On a deeper level Thangka paintings are the visual expression of the fully awakened state of enlightenment, this being the ultimate goal of the Buddhist spiritual path. That's why a Thangka is sometimes called ‘the road map to enlightenment'. To sketch the figures in a Thangka the painter needs an exact knowledge of the measurements and proportions of each deity as established by Buddhist iconography and artistic practice. A grid containing these proportions is essential to establish the continuity and correct transmission of the figures. 

The Unusual Journey begins (April 7, 2015 – June 7, 2015). After couple of discussions with her on phone, I decided in my heart and head that now is the time I want to take a break from work and go and learn this beautiful form of art. Yes, like most others, I could also feel a lot of pressure and reasons to succumb. Away from husband – is that okay…and the fear of becoming jobless. I knew I was longing to see the confident, fearless me back, one who use to giggle, laugh, joke, have fun. They say you are given what you want; my husband very graciously supported this decision & said, ‘you must do it’. I am glad & really thankful to him for being there for me.

Week 1: Waking up to the breathtaking views and learning to sketch the deity

It was amazing how I didn't really know what I was doing at first, but got guided through the process. The first look at the manual and Buddha face and I thought to myself, ‘super easy’ but then my struggle began with the grid.  

Drawing a perfect grid is extremely important and crucial. Next was sharpening the pencil. That requires so much patience or one ends up breaking the tip exactly when you think its sharp enough. Funny but what appears to be the simplest needs most attention and preciseness. I managed to draw couple of Buddha faces and the change was visible.

Week 2-4: Sketching Buddha and White Tara

A long time ago I read this quote "Taming the mind is the path to happiness" by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and these words since then got stuck in my mind. I believe one of the main purposes in life is to work on our mind and become more conscious instead of being trapped in our thoughts. Very difficult though!!! As I continued to sketch and practice the grid,  I noticed a change within, in order to draw the most perfect Buddha, I started focusing on pencil strokes and gradually several thoughts that use to bother me started fading. It was a wonderful feeling. 

But deep inside there was a desire to be appreciated for my work which seemed still very far. I was slowly feeling low and disappointed and then I got a message card inside a book that I was reading. It said, "Why do you feel elated when praised and dejected or when criticized? It's because you don't accept the way things truly are. You're controlled by your hallucinating mind, which is totally divorced from reality.” - Lama Yeshe. For a moment I felt that everything I have been doing in this life is so wrong; the needs, wants, cravings, desires, actually all of it… will I ever be able to think differently??

I wanted to change everything about myself… could sense a constant battle and turmoil in my head. Mind seemed to have split into two: one wanted freedom from thoughts and relations, and the other that wanted to pull me back to the same old routine. I wanted to be quiet but then could not ignore calls from family and friends. Hated this strange pressure! Living in the moment is so simple but then why do we don’t be in the moment. The mind registers every event, no matter how small. And that is why the restlessness and rationalizing of situations and thoughts. I started each morning with one prayer, ‘God please bless me so I give my best’. Slowly the sketches became better and the expectation of appreciation vanished. I did want to learn and get better but not for appreciation but because I wanted to make something that was as divine as God Him/Herself. In between I practiced drawing flowers, leaves, and also inking those with waterproof black ink.

Week 5 - 8:

Canvas Preparation: 

After exactly one month of sketching, the day arrived when I was told that now it’s time to make the canvas. My heart skipped a beat or two. The joy of seeing a piece of cotton cloth turn into a perfect base for Thangka cannot be expressed in words. 

The cloth to be painted undergoes a complex process of preparation which takes almost 2-days depending on local climatic conditions. In foggy Himalayan foothills, weather can be quite unpredictable. If a canvas is improperly prepared, the entire Thangka will be a failure. So, one needs to be very careful. A canvas also needs to be stretched just right for it to work and hold paint properly.

Step 1: Depending on what you want to paint, the dimensions are decided. The cloth is carefully sewn onto four lengths of bamboo which are tightly strung to a large wooden frame/ stretcher bars.

Step 2: The artist then stirs up a mixture of white clay, water & glue in a clean pot to the consistency of thick cream. The mixture is then applied evenly to the whole canvas with the help of cloth, stone, and ruler and left to dry in indirect sun. After it has dried, the same process is repeated so the entire canvas is evenly coated.

 

Step 3: The canvas is then laid upon a smooth wooden board and a small area is moistened with water using a soft white cloth. Section by section, the artist vigorously rubs the canvas smooth with a piece of marble , moistening it with water as he works. In my case we used a mug for polishing. This takes about an hour. The entire canvas is then slowly and carefully stretched by tightening the strings tied to the frame and left to dry.

Once dry, the entire procedure is repeated for the other side of the canvas, stretching it after each moistening and leaving it to dry. When it has been thoroughly treated and dried, the canvas should be so tightly stretched that it makes a nice drum sound when tapped. This is the sign it is ready to be painted. The front of the canvas is then ready for the next step.

Line Drawing:

First step is to identify the center and the border of the canvas, with the help of a ruler and divider. The same is drawn on the backside of the canvas. Next step is to trace the drawing on the canvas, for which the sketch or the final drawing is taped to the backside of the canvas and placed against the light, which helps in seeing the lines clearly while tracing. Black water proof ink mixed with few drops of water is used for inking the pencil drawing and the pencil marks are erased as lead gets mixed with color pigments and spoil it.

Mixing Colors:

It takes a full day to prepare the colors. The materials include a variety of mineral and vegetable substances: minerals, precious stones, bark, roots, leaves, flowers, gold, silver etc. Each is collected, cleaned, powered, crushed or cooked. Each color is then mixed, and tested on the edges of the canvas and allowed to dry. Only after the paint has completely dried does it reveal its true color.

Nowadays, artists have started opting for chemical based pigments, which are easily available for purchase. At Thangde Gatsal, the traditional method is followed and so, natural materials were used in my painting as far as possible.

Painting: 

There is a specific sequence to color application. In general, the Thangka is painted from top to bottom. The first step is the sky, which takes 3 to 4 days. An initial deep blue wash is followed by innumerable slender, length wise brush strokes to produce a stipple effect of lines. Another very important aspect is that gradient needs to gently shift from dark to light. Requires immense patience and going over and over again so shading looks natural and uniform. Then comes the dark green landscape followed by other colors, and finally white.

When the whole series of base coat colors have been applied and allowed to dry, the Thangka is scraped with a razor blade, held at an arched angle to the cloth, to smooth away any roughness in the paint. The dust is brushed off with a clean soft cloth. Master Locho and Lobsang did the scraping part for me, I might have cut the canvas if I tried. 

Redrawing and Shading:

The original detailed lines which get covered by paint are redrawn in chalk. The artist then shades them with a fine paintbrush. In general, a Thangka needs two-three applications of paint, but flowers require many repeated applications of thin paint to give them their effect of inherent radiance. For shading certain parts, ink is also used.

Detailing:

Painting the intricate details of the landscape and clothing follows the same sequence of color application.

Gold Application: 

A considerable quantity of gold is used to highlight and give it its final glorious touches. Tiny pieces of gold are added to water and this is covered and allowed to stand overnight. By morning, the gold has sunk to the bottom and the surface water is poured off. Finally, glue and water are added to the gold. After the gold has been applied to the Thangka, it is polished with the tip of a fine pen or a special stone.

Body Shading and Finishing:

The artist then shades in color to give shape to the body and face, aura, lotus seat, flowers, landscape, and other details.

Opening the Eyes:

This is the most important part of the Thangka. I thank Master Locho from the bottom of my heart for making the deity come to life with his expertise. Magic happened every time he held the brush with his fingers! I do not think this would have been possible without his support. He also wrote the Sanskrit seed syllables "Om Ah Hum" on the back of the Thangka. OM stands for the body, AH for the speech, and HUM for the mind. They represent the transformative blessings of the body, speech, and mind of all the Buddhas. Externally OM purifies all the negative actions committed through your body, AH through your speech, and HUM through your mind.

Brocade Selection and Framing:

Red paint is used to paint a border around the painting so as to ensure the dimensions for framing are clearly known. One can chose the brocade as per their preference. Usually artists use the traditional patterns available in red, yellow, blue and gold colors. A skilled Thangka tailor affixes a brocade frame to the completed Thangka. Once this step is complete, Thangka is ready to be hung and venerated as a genuine living embodiment of enlightened mind. While these steps serve as a guide in achieving the desired visual effects required for the creation of a quality Thangka, one must remain aware that it is essential to combine these processes with the correct motivation, philosophy, and positive thoughts. 

Gratitude: 

And last but not the least I would like to express gratitude towards my family especially my husband Bhupinder without whom I would have never been able to go ahead and live this dream, my boss Shivnath for allowing me to take this break, Master Locho, Sarika, Lobsang Tibet, staff at Thangde Gatsal for their support, and my lovely co-students Naomi, Natalie, Daniel, and Jared for helping me in making this dream come true. 

Nobody said it was easy but when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing. Like one great canvas... so, throw all the paints you can on it and see the magic! 



Stay blessed, stay happy!!!