Vajrayana Institute - AU
About Shading
Vajrayana Institute - AU
Andy Weber – Thangka making tuition
11
Aug
2023
Shading, Colouring and Grading of Thangkas and Mandalas
Another main step is to apply washes for shading and gradual transitions of tone. Shading is called Dang in Tibetan which is one of the special feature of Thangka painting.
Shading is an important feature of thanka painting, taking up a large portion of the time, and is done very carefully and precisely.
Shading in this context does not mean the treatment of light and shadow within the whole composition, for the distribution of light and dark is .
Techiques of Paint Preparation and Application in Tibetan Art
After cleaning the pigment it had only to be mixed with the binder to become paint. For blending a pigment and binder you can simply mix it.
Paint preparation can take a full day to prepare the five primary colors. Traditionally, the materials included a variety of mineral and vegetable substances minerals, precious stones, bark, leaves, flowers (especially the rock rose), gold, silver, copper, etc.
Each had to be collected from its source in different areas of .
The Sacred Composition of Colors in Tibetan Art
The thangka painter's palette consisted mainly of paints derived from the mineral pigments . Tibetan artists also made some of their paints by mixing the pigments with organic dyes and lakes such as indigo and lac dye. Important mixtures of this type included the blending of each of these two dyes with white. But since the dyes and lakes were mainly used during the shading and outlining stages that followed the initial application of .
Final Touch and Finishing Details In a Traditional Thangka Paintings
Facial Features
The last main step involving the application of colours was the rendering of the faces of the main figures. This was in effect the final stage of outlining, and sometimes a master painter would step in at this point and complete the painting of his student.
Of all the finishing details, the facial features demanded the most attention, and among these it was the eyes that received the greatest care. The painting of the .
The Art Of Mastering and outlining of Tibetan Thangkas
Almost every object depicted in a thangka required outlining or linear detail. Outlining proper (bead) served to set off most objects from their surroundings, and it was used to demarcate the main subdivisions within them. Tibetan painters also used line drawings to develop the form or texture inside a given area, for instance within a swirling mass of flames or within the hair of a deity.
Furthermore, fine linear drawings were the main way of .
Top 10 Composition of Pigments in the Tibetan paintings
The application of colour to the thangka canvas involved two main steps first, filling in the areas of different base colours, and second, the subsequent shading and outlining of those areas.
To these steps there corresponded the two essentially different types of paint in the Tibetan palette
Mineral pigments (rdo tshon and sa tshon) and
The organic dyes or lakes (tshos)
The mineral pigments had to be mixed with a binder before being applied as paints. .
The Preparation of the Thangka Painting Surface
Steps for Preparing a Thanka Painting
The painters of Tibet pursued their art in an orderly and systematic I way. When creating thangka scroll paintings they proceeded through six clearly defined steps:
The first step was the preparation of the painting surface.
Second, came the establishment of a design on that surface by means of a sketch or transfer.
The third step involved laying down the initial coats of paint, and that was followed by .
Consecration of Tibetan paintings
Thangka and Mandala painting process
Thangka painting process is very difficult and time-consuming. To sketch the figures in a Thangka and mandala, the artist must be an expert in the measurements and proportions of different deities. There are thousands of different deities in Tibetan Buddhism.
Generating a pure motive
Canvas preparation
Foundation line drawing
Mixing the paint
Painting brush making
Painting
Redrawing and shading
Details
Shading and final painting
Gold application
Opening the eye of .
Steps in Selecting a Thangka
The choice of a thangka is very personal and we encourage our guests to be selective, finding just the right piece that speaks to the heart. Here are several factors to keep in mind while looking.
Quality - Thangkas can be found in any quality from very poor to very high. The higher the quality, the more expensive. Some indicators of high quality are intricate detail (look at facial features, deity clothing patterns), the elegance .
Understanding The Thangka Paintings
According to historical records, around the seventh or eighth century, A.D. Thangka drawings began to be made in Tibet. This approach stems from Indian storytelling, where the image from which the story was told is vertically suspended, to visually assist in the story-telling. Some Thangka paintings seem to also be influenced by Han art effects.
The vast majority of Thangka expresses various themes in Tibetan Buddhism. The manner of its display directly reflects the Buddhist .