Most thangkas are painted on canvas. Some are painted on title = "thangka painting"> painted thangka occurs in four stages.

Preparing the Foundation:

The type of thangka under review, the canvas to buy, is made of a fabric material: cotton, linen, and sometimes silk. A finely woven structure made of one piece of cloth is best, because the paint chips off easily with heavy fabrics harder when the thangka is wound. The painted canvas is rectangular, taller than wide, ideally 30inches measuring the average height of 20 inches wide (75 50centimeters). 3:2 f The same height and width can also be found in other formats: 12 by 8 inches (30by 20cm), 48 by 32 inches (120 by 80 cm), 120 by 80 inches (300 cm x 200 cm) for exceptionally large specimens. These proportions in general also apply to the huge thangka – measuring 180 by 130 feet (55 by 40 meters) that hang out side of the wall of the monasteries during the holidays. There also are more elongated thangkas wider than high, with a size ratio of 2:3. The edges of the fabric are folded over twice, instead of fencing, to prevent tearing. Then attached the canvas with Screw four slats are tightly with a string on a wooden frame, and strung it, so it looks like a bottom-up trampoline.The front and back Fabric will pass a sizing of the soul; tail consisting of boiling the bones and skin, often of a water buffalo. After this layer has been applied, polished with a smooth stone or shell. This produces a smooth, even layer of rough or uneven material that works well to draw and paint and keep the paint to seep into the fabric.

Sketching

For guidance, the painter often first establish a coordinate grid in the form of eight lines, two diagonal lines with a horizontal and a vertical axis passing through the intersection, and four lines with the result, the lines are accentuated ink.There separate drawings, templates, available for many of the figures to be painted. They can be transferred to the canvas for puncture holes through them along the contours and the major lines and components. Dust is blown through these holes, resulting in a dotted outline on the canvas. Another technique for transferring data using block prints. The blocks of wood or metal are painted black, the figures are painted in the later stages.

Painting

When finished drawing, it's time of the color phase. The areas of large areas of color is often applied by brushing or writing numbers or syllables in the area concerned. Black, for the moment is indicated with the number two, or the syllable Na, yellow with five or SA. When applying color, a particular sequence is commonly followed. In First, the area farther away, in perspective, the sky's color. Then the landscape becomes narrower, followed by trees, rocks and water. After of this comes the gods and other figures. The throne, clothing, and painted halo first. Light colors are applied before dark colors, and then gold details incorporation.

Framing

Once the painting, the canvas that is released stretchers and framed textile borders. The brocade silk or cut is width set so that the bottom depth of cut is half the length of the painting, the top quarter, and the sides are one-eighth of the length. Still thus, the thangka is completely rectangular frame, but splays slightly toward the bottom, and metal caps are usually slipped at the ends. If a thangka is not in use, but not rolled, it is a fine piece of lamp soot and smoke, and to avoid the image of being visually touched their eyes bye uninitiated. Often, silk curtain shall be yellow with red or blue, or sometimes has a flower movement. About this curtain down two strips of red silk hanging from the very bottom. In the top between these two strips hanging light reading cable with which the veil can be attached. At the top there is a cord by which the thangka can be hung or can be tied together when rolled.

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