Yangchenma Arts & Music

Recordings are available for viewing for one year from the date of purchase

For the first two years at least, a thangka painter in Tibet would only learn the proportions of the Buddhas and other deities by drawing them many times. Painting would be introduced some years after the artist was intimate with the lines, shapes and style. The proportions of the body of the Buddha relates to the anatomy of his enlightened being, which recalls us of our own “inner shape of perfect awareness”. By drawing the Buddha, with so many rules and perfect proportions, it demands our full presence, pristine devotion and aligned motivation which with some time of practice it transforms into a kind of joy and freedom attained only by consistent discipline. The drawing is the essential basics for any sort of further studies in the art of thangka painting. 

In this workshop we will be introduced to the proportions of the full body of the Buddha and lotus throne as well as all the symbolism and preparatory prayers. During the week we will also given practice to do at home. It will be a commitment with the Buddha and with the sacred artist within you wanting to take shape in the world.

SESSION ONE

Presentation of the full grid template and the first lines of the body of the Buddha

SESSION TWO

Today we will dress the body of the Buda with the two pieces of a monk’s clothes: a robe and a zen. Let us understand the curves and lines of a cloth working gracefully with gravity and the energy that the Buddha emanates from its pores, not letting any of it touch his skin as a symbol of blazing brilliance. 

SESSION THREE

Today we will continue the drawing together, finalizing with the drawing of the lotus throne where all enlightened beings sit as a symbol that their presence is untouched by the poisons of samsara just as the lotus stands unstained by the mud from where it emerges. 

SESSION FOUR

We will finalize our drawing with a thin marker. It is just a step before of using a brush which requires a stable and precise hand. With that we can erase the sketching lines and have a last piece clean and ready for the next classes for those wishing to paint.