Page 110 - Tibetan Thangka Painting Methodsand Mat, Jackson

Brush Construction tip. When the glue had set enough so that the hairs
would not move he set the bundle aside and allowed it
After a suitable brush handle was prepared and a to dry completely.
sufficient number of hairs had been gathered, the artist After the glue had dried the painter began the final
sorted the hairs according to length and coarseness, step, the attaching of the hairs to the brush handle.
quickly rejecting any obviously defective ones. He then First he trimmed the loose, unglued hair enets to an
selected a number of good hairs - depending on how equal length, cutting them straight across with a sharp
many were necessary for the brush he planned - and knife. Then some artists dipped the same unglued
arranged them with all of their tips pointing one way. ends into size solution and positioned the damp hairs
The artist had to distinguish the natural taper of the around the projecting point of the brush shaft; others
hair from the cut end or the bulb of the root, since simply positioned the hairs while dry. When the hairs
only the natural tip was suitable for painting. were evenly spaced and lying flat against the point,
The next important step in the process began with the artist tied them in place near their base with a fine
the gathering of all of the selected hairs into a single thread. (This thread had to be strong as well as fine;
tuft. For a good brush tip (pir kha) the ends of the hairs one favorite type was silk thread salvaged from scraps
within the tuft had to be brought to about the same of brocade.) The artist then passed several more loops of
level, so the painters usually dropped the cluster tip-end thread around the bottom third of the hairs and tied the
first into a small cylindrical hole of an appropriate size, thread again. After he had examined the hairs to make
such as the hole in the end of a sawn and smoothly sure that they were lying in place and well distributed
rounded bamboo section, and tapped the container to around the point of the shaft, he used more thread to
make all the hair ends fall to the bottom of the hole. wrap the base of the hairs in a series of tight, consecutive
For this purpose any other object with a suitable hole loops for the whole length of the projecting point
could also be used. Some painters, for instance, beneath, and then knotted the thread. Finally he gave
employed a fired slab of clay with a number of holes the thread a coating of size. At this point the con-
of different diameters and depths specially pressed into struction of the brush was complete. The only thing
the clay before firing. The holes could not be too deep, still necessary to ready the brush for use was to soak the
because the root ends of the hairs had to project for easy glued painting tip in warm water until the glue dissolved
removal. Furthermore, the sides of the hole had to be and the hairs came free.
smooth so that the hairs could fall easily to the bottom
without catching on the sides. Often the hairs would by
themselves become tangled together or caught on the The Care of Brushes
sides, and to prevent this the artists commonly added a
pinch of fine ash dust before dropping them into the Because the brush hairs were usually attached to the
hole. Thus dusted they would usually fall to the bottom handle only by thread and size and were not as a rule
after just a few taps.2 cemented in place with a waterproof glue, the artist
At this stage the hairs were often sufficiently well had to treat his brushes with care. The brushes were
arranged to permit the final shaping of the brush tip. not left soaking for long periods of time, nor were they
Here, however, some artists rechecked them, and this used to stir colours. It was also best to clean them
was especially important if the artist had not previously immediately after use. Some painters were noticeably
examined them one at a time. To test the hairs he firmly gentle when handling and cleaning their brushes; we
grasped the projecting ends, pulled them from the hole, observed one painter carefully washing his brushes by
and then flicked the loose ends with the fingers of the pouring a little clear water into the palm of his hand
other hand. This flicking knocked out any hairs that and then slowly rotating the brush in this water to
were too short to be held within the tip. The artist then loosen the paint. Next he thoroughly rinsed the brush
closely examined the painting end of the bundle and in some new water, and then formed the brush tip into
removed any hairs with bent, split or broken ends. If a good point before putting it away into the container
not enough hair remained to make the desired brush, he he used for storing his brushes.
added more and put the newly enlarged tuft back into After much use the brushes began to lose their
the hole. He then repeated the above process until he original points. In some cases, however, a good tip could
obtained a cluster of hairs of the right size and quality. be restored; broken or bent hairs could be cut off
When the artist was satisfied with his cluster of individually, or, as one painter reported, bad hairs could
brush hairs and had them in the hole with their tips be trimmed by careful singeing with a stick of burning
resting on the bottom, the next step was to give the incense. Larger brushes, such as those used for coating
brush tip its shape and to fix it in that position. First walls, could have their whole painting tip trimmed with
he grasped the projecting ends of the hairs and pulled a sharp knife.
them from the hole. Next, without letting the hairs
move out of position, he dipped the painting end into
some strong hide glue or size. Then, still grasping the
unglued end of the cluster, he stroked the glued end
against a smooth surface until the hairs came to a good

106 BRUSHES