Page 126 - Tibetan Thangka Painting Methodsand Mat, Jackson

Figure Shading (sha mdangs)

The application of shading to the bodies depicted was an '"
especially important branch of shading technique, _.-.-.. _---
,
involving methods a little different from those already
·described. The object of figure shading was, of course,
to create the illusion of a three-dimensional depth to
the body of the figure. This body shading was most
pronounced in the figures of dark blue and dark red
fonus of the wrathful and protective deities, as well as
in the major yi-dams and other deities of dark colour,
such as Green Tara. The basic technique was to shade
the major joints and recesses of the body, as well as to
shade ·around all important anatomical features. The
only parts left completely unshaded were some round
and oval areas in the middle of the various parts of the
body. These unshaded areas stood out to the eye like
rounded bulges - the very effect that the painter desired
to achieve.
To shade the bodies of deities whose base colours
were fairly dark, such as green or blue deities, the artists
had to apply the dye in more concentrated washes.
The base coat for most wrathful (khro bo) deities was a
medium to deep blue. To shade it the artist applied
indigo in dark strokes in the natural folds and The shading of facial details on the Buddha by Tshedor,
depressions of the body, and also around the edges of student of Perna Konchok.
each anatomical region. Then lighter strokes might be
used for lesser indentations and for softening the tran-
sition from the darker areas to the unshaded oval bulges
of muscles. Sometimes, as on small figures, little or no
transition between dark and light was attempted, so that
the modeled effect resulted solely from the contrast of
shaded against unshaded areas.
The shading of figures of lighter colours was the
same as above, except that only dilute dyes were used,
and hence the contrast between the shaded and un-
shaded was not so sharp.

Water

The procedure for, painting water in a thangka consisted
of a series of steps that the artist accomplished one by
one as the painting progressed. The sequence of the
main steps was preliminary sketch, undercoat, secondary
sketch, shading, outlining and finishing.
Areas of water in the landscape, such as ponds and
lakes, were. commonly drawn in triangular shapes or as a
series of triangles. One side of each triangle was
positioned horizontally, with the other two sides
meeting at a point below. During the application of the
mineral colours, the artist gave the water areas a smooth of facial details on Padmasambhava by
undercoat of medium blue. Then, at the time of shading,
he began with a secondary sketch in which he laid down
some horizontal lines which divided the triangle into hill or craggy promontory abutting the water. But even
several parallel bands of more or less the same width. in relatively simple landscapes where there was no
These lines established the borders for the shading that corresponding division in the bordering land (for
followed. instance where the water was a simple blue triangle
The placement of these dividing lines in the water surrounded by an undifferentiated green meadow)
was often connected with the lie of the land, and the the artists still subdivided the water into two or three
artist commonly laid down a line opposite each major levels.

122 SHADING AND COLOUR GRADAnON