Page 51 - Tibetan Thangka Painting Methodsand Mat, Jackson

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b c
Sequence of steps leading to the establishment of the vertical and horizontal axes.
a) Lay down diagonals, then find points equidistant from the intersection, b) Draw eight
arcs, two in each of the four areas created by the diagonals, using the four points estab-
lished above as the centres, c) Connect the intersection of the arcs with the intersection
of the diagonals.

a b
Alternative methods for establishing the outer borders and vertical axis: a) Lay down the
diagonals and find points equidistant from the intersection of the diagonals, b) Connect
those four points, c) To establish the vertical axis, find points halfway on both bottom
and top borders, then connect these through the intersection of the diagonal lines.

Next - and here a compass was helpful - the artist the diagonals, leaving enough cloth on the edge for the
drew eight arcs of the same radius in the empty quad- later mounting of the painting within a brocade frame.
rants between the diagonals, using each of the four Then he connected these points with the chalk line to
equidistant points as the focus of two arcs. Each pair of form lines running parallel to the vertical and horizontal.
arcs drawn in the same quadrant had to intersect. Then, Although some artists first established the diagonals,
by connecting these points of intersection with the verticals and horizontals on the back of the canvas,
center point of the canvas using a chalk line, the artist there was no reason not to draw the four borders on
established the horizontal and vertical axes. 3 the front, since these established the actual area to be
painted. If two compositions were to be executed on the
The Four Borders
same canvas, the artist had to establish the borders of
The last four of the eight major lines, the outside each composition as well as the vertical axis within each
borders, were easy to establish. The painter first deter- composition. Again he had to set aside enough of an
mined points on the diagonals near the corners of the edge on all sides of each composition so that a brocade
cloth which were equidistant from the intersection of frame could be easily stitched to it after its completion.

THE LINES OF ORIENTATION 47