Page 88 - Tibetan Thangka Painting Methodsand Mat, Jackson

The main material is soot, which is made by Genriana riberica King (kyi lee) is excellent for
burning the wood of a larch tree (larix potaninii ease of grinding, but it is not lustrous (or, instead
Batal.: thang ma sgron shing), birch bark, or of 'ad che, read bong che "extensive, of good
other materials and by causing the flames to burn coverage"?). Wood soot is excellent for grinding
into a vessel with it net covering (?) (khog rna dra and it is also of "great extension". The soot of
ba can). Alternatively, one may also use the soot dmar chen rtse ba has good colour and is "exten-
of a butter lamp or from a torch. Also the soot sive" and easily ground, yet it is a cause for
from a roasting pan [may be used], but this is the spoilage [in warm weather]. Therefore, in winter
worst; and [one may even use ashes of] puffballs the soot of dmar chen rtse ba is best. Otherwise,
that have been covered with mud and burned. for good colour, ease of grinding and "extensive-
ness" one should mix lampblack in equal
[To prepare ink] one adds to the above soot a
proportions with Genriana tibetica (kyi lee) soot.
boiled solution of size that has cooled and con-
gealed to the point that it can no longer be pierced If one desires a dark blue [ink] one should add the
with the tongue. [The mixture] is stirred and black surface layer of some indigo dye solution
churned again and again in a thang-rkyal container. and some decoction of the Saussurea sp. (spyi
If it dries out one should moisten it, and it should bzhur) plant. If one wants a light blue, add only
be ground by repeatedly bringing it to a paste- the Saussurea sp. decoction. [Ink of a] silvery
like consistency. colour can be made by adding a lot of white rice
decoction and ma nu ru rta (an Inula species?)
Regarding this, some people traditionally begin
decoction in equal measure, and this mixture must
by grinding mica (lhang tsher) in a thang-rkyal
be ground a long time in the sun. If one wants ink
container. Using this as their basic material, they
of a reddish colour and lustre, it can be made by
then mix it with soot 0; other materials.
adding a little solution containing "antelope
During or after the grinding of the ink, if one blood" (?) after the ink has been completely
soaks [the soot paste] in a decoction of Piper ground, and then grinding the mixture further in
longum and cardamom (?) (kakkola) [the resultant the sun without heating it over a fire. If one wants
ink] will not solidify in the winter. And if one ink that is extremely black and shiny, it can be
soaks it in an infusion of camphor, Peucedanum made by adding a little shellac (la chu) [to the
sp. (tang ku) and white sandalwood, [the ink] will ink] . One should only use this ink in a warm state,
not spoil in summer. If prepared with an infusion and should never add any cold water to it.
of musk and solidified bovine bile (gi wang), it
Whichever -kind of ink one makes, for a smooth
will be very runny and its flow will not be
and - - ? - - (rme ba) ink, it is important to add
interrupted.
some decoction of ma nu ru rta.
If one adds sugar (?) (rgyal mo ka raj and lac dye,
[there results] a rich colour. If one adds infusions As a replacement for the size binder, the use of
of cloves, Inula helenium (?) (ru rta), camphor, rice decoction by itself will yield an ink that is
Melilotus suaveolens Ldb. (rgya spos), Nardo- easy to apply, quick in drying, and not apt to spoil
stachys jatamansi DC (spang spas), shu ma za and in warm weather. Adding a little sug-pa root
ar nag it will have a good smell. If one pours in solution and size will make the ink shinier.
some decoction of black-roasted wheat and a
In general, it is important to grind [the ink] for
solution of "calf blood" (?) (be khrag), it will
a long time, and while grinding to grind in all
shine with a silver glint. A decoction of Saussurea
directions and both clockwise and counter-
sp. (spyi bzhur) gives a dark blue hue. If one adds
clockwise, for this will produce an ink that will
a clear solution made from barberry bark (skyer
not clot up during application, and that will be
shun), it gives a golden colour. [The addition of]
easy to apply, moderately black (?) (snying nyung)
lac dye decoction yields a copper colour. There-
and shiny.44
fore mix [the above ingredients with the ground
soot] according to one's desires.
Although a few details of the above passages are
If the ink does not flow freely due to its being obscure, it is clear that the Tibetans had developed their
too viscous, add a little bit of calcined alum (dar ink-making technique to a high degree.
mtshur) or borax (tsha la). If it is too thin, the In addition, a considerable amount of good ink
addition of a kernel of grain or a bean will be was also imported into Tibet from China, and among
sufficient to make it thicker by absorbing water. Tibetan painters such Chinese ink (rgya snag) still
remains a highly favored pigment. Like Tibetan irik, the
[short passage on substitute binders omitted]
inks of China were usually made from lampblack or
The way for preparing ink from soot. Lampblack from soot produced by burning the wood of a conifer-
gives "extensiveness" (?) [good coverage?], but it ous tree. According to Chinese manuals the manufacture
is a little difficult to pulverize. The soot of of ink in China involved a process of mixing and grinding

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