Tibetan Thangka Art: The Face of Compassion
Weekly Course with Tiffani Gyatso
4 Classes | 90 minutes
Thursdays February 25 • March 4 • March 11 • March 18
$80 for Complete Series
Time:
10AM Los Angeles | 1PM New York
3PM Sao Paulo
6PM London | 7PM Rome
REGISTER
Brasileiros podem inserir o cupom de desconto aqui.
Curso sera em ingles com tradução simultânea em português
This course is offered live on Zoom.
Each class will be recorded and shared with registered participants of the class.
The recordings will be available to watch at any time.
Thangka paintings are images of sacred deities and enlightened beings that follow strict rules of proportions, symbols and colors. The drawing of a Buddha in traditional sacred art does not indicate his physical anatomy, but rather the spiritual anatomy of an awakened mind. The painting itself channels the teachings in a direct intuitive level where the practitioner lays his or her eyes on the image and is able to unlock his own Buddha nature combined with polished dedication and consistency.
This is a workshop of sacred art, a yoga of the mind and the body to turn your inner artist into an offering of beauty, symmetry, balance and benefit. The practice of a traditional sacred artist is to put aside our own mundane wishes and visions and dedicate our efforts to following what hundred of other sacred artists have done for centuries, nourishing the existence of a living lineage of Buddhist teachings from the far away land of Tibet.
We will pray together, align our motivation and intention, learn about materials and traditional techniques and have a lot of joy in our hearts. This course is open to total beginners and also experienced artists, as this is not only an art course, but a meditation and a motivation alignment. It awakens joy, surrendering and union with the beauty of the beloved awakened mind already inside of each one of us. Be welcome!
Detailed Program
Session 1 | February 25th
In this first class we will understand how the dharma is presented through the right proportions and symbols in the image of Buddha Sakyamuni - a true spiritual anatomy. To maintain the proportions of the Buddha as a powerful symbol, the Tibetans defined sacred proportions supported by a grid of measurements. After the theoretical introduction, we will use pencil and ruler to understand and draw the grid on a piece of paper.
Session 2 | March 4
We have made our grid, and today we will draw the face of the Buddha on top of it, using the technique of spying. Do not underestimate the simple and humbling practice of copying, and learn the path of the sacred artist who polishes himself in order to become a channel of the sacred.
Session 3 | March 11
We will now transfer our final lines to a thicker nicer paper. We will check all proportions and share our experiences and questions. Traditional Tibetan thangkas are painted with mineral paints and more modern ones with acrylics. As a beginner’s online class, we will take the advantage of watercolor pencils to learn about the color symbolism and some techniques of shading. Remembering that it is a traditional art which means our creative voice is put to rest and it is offered to serve a continuing lineage of teachings from the Awakened One.
Session 4 | March 18th
Our last class will be dedicated to the final touches, which is contour and golden details. We will finish by blessing it with a mantra and with instructions on how the continue the studies and how to handle sacred art in your life.
Materials Required for Course:
1 Letter size or bigger thick paper with a smooth surface, no texture (at least 120g/m, best 300g/m)
Sulfite paper around 75g/m (just for sketching)
A mechanical pencil 0,5 HB or 2B
1 Pencil 6B
Ruler, compass and eraser
12 or 24 or more watercolor pencils kit
A small brush or water brush pen. Link to Purchase
Micron or Pin ball black pens: 0,05 and 0,5 or best the kit. Link to Purchase
Micron or Pin ball red/brown pen: 0,2 (it’s ok other number if you don’t find 0,2)
A variation of golden pens and/or golden paints
Paint: Link to Purchase
Pens: Link to Purchase
About our Teacher:
Tiffani Gyatso is an artist from Brazil who focused her studies on the sacred expressions of art from different cultures. She specialized in traditional Tibetan Thangka painting, which she learned in India at the Norbulingka Institute from the years 2003-2006 and later furthered her studies at the Prince School of Traditional Arts in London where she studied sacred Geometry of the Middle East. Today she runs her own art retreat center at the Atelier YabYum at the mountains of Brazil and guides art groups to India and Nepal.
