Each thangka begins as hand-woven cotton canvas, sized with natural glue and polished smooth before a single line is drawn. Artists grind mineral pigments from malachite, cinnabar, and lapis, then lay 24-karat gold detailing over figures of Buddhas, Taras, and protective deities.

Master painters in the Kathmandu Valley train for years to hold the strict iconometric proportions this art demands, and a single large piece can take weeks to complete. Finished works are edged in traditional brocade, ready to hang for practice or display.