Thangka means a work done on cloth and set in a silk or cotton frame.
Most of the painters sit in rows listening to their ipods
Green Tara. The smallest of these masterpieces take minimum 3 months to complete at 8 hours of work/day! The painting is set up by plotting diagonal, vertical and horizontal lines. Grids with proportions specific to each figure are penciled in and filled with the details. Background miscellanea like clouds and mountains are then added.
Norbulingka is an art school dedicated to preserving and handing down Tibetan culture mainly through art and language. The center in Dharamsala has a garden monastery and provides training, education and employment to Tibetans in exile. I got a chance to visit the art studios and stare at the young-ish artists at work. Their coffee shop offers a killer espresso, a rare find in masala chai country! Norbulingka literally means "The Jewelled Park".