The School

Learn Thangka Painting

Small classes at a master's bench in Boudha. You grind your pigment, stretch your canvas, and earn the right to paint a face.

Programmes

Three levels, one lineage

Each level must be completed before the next. There is no way to buy your way forward.

Beginner

Foundation of the Line

4 weeks · 3 days a week

Canvas preparation, the iconometric grid, and the discipline of a steady line. You leave with a finished lotus and face study.

  • Stretching and priming cotton canvas
  • Thig tshad — the measurement grid
  • Lotus, cloud and flame motifs
  • Basic brush control and pigment mixing

NPR 25,000

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Intermediate

Colour, Shading & Deity Form

12 weeks · 4 days a week

Mineral pigment preparation, wet shading, and your first complete deity figure from drawing to gold outline.

  • Grinding and binding stone colours
  • Dry and wet shading (dang & nag)
  • Full Green Tara composition
  • Gold outlining and jewellery detail

NPR 68,000

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Advanced

Mandala & Master Finishing

24 weeks · full time

Mandala geometry, single-hair brushwork, gold burnishing and the finishing standards of a commissioned thangka.

  • Compass-and-thread mandala construction
  • Single-hair brush micro-detail
  • 24k gold leaf application & burnishing
  • Consecration, mounting and studio practice

NPR 145,000

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Before You Apply

Questions we're asked most

Do I need to be able to draw?
No. The foundation course begins with the measurement grid, which is geometry before it is drawing. Most students arrive with no formal art training.
What is provided?
Canvas, frame, brushes, mineral pigments and gold are all provided. You keep every painting you make.
Can I join remotely?
Thangka is taught hand-to-hand. We do not offer online classes, but we do host short two-week intensives for visitors.
Is there a visa letter?
Yes — students enrolled in the 12 or 24 week programmes receive a letter of enrolment for a Nepal study visa extension.