
Welcome to the Inspiration Gallery! Here displayed are the artworks that were created during the online Buddha Face Thangka Art course with Carmen Mensink, Edition 2021, at the School for Tibetan Buddhist Art.
These traditional Tibetan artworks are made by people from all over the world, and both with and without any drawing experience. Not only express these images the enlightened Buddha mind, they also convey the beauty, love and dedication of the maker. 🙏🏼
Isn’t each and every one of them amazing?


Jo
What a fabulous experience
THANK YOU for such a wonderful course. We’ve had a lot of snow in our area (Eastern Pennsylvania) the last week, so my kids (ages 8 & 10yrs) decided to...

What a fabulous experience
Bryan
I loved everything about this course!
I loved everything about this course! I loved the meditation and learning the history and symbolism of Thangka drawing.. Carmen is an excellent teache...

I loved everything about this course!
I loved everything about this course! I loved the meditation and learning the history and symbolism of Thangka drawing.. Carmen is an excellent teacher. I loved the special videos that were interspersed throughout.. I have drawn since I was a child, but always fascinated by Buddhas and too intimidated to try them..I knew they were sacred. I was so pleased to see my drawing when it was finished, and see that my own drawing was sacred too. Thank you Carmen.
Beth Jenkins
Love the meditative experience
Thanks Carmen. I love the meditative experience, will try to paint more often.

Love the meditative experience
Thanks Carmen. I love the meditative experience, will try to paint more often.
Bebe Choo
I learned a great deal and I am inspired to continue
Dear Carmen, Heartfelt thanks for offering this course. I learned a great deal and I am inspired to continue to practice drawing the Buddha’s face in o...

I learned a great deal and I am inspired to continue
Dear Carmen, Heartfelt thanks for offering this course. I learned a great deal and I am inspired to continue to practice drawing the Buddha’s face in order to improve the drawing.
George Michael Cuesta
The response of my loved ones said enough
Truly loved doing it, it was very relaxing to do and I enjoyed the background information.
I hope to use it more often while the response of my loved ...

The response of my loved ones said enough
Truly loved doing it, it was very relaxing to do and I enjoyed the background information.
I hope to use it more often while the response of my loved ones said enough – they loved the outcomes as well.
The extra Colouring Course with background of the Dutch masters felt as a true ‘gift to myself’.
Anouk Martens
The drawing happened better when I was connected directly to my heart
Thank you very much Carmen for the good leading through the experience.
I did it on an A3 paper and enhanced the proportions.. It was interesting to d...

The drawing happened better when I was connected directly to my heart
Thank you very much Carmen for the good leading through the experience.
I did it on an A3 paper and enhanced the proportions.. It was interesting to draw bigger! It was like drawing with a magnifying glass..
Normally the Bouddha face is resembling one.. this time i don’t find myself in it.
Many time I drew with the paper upside-down it helps me to disconnect from the concept of what I see and want to have.
I also discover that the drawing happened better when I was connected directly to my heart and didn’t manipulate myself to draw nicely..
Marie-Francoise
Clear directions that led to a successful and satisfying experience and end product
I loved the clear directions that led to a successful and satisfying experience and end product. I found the whole experience to be contemplative and ...

Clear directions that led to a successful and satisfying experience and end product
I loved the clear directions that led to a successful and satisfying experience and end product. I found the whole experience to be contemplative and nourishing! I would like to take another course. Thank you!
Kathleen Horne
There was something exciting, surprising, and comforting in drawing the Buddha’s face
I loved this class. I used to draw all the time, and then as I got older did it less and less, feeling I had plenty of time to draw between doing othe...

There was something exciting, surprising, and comforting in drawing the Buddha’s face
I loved this class. I used to draw all the time, and then as I got older did it less and less, feeling I had plenty of time to draw between doing other things I wanted to do, particularly as a writer. But something always felt like it was missing. After I began practicing Buddhism in 1997, I started to translate the Kangyur into English with 84000, but continued to think of that something missing from my childhood. I made friends through drawing and writing.
Carmen’s course tied in my Buddhist practice to my current state of mind, as well as how I was as a child, but in a new way, that all was well at whatever age I have reached. When I was drawing my first Buddha’s face, there was something exciting, surprising, and comforting doing so, knowing that I was revealing my mind. Thank you so much for this class.
Annie Bien
I highly recommend this class
I loved how organized the class was and how I was helped, step by step, in purchasing the necessary supplies and drawing the image. I have no drawing ...

I highly recommend this class
I loved how organized the class was and how I was helped, step by step, in purchasing the necessary supplies and drawing the image. I have no drawing experience but with a little patience I was able to do much better than I thought possible. I also appreciate the background in Buddhism and meditation that Carmen supplied. I highly recommend this class to anyone who might be interested.
Michael Raboy
Felt so calm and balanced
It was a fantastic journey drawing the Buddha
Felt so calm and balanced after finishing the drawing

Felt so calm and balanced
It was a fantastic journey drawing the Buddha
Felt so calm and balanced after finishing the drawing
Namita Pal
Grateful for your generosity of spirit to share this knowledge
Though I was delayed due to a significant shoulder injury on my ‘drawing side’, I watched the videos and gratefully followed through with a drawing toda...

Grateful for your generosity of spirit to share this knowledge
Though I was delayed due to a significant shoulder injury on my ‘drawing side’, I watched the videos and gratefully followed through with a drawing today. I have, hopefully temporarily, impacted my fine motor skills with my right hand due to the nerve pain. However, I am really so very pleased and grateful to have completed the Buddha face. I currently cannot colour it in due to physical limitations, but I am looking forward to continuing.
I found the videos inspiring, beautyfull and informative. They were a great length to take bite-sized pieces and be able to really sit with the information before progressing. Having the opportunity to watch them all the way through and then return to watch them again with pad and pencil felt as though I was there with your class. I paused during the gridding and drawing so I could do it alongside your example and found it very supportive.
The entire course is wonderful and I am very grateful for your generosity of spirit to share this knowledge. Heartfelt gratitude.
Asha
It affected my meditation the following day
Doing this mini-retreat affected my meditation the following day. I was surprised in that I saw myself as a light body, if that makes sense. When I sa...

It affected my meditation the following day
Doing this mini-retreat affected my meditation the following day. I was surprised in that I saw myself as a light body, if that makes sense. When I sat, I experienced some flashing of light and it was as if some transference happened. The story is a little longer than that but this is the gist. Since that time, my reactionary impulses have reduced and I take things much less personally. Quite amazing.
Carol
…All I have wanted to do all week!
I LOVED the course Carmen. I am so looking forward to drawing more Buddha faces and especially trusting my hand to attempt a Thai Buddha face. I used ...

…All I have wanted to do all week!
I LOVED the course Carmen. I am so looking forward to drawing more Buddha faces and especially trusting my hand to attempt a Thai Buddha face. I used to take art classes and drawing classes as a kid up through high school, but haven’t done much since then. All of my expectations and more were met. I found it challenging and so much fun…to the point that is all I have wanted to do all week! The most interesting part was drawing my own imbalances of my face and using practice, concentration and trust to balance it out. Amazing really. I am really excited to go into the Medicine Buddha course next. Thank you so much for this offering!
Sarah Margaret
A wonderful experience
There was a wonderful experience for me to have this opportunity to draw a Buddha face. Thank you Carmen to have this class.

A wonderful experience
There was a wonderful experience for me to have this opportunity to draw a Buddha face. Thank you Carmen to have this class.
Jess
A very profound healing experience
I have no previous drawing experience. I was like in a trance once I started drawing. The most wondrous and surprising sensation is when you look at t...

A very profound healing experience
I have no previous drawing experience. I was like in a trance once I started drawing. The most wondrous and surprising sensation is when you look at the end result and your buddha nature is smiling at you. It really feels like that. It’s a very profound healing experience.
Many thanks for bringing this to all of us!
Jan PM Van den Broeck

Laura Hirt
This course is easy to follow
This course is easy to follow, and I’m excited by how quickly I was able to make a passable thangka. I had very little drawing experience, but a lot of...

This course is easy to follow
This course is easy to follow, and I’m excited by how quickly I was able to make a passable thangka. I had very little drawing experience, but a lot of passion.
James Bleifus
The combination of art and the the meditative aspect of drawing has been very rewarding
I found Carmen’s classes online a few years ago but did not have the ability to attend an in-person class. I signed up for the emails and was delighted...

The combination of art and the the meditative aspect of drawing has been very rewarding
I found Carmen’s classes online a few years ago but did not have the ability to attend an in-person class. I signed up for the emails and was delighted to see the online option.
I have been meditating for a few years on and off and have been reading about Buddhism. I am also a beginner artist. So the combination of art and the the meditative aspect of drawing has been very rewarding.
The class was wonderful and perfectly tuned to the beginner. I work to overcome perfectionism and the grid helped me to relax and go with the process. I also appreciated learning more about Buddhism along the way.
Thank you for your wonderful class 🙂
Jennifer
I plan to make it part of my practice
I enjoyed the class. At first I thought there should be more guidance for drawing the different facial features but as I started working it all came t...

I plan to make it part of my practice
I enjoyed the class. At first I thought there should be more guidance for drawing the different facial features but as I started working it all came together. It is inspiring to work on the Buddha’s face and I plan to make it part of my practice.
Thank you Carmen
Sheila Odessey
A really inspiring experience
I very much enjoyed this class! I have drawn with colored pencil before but have not picked them up in quite a few years and just discovered how much ...

A really inspiring experience
I very much enjoyed this class! I have drawn with colored pencil before but have not picked them up in quite a few years and just discovered how much I love working with them. There is definitely a meditative aspect to this drawing. Creating the Buddha face was a really inspiring experience. Your instructions and additional educational materials were very helpful and worked well for me.
Christianna Kreiss
I had been wanting to learn about thangka, this was the perfect entry door!
Thank you for this course, which I feel follows tradition & is serious. I had been wanting to learn more about thangka for long, this was the perfect e...

I had been wanting to learn about thangka, this was the perfect entry door!
Thank you for this course, which I feel follows tradition & is serious. I had been wanting to learn more about thangka for long, this was the perfect entry door! I feel inspired to practice drawing more Buddha Faces in the future and continue on this path… clear, neat structure and very manageable sessions.
Anne Vial
I am not a drawer by nature and loved the experience
Loved the course. Very informative and helpful. I am not a drawer by nature and loved the experience. Looking forward to doing more courses.

I am not a drawer by nature and loved the experience
Loved the course. Very informative and helpful. I am not a drawer by nature and loved the experience. Looking forward to doing more courses.
Chris Molloy
So enjoyable seeing the buddha face emerge
Thank you so much for this course, so enjoyable seeing the buddha face emerge.

So enjoyable seeing the buddha face emerge
Thank you so much for this course, so enjoyable seeing the buddha face emerge.
Alison Foss
I had no drawing experience and doubted I could draw a Buddha face
I loved everything about the course. I had no drawing experience and doubted I could draw a Buddha face so was delighted with what I was able to achie...

I had no drawing experience and doubted I could draw a Buddha face
I loved everything about the course. I had no drawing experience and doubted I could draw a Buddha face so was delighted with what I was able to achieve. Thank you Carmen – you are inspirational and a wonderful teacher.
Sharla
This course is well worth every penny spent
Brilliant course, Carmen will feed you bite size, manageable, educational packages, gently bringing them together, skillfully building up to make a he...

This course is well worth every penny spent
Brilliant course, Carmen will feed you bite size, manageable, educational packages, gently bringing them together, skillfully building up to make a heart warming, intuitive picture of the Buddhist path to Enlightenment as a creative artist.
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of these lessons, as within a couple of viewings, the profundity of Carmen’s decades of devotion practice helped me change my mind and heart and soon I was happily painting a Buddha’s beautiful face.
I saw Carmen bring alive paper, pencil, rulers, grids, and artistic symmetrical drawings to invoke Enlightenment, all explained with a slow rich inner intelligence, which ignited my puppy dog enthusiasm’s and I could not wait to start drawing.
This course is well worth every penny spent. I highly recommend Carmen as a teacher. Ask questions if you feel uncomfortable, she has years of experience to help you with.
Best Wishes David
David
Clear explanations and beautiful videos
I enjoyed the course. The clear explanations and the beautiful videos invited us to draw. The meditation at the beginning and at the end were very nic...

Clear explanations and beautiful videos
I enjoyed the course. The clear explanations and the beautiful videos invited us to draw. The meditation at the beginning and at the end were very nice to do.
Mirjam Wagenmans
This course was very holistic, not only about drawing
Dear Carmen,
I enjoyed the course a lot for various reasons..I like that you shared the history of Thangka painting with us. I like that you also spok...

This course was very holistic, not only about drawing
Dear Carmen,
I enjoyed the course a lot for various reasons..I like that you shared the history of Thangka painting with us. I like that you also spoke to us about your lineage and admire how you respect the master disciple tradition thus enabling us to respect the dharma material as well. This course was very holistic as you made us think of an intention before we started drawing. It was not only about drawing. but you took us through the main purpose of thangkas – To aspire to develop qualities within ourselves that the deity on the thangka represents.
I look forward to all then other courses and I am now starting the 8 auspicious symbols course.
Thank you so much!
Kanika Mehra
Clear, neat structure and very manageable sessions
Thank you for this course, which I feel follows tradition & is serious. I had been wanting to learn more about thangka for long, this was the perfect e...

Clear, neat structure and very manageable sessions
Thank you for this course, which I feel follows tradition & is serious. I had been wanting to learn more about thangka for long, this was the perfect entry door! I feel inspired to practice drawing more Buddha Faces in the future and continue on this path… clear, neat structure and very manageable sessions.
Would have loved slightly more detail on individual face features (like you did for the eye!) and proportion, lines of jaw, chin, which I copied freehand from your general face video.
Thanks for making these teachings available to us. I would love to visit you in person one day (-: Anne from Barcelona
Anne Vial
Loved the confidence it gave me
I loved the precision of the gridwork and the confidence it gave me to know that the framework was there for me to draw in and colour. Although this i...

Loved the confidence it gave me
I loved the precision of the gridwork and the confidence it gave me to know that the framework was there for me to draw in and colour. Although this is not completed yet, I understand the quote “When you draw the Buddha you draw your mind” it is a humbling experience. I am looking forward to finishing it and to future courses too. It has certainly lived up to my expectations and more.
Natasha
Loved the whole experience from start to finish!
The course was so comprehensive and every detail thought out, so that it made it very accessible to know how to complete the drawing. I have been maki...

Loved the whole experience from start to finish!
The course was so comprehensive and every detail thought out, so that it made it very accessible to know how to complete the drawing. I have been making art my entire life, and this course allowed me to express color and form in a very meaningful way! I loved the whole experience from start to finish! thank you Carmen for bringing your talents and skills to so many people, who can now experience the joy of Thangkha painting.
Zoe Greenbaum
History of your thangka lineage as well as buddhist iconography
Thank-you Carmen for another superb course! I enjoyed learning some the history of your thangka lineage as well as buddhist iconography. The materials...

History of your thangka lineage as well as buddhist iconography
Thank-you Carmen for another superb course! I enjoyed learning some the history of your thangka lineage as well as buddhist iconography. The materials were well presented and you inspired us with many great images and bonus materials. I am looking forward to more!
Tansy Foster

Check out my Buddha!

Check out my Buddha!
Daria Kravchenko
Appreciate how you treat this as a sacred experience
Hi Carmen,
I am still finishing the coloring part but I wanted to submit to you before this session ends. I absolutely loved your course. I appreciate...

Appreciate how you treat this as a sacred experience
Hi Carmen,
I am still finishing the coloring part but I wanted to submit to you before this session ends. I absolutely loved your course. I appreciate how you treat this as a sacred experience and I loved learning about the lineage and listening to the meditations. I am looking forward to the next course! All MY Best,
Savita
Savita Sahi
While drawing I felt a deep peace
I am very happy that I found this thangka drawing course. Drawing is a kind of meditation for me and I only found out today that that is also one of t...

While drawing I felt a deep peace
I am very happy that I found this thangka drawing course. Drawing is a kind of meditation for me and I only found out today that that is also one of the ideas behind this course. I want to delve more into Buddhism and meditation and how beautiful it is if I can do that through this course.
Today while drawing I felt a deep peace and almost a kind of coming home. I am very happy.
I have consciously chosen not to further elaborate my drawing with shadow or color. I plan to draw the face a few more times to make it more my own and to get a lot more meditative than today with this first drawing.
Esther
Check out my Buddha Face!

Check out my Buddha Face!
Sharon McKenzie
The fundamentals covered
Excellent instructional menu with plenty of deserts to accompany the main, introductory course. The fundamentals covered make it easy to adapt the dra...

The fundamentals covered
Excellent instructional menu with plenty of deserts to accompany the main, introductory course. The fundamentals covered make it easy to adapt the drawing methods to include one’s own imagination.
Barry
Still being surprised, that this was created by myself
The course was a magical journey through various kinds of technical and emotional up’s and down’s, under the kind-hearted guidance of Carmen, whose pr...

Still being surprised, that this was created by myself
The course was a magical journey through various kinds of technical and emotional up’s and down’s, under the kind-hearted guidance of Carmen, whose professionalism and profound knowledge is highly to be appreciated! The end point of this experience is the drawing of the Buddha’s face – still being surprised, that this was created by myself. This experience was intensly wonderful!! Thank you so much!🙏
Sabine Schwarz
I’ve never really done any drawing before
I loved this course, Carmen! I’ve never really done any drawing before and I felt that this course helped me overcome some of my reluctance to try. I a...

I’ve never really done any drawing before
I loved this course, Carmen! I’ve never really done any drawing before and I felt that this course helped me overcome some of my reluctance to try. I appreciated all of the information you shared – the history, iconography, your lineage, blending Dharma practice with the drawing and, of course, how to draw a Buddha! It was also helpful to be able to ask questions and thanks for your quick responses.
I also liked that we had a set amount of time to finish the course – I was motivated to stick with it and finish it.
Thanks, I look forward to more.
Sally Sando
Sally Sando
My Amitabha Buddha Face
Great course. Can take it fast or slow. Enjoyed doing it online. Done very well for an online experience.

My Amitabha Buddha Face
Great course. Can take it fast or slow. Enjoyed doing it online. Done very well for an online experience.
Barry
Check out my Buddha Face!

Check out my Buddha Face!
Sharon McKenzie
I am looking forward to adding color
I am grateful for this experience, from the opening meditation to the closing blessing! I am looking forward to adding color. That is my next class. I...

I am looking forward to adding color
I am grateful for this experience, from the opening meditation to the closing blessing! I am looking forward to adding color. That is my next class. I have ordered the proper size paper and will be doing this again as soon as the paper arrives! Thank you.