Carpenters construct stretchers from seasoned hardwood strips two inches wide by one inch thick, and are often joined by snugly fitted mortise and tenon joints. The painter stitches an inner frame of four supple twigs or bamboo splints to the edges of the fabric. Next, the cloth and frame are attached to the outer heavier stretcher by a series of twine loops. In this way, tension is evenly distributed until the completion of the painting. The compositions usually consist of a fixed grouping, with a main figure and a retinue of lesser figures.
Some paintings depict groups with no main figure at all.
Mandalas are the par excellence of fixed composition. The mandala represents the citadel of Enlightenment. A chief figure with a retinue is shown in his or her special realm. There are also thangkas that depict lineage, refuge trees and didactic paintings. The painter must determine the exact center of the canvas along the vertical and horizontal axis in preparation of his composition.