The thangkas are painted or embroidered images rendered on cloth, silk or paper which is mounted on a cloth backing and may be rolled up like a scroll when not hung. A thangka composed of strung pearls is kept in Dradrug Monastery in Shannan. Thangka is a special art of Tibet. The material used for thangka is linen cloth or coarse woolen fabric or silk or paper. The cloth needs to be prepared first and then the artist works out the sketches of the portraits with charcoal sticks. The drawing usually begins at the center. Colouring comes last. The pigments used come from non-transparent minerals and plants such as malachite and cinnabar. They are mixed with animal glue and ox bile to make the lustre stay.

Pulu is Tibetans' traditional woolen fabric and the main material for making robes, boots, hats, and other items for Tibetans in farming areas, and in cities and towns. The fabric has a history of more than 2,000 years. Pulu is as important and popular among Tibetans as cotton clothes are to inland Chinese. The fabric is generally about 24 centimeters wide, and can be dyed black to be made into clothes, shoes and hats. It is typically dyed red, blue or green when it is used as adornment. In addition to monochromatic cloth, pulu can also be dyed with cross-shaped designs. Pulu is found in many types. It is thick and durable, warm, windproof, and rainproof. Robes made of pulu are water-repellent.

Tibetan fresco painting is an important part of Tibetan art. The painting of Buddha image must follow the rigid principles and the proportion diagrams set out in the `Pratibimbalaksana-sutra' (`The Textbook on Measurements for Image-Making') and the `Pratibimbamana-laksana (`Measurements for Painting') in the Silpakarmasthana-vidya. The finished product is well-proportioned, stately and serene-looking deity. The pigments used are similar to the one used for thangka painting. Frescoes covers wider range of subjects than thangkas do. They include the images of Buddha in his many manifestations, portraits of saints, great masters, founders of various Buddhist sects and the stories of their lives, wars, scenes of manual labour, construction of monastories and everyday life of the people. They are especially effective in creating a mystic atmosphere in the monasteries which will lead the viewers to believe that `this is where the Buddha resides'.

Wooden Tablet Painting represents yet another branch of Tibetan art. Its subjects and pictorial composition are similar to those of thangka and the difference is that the pictures are drawn on wooden tablets of various shapes. Some of them have handles attached to them for holding and hanging.

The materials for Sand Painting are coloured sand and minerals. They are filled inside a cone with a tiny hole at the tip. Many disperses though the hole will form a single line in the picture. The subject is usually `mandala'.

As Buddhism believes in the worship of idols (as against a teaching of Buddha), the production of the images of Buddhas and other deities must follow the strict rules prescribed in the cannon for their faces, gestures, the ornaments they wear and the objects they hold. The Tibetan artists absorbed the influences of the art of Han, Nepalese and Indian sculpture and developed a style and craft of their own which was distinctively Tibetan. The shapping of a bronze is a complicated process. It is so difficult and time-consuming that sometimes many artists spent all their lives making them but did not live to see them completed.

There are numerious Clay sculptures preserved to the present day. Most of them are sculptures of Buddhas, saints and great figures. Some of them are with treasures presereved inside.

Tibet has frequent windstorms, cold weather, and strong sunshine, so its people like to wear hats. But the styles they choose are more than just to protect them from the elements, and can relate to status, sex and region. The most common is called the "Xamo Gyaise" -- golden thread hat. Typically, linings are made with felt. The top is decorated using golden silk and the edges are inlaid with silk ribbon. Hats are designed with four edges, with the front and back larger than the left and right. All sides are furlined. Made of fine materials, the hats are very warm and loved by both men and women. When worn by women, the two larger edges are placed inside, leaving the left and right parts outside. Men where the left, right and back edges inside, leaving only the front out. In snowy weather, all four edges are placed outside. In a cold climate, Tibetan men, especially those living in Chamdo areas, usually wear a hat made of fox skin, felt or leather, to ward off cold. The latter two have two colored silk ribbons, giving off a solemn, graceful look.

Handmade woolen rugs have been part of the Tibetan culture for hundreds of years. They are an integral part of the daily life and Buddhist practices of typical Tibetan households. These beautiful pieces are highly valued and are passed on from generation to generation. According to different sizes, those rugs larger than 18 square meters are called floor carpets, while smaller ones are called "kadian." Traditionally, kadians are used for sitting or sleeping on, rather than for spreading out as floor coverings. They are usually about 0.9 meters by 1.8 meters in size; this size fits the function as both a seating area and bed in many Tibetan houses. There are also smaller rugs, sometimes called meditation rugs, which are just the right size for a person to sit on. Tibetan textiles unique is its combination of traditional methods that produces rugs that can last for centuries, and premium quality wool sheared from Tibetan sheep raised high on the Tibetan Plateau .The wool is hand-spun into brilliant colors made from vegetable dyes and various hues of yarn can be woven into traditional motifs, symbols and designs. In modern times, new patterns and designs complement contemporary and traditional home decor. Rug making is a traditional Tibetan craft. The area of Gyantse, with a history of 600 years in rug making, has long been famous as "the home of kadian" in and outside China, well known for both its singular weaving technique and bright colors.