Mandalas: A Wonderful Art Form to Discover

Do you, like me, ever feel intimidated expressing your creativity? Do you wrestle with negative voices inside your head that make it difficult to start? I wonder if our upbringing or conditioning have taught some of us to compare ourselves to others, rather than enjoying making art for personal fulfillment? One of my favourite ways I’ve found to enjoy art in my life again, is creating Mandalas. 

A mandala (meaning “circle” in Sanskrit), is an intricate and repetitive geometric design, that radiants out from a central point. Often utilized by certain spiritual traditions as a tool for contemplation, they are also a delightful exploration into pattern, shapes and colour. Intrigued? I suggest picking up a set of coloured fine point pens, plus a rainbow selection of art paper. These humble supplies are all you will need to get started and achieve gratifying results. 

Tips for Creating a Stunning Mandala:

1. Try incorporating florescent, glitter and metallic gel markers

2. Experiment with midrange to darker papers for your background

3. Use a piece of scrap paper to test your pens before committing to your design

4. Start small. I recommend 3 inch or 4 inch squares

5. Measure and mark the centre of your paper

6. Try rotating the mandala while drawing, to help maintain symmetry

7. Allow yourself to experiment. You will soon develop your own unique language of mark making 

8. Feeling stuck? Try asking the mandala what it needs

9. Learn from your mistakes and be kind to yourself

   Mandalas are now a regular artistic practise for me. Along the way, I started inviting friends to come and draw mandalas together. Visiting while creating feels so natural and relaxing, a wonderful way to connect and hang out. We also co-create mandalas together. It is inspiring to see my friends’ unique embellishments and colour choices, which help open my eyes to new ideas. Sharing the building of a mandala also removes the pressure of what the final outcome will be. This provides a welcome opportunity to create something with complete freedom and to explore and enjoy the process.

   Co-creating a mandala is easy. Simply trade back and forth at regular intervals until the mandalas feel complete. I suggest sending along your chosen pens with their original mandalas, for thematic consistency. Other mediums you can use are: paint, cut papers, coloured sand, textiles…anything really, that your imagination can dream up. I recently built a mandala with a friend, using flowers and greenery from my garden, for an ephemeral mandala that was absolutely charming and uplifting to behold. 

   Whether alone or with friends, enjoy your mandala journey. We all are creative and deserve to experience the pleasure of making art that moves and inspires us.

For information and to register for upcoming mandalas class click here