Mandalas
INSPIRED BY NEPAL
Lesson Overview
Mandalas are used throughout Nepal. They are spiritual symbols of Buddhishm and Hinduism and are used in religious traditions or for meditation. In meditation, they are used to center your mind. The circle design represents how the universe is connected. Traditionally, mandalas included religious symbols. For this project, we are going to bring in our own creative designs based on patterns and shapes we are interested in.
Art Supplies & Instructions
When drawing your mandala, try to include symbols that reflect items that are important in your life currently. These can be items found in your studio or home, from dreams, or experiences.
Paper, permanent black pen, pattern inspiration, watercolors/markers/crayons to color your mandala, gesso (optional for collage or mixed media art).
Recommendations: Sakura Pigma Micron pens for details and Arteza brush pens for coloring.
1. Gather various sized circular shapes to draw the outer and inner circle shapes. You can use plates, lids, glasses or any other circular objects you have in the house.
2. You can “slice” the mandala by drawing lines to the center point of the circle or use various circles within the larger circle to build “layers” in your mandala.
3. Next, it is time to include your shapes and symbols to add dimension and design. If you are detail oriented, feel free to use a ruler or make the shapes match perfectly around your circles. Personally, I was not looking for perfection in my mandala rather a more creative “free” feel with my shapes and design. Be creative and flow with your ideas!
4. Once you have completed your design in black ink/pen, you can either color your mandala or use the line drawing in the background of your art journals or mixed media art. I use clear gesso to adhere it to the paper or canvas.
5. Enjoy the process! Once finalized, you can try using the mandala as a meditation tool. When used in meditation, you gaze into the design to slow your thoughts and help you meditate by seeing the beauty and symbolism.
I love working on this project with my kids as well. They can create their own design using the same steps above or for younger kids, they can use the mandala coloring sheet below or you can draw the circles and lines for them and let them fill in their own shapes and designs. Enjoy!
When working with kids, I love to show them an example and guidelines but I want to leave enough space for free exploration. My goal is not to limit their imagination rather, help them follow it.
Share your Creations with us!
There is nothing I love more than to see what you create from one of our lessons. You can share with us on Instagram or through email.
@kensingercreative