Today I am going to show you how I made this mandala. Hurrah!
I have been enjoying drawing a few mandalas this month and I have been really surprised at how effective they are once they are all done. Working a step at a time really makes the layers work together and flow outwards beautifully. Like most things, one step at a time works best!
Previously I have been making the base lines by measuring with ruler, compass and a protractor which works great and I have loved the mandalas I have made like that. I also wanted a nice quick and easy way to get started on one without all the equipment, so I just drew out the basic lines – horizontal, vertical and the two diagonals, the only rule being that they must cross in the middle. This way I can make a mandala anywhere, all I need is pencil and paper. I drew in the circles, not worrying one jot about them being perfectly round or spaced apart. In fact I deliberately made them uneven. I know, pretty rebellious!
The amount of straight lines and circles you add in is totally up to you, just make sure the lines all cross in one place, this will be the centre of your mandala.
The intial ‘base’ lines I made with pencil and as lightly as possible because these are going to be erased once the mandala is finished.
I grabbed my ink pen (I used a Micron pen in green, size 05 because I knew I wanted to watercolour over the finished drawing and these pens are waterproof) and started at the middle and made some petal shapes all the way around, using the spaces in pencil as my guide. You can also draw in pencil and trace over in pen when you are done and happy with it.
From the centre I worked a circle at a time and added shapes and lines using the lines as a guide at all times, so that the pattern would flow outwards as well as around.
Sometimes I draw on the lines and sometimes between them, always a repeat. The slightly different shapes and sizes are dictated by the original lines which are slightly uneven. I think this creates a lovely undulance to the drawing and pattern making.
I will often go back into the shapes and patterns I have already drawn and add dots or a tiny shape or a new line. So don’t erase any base lines until you are super sure that you are finished.
Once you are all done and drawn in pen, leave your masterpiece for a few minutes to be sure the pen is all dry before erasing the pencil lines.
At this stage, I added a very pale wash of watercolour in vague circles of colour.
I like this mandala and the slight uneven-ness to it. Makes me want to fill a sketchbook!
Fancy a go? Let me know how you get one and leave me a picture in the comments, or on my Facebook page or tag me on Instagram. I can’t wait to see what you make!
Clare Davis Etheridge 