How To Make a Mandala Drawing

Did you enjoy my How To Make a Rainbow Leaf Drawing Tutorial from 2016? I've created another! This one shows you how to draw a relaxing, meditative mandala shape. This circular form I show is a very simplified version of a traditional mandala. A real mandala drawing represents the universe in both Hinduism and Buddhism and is drawn as a spiritual ritual.

What I am showing you here is how to draw a geometric pattern that derives some of its shape from this practice but whose goal is simply to give you a couple of hours of relaxing activity. You will need the following:

Paper (printer paper is OK)
No. 12 Pencil with Eraser
Thin Black Sharpie Marker
Color Pencils or Crayons

The outer circle is about 8" in diameter.

If you aren't comfortable drawing 2 circles by hand

use a cereal bowl for the outer circle and a clear glass for the

center circle (so that you can see that it is centered.

Do not worry about pencil marks.

You will erase them after you ink your drawing.

After the ink is dry (a couple minutes)

erase all pencil marks.

Time for Color!

I decided to go with warm colors -

yellows, oranges and reds.

To add a nice contrast I filled in the area around

my warm colors with a lime green.

Even though the green is a cool color it adds warmth to the drawing.

That's because lime green has a lot of yellow!

If you are having a stressful week entertaining yourself with a little drawing exercise like this can be very relaxing. It's a great activity for all ages. And, because you don't need a lot of materials you can do this anywhere - on the patio, at the park, in bed. Wherever you like. I hope you enjoy!

Artist Profile - Andy Goldsworthy

Are you an avid hiker, naturalist or just like to sit out on in the fresh air? Or do you simply enjoy beautiful sights? Of course, beauty can be found just about anywhere. Because I am lucky to live in a wooded community I am treated to a daily concert of sights and sounds and no day is the same. The Artist Andy Goldsworthy Source: Kidzworld.com As someone who has always enjoyed nature and art I was thrilled to discover the art of Andy Goldsworthy. Although I've known his work since the mid-nineties he never ceases to enchant me. If you don't know who he is, prepare to be amazed. Goldsworthy is a man who enjoys the colors and textures of nature and presents them in a way you likely have never seen before. And, you don't have to be a nature-lover to appreciate his art. Rowan Leaves & Hole Source: Morning-Earth.org Goldsworthy is considered a pre-eminent "Earthworks" artist. This trend in art-making was popularized in the 1980s and 9...

How To Make a Rainbow Leaf Drawing

Do you like to draw or maybe just like the idea of drawing and don't know where to start? Drawing, like any other skill, is learned. And you have to start from somewhere. I find the best place to start is with simple and colorful shapes. The following post will show you step by step how to make a colorful leaf drawing. There is no pressure to be perfect here. This is a small drawing. It's just a matter of you finding a half hour to an hour of time and some very basic materials. You will need a piece of paper, a ruler, a pencil, eraser, a black pigment marker (I use Faber Castell but a thin Sharpie is fine) and some color pencils. Do not use a ball point pen as it will smear. Do not use crayons as they will also cause the ink to smear. This drawing will fit a 5x7" mat or frame. Draw a box that's just a bit larger than 5x7" on your paper. Using your pencil draw the shape you see on the left. Erase as needed until you like the shape. Draw two li...

How to Decoupage a Picture Frame

So you have a really good sized picture frame and something to put in... but it just looks so plain. What do you do? You could paint it another color. Easy but still plain. Maybe you want a frame that's more unique but you don't want to pay what a custom framer will charge to make that for you. One very simple way to update a frame is to do decoupage. What is decoupage? Decoupage (pronounced "dey-koo- pahzh") is the art or technique of decorating something with cut-outs of paper, linoleum, plastic, or other flat material over which varnish or lacquer is applied. (Dictionary.com) Remember this guy? This colorful collage was demo'd last week. Here's a link to the post: http://craftyincobb.blogspot.com/2016/02/crafty-lion-collage-how-to-make-your-own.html Well, I want to frame it but don't it to be flat and plain. I want it to compliment the artwork. Because it's a paper artwork I've decided to co...

Crafty In Cobb

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