Mandala Art For Beginners (Guide and Useful Stuff) : A mandala painting is a picture of the universe created using symbols. It explicitly includes circles, representing some unique aspects of life like unity, totality, wholeness, infinity, and timelessness.
Surprisingly, it is also known to have spiritual and ritual meanings and symbols in many Asian cultures. People believe that the origin of the art came from the Hindus and then extensively adopted by the Christians, Buddhists, Judaism, and Paganism. The word ‘mandala‘ has its origin in the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit, which means a circle or center. The meaning came from the way we draw it.
It is drawn from the central point and has unique and beautiful patterns and decorations encircling it. The patterns are interrelated and connected. The images made in a Mandala symbolize the interconnection and never-ending things in life. A circle usually represents that life has no ending and that spirits never leave or disappear. It also means everything, including “we,” are a part of this nature, the world, and the universe.
Drawing Mandala Art for Beginners
Drawing a mandala involves your mechanical and mathematical skills at their best. It may look a bit laborious or tedious, but the process can help you reach your spiritual journey better.
The patience required in creating a Mandala art for beginners forms the basis and path of the journey to enlightenment. People consider Destruction to be an essential part of the whole process. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to create a single mandala art; the monks destroy it after praying over it. The monks destroy the divine heavenly geometry to convey the underlying message that nothing in this world is permanent. The spiritual awakening of the self is a very personal thing. Using symbols or images that are close and have some meaning to us is very important in creating a mandala design.
Focus Required for Meditation
Mandalas are known to help people calm and focus while meditating. The process creates a way to achieve a sense of oneness with the universe. It can give clarity and focus to the mind, which is used to allow the person to use it to see and imagine beyond the everyday physical existence we are used to. Mandala creations can also represent transformation. It shows how suffering transfer universally into joy.
How to Draw Mandala Art for Beginners
What will you need to Draw?
You will require a pencil, fine liners, scale or rulers, an eraser, A4 sheets, a geometry box, and black fine-point pens.
Please note that all these things are just requirements to create fantastic mandala art. You can still start with a pen or pencil and paper to figure out your designs.
Begin by using the compass to draw a circle. You can start with a 7-8 inches diameter circle. You can increase the diameter if you feel. It usually takes time to adapt yourself to move to any size. But a pro tip is to find a center and then move your protractor.
Geometry Measurements in Mandalas
Firstly you have to be clear about the number of sections you want in your mandala. Then you can calculate and divide the number of sections that are required. So suppose you are making a design of 6 sections, then you have to divide 360 degrees by 6, which equals 60 degrees. So you have to put markings at every 60o distance.
Then use your protractor to mark the circle every 60o. It would be 60o, 120o, 180o, and so on. You can even put your markings by doubling the markings to get your design equally from all sides. Suppose you want a 6-section design, then you mark 12 sections. Now will require a ruler to connect the marks you have made from the center. Do not darken the lines, as they will only guide you.
You will need to erase those lines after you have completed them. Then using a campus, you can draw more circles there. You can vary the sizes or keep increasing the sizes of the circles to create an interesting pattern. It does not matter if you choose a geometric or an organic design. You can include 2 designs in one circle or repeat the design every 2 sections. But make sure not to confuse or complicate that for yourself.
Repetitions and Alternates Are Essential
You can use the designs connecting the bottom of the grids to the top of the following guideline and then to the next grid point. Repeat these designs in and around the whole circle.
Then, move to another row and some shape or design and repeat it around the circle. You can use flowers, petals, petal shape designs, triangles, circles, leaf shapes, etc. You can experiment with any form and match it with another.
While drawing flowers or petals, make sure to change the alignment of the row from the previous one. You can change the shapes after every second or third row.
You can even draw geometric shapes and designs with the help of scales, but it would look better if they were hand-drawn. A bit of unevenness or imperfection adds to the charm of the art.
Special Tips for the Beginners of Mandala Art
Difference Between Light and Dark Pattern
The design is considered light and dark only through the amount of white space it has in between them. A dense and dark design has little to no space between the lines. Light designs are the ones that have a good amount of space between them. Switching between these patterns and designs creates a balance between them.
Complicated Designs are a Better Option
Even though the simple patterns may comfort you for a while, the real excitement comes when we experiment with complicated designs.
Use the Best Quality Materials
Using a good quality pen and paper can improve and motivate you to create better designs. You can use any pen you like using, but a better quality pen would only add to the excitement of making good designs.
Satisfy Yourself with your Designs
It is essential to know that you don’t need to satisfy anyone with your designs as a beginner. It would be best if you drew what makes you happy. You don’t need to follow or copy anyone’s work to learn. It would be best to take advice from the learned ones, but you should draw what you like.
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