This week it’s a mandala. Why? Well, I just really wanted to draw a mandala!
I enjoy the calming, meditative process of mandala drawing. And as I didn’t want to disturb that calm space I found myself in by making a right mess of adding some colour, I decided to go with an analogous colour scheme. Soft blue, teal and green are also very calming colours.
As it’s a colouring template, I’ve not added lots of textural patterns. However, that is something I can always play around with at another time. For now, the high contrast that brings a feeling of volume and dimension to the design is good enough.
Phew! It’s another scorcher already! I feel so drained, and it’s not even 11am. Mind you, I have been awake since around 5am, again.
Waking early has it’s benefits in this seriously hot weather; it’s cool enough to get some things done early on. Such as today’s video where I draw some more of this mandala.
I’m quite happy with how this mandala is taking shape. I know that shadow/highlights, and/or colour will really bring some dimension to this design. But first, I need to finish drawing it. And work out how to set my scanner up so the background colours don’t get washed out…
Today is not the day for that. It’s way too warm, and I need to retire very soon to a cooler part of the house.
Just enough time before the heat has become uncomfortable to layout a mandala grid and complete the central motif. This was a lovely way to spend a wee bit of time this morning.
The video takes you through, one step at a time, how I got this far.
Now, it’s just about time for me to move myself to a cooler part of my home for the rest of this heat-scorched day.
Please click the ‘Watch on YouTube” button, if you’d be so kind. Cheers!
In this video, I draw a mandala (or zendala) step by step so you can join in with me.
I enjoyed creating yesterday’s mandalaso much, that I thought I’d repeat the experience! I finished drawing the mandala in this video, but I’ve yet to add shadow, highlight and/or colour. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to do that, yet; but there’s no rush to get it done either.
And here’s a photo of the mandala as it is at the moment, with some of my handlettering practice in the background!
In today’s YouTube video, I show how, step by step, I draw a mandala, or zendala, with traditional media. And the help of the Markus Operandus for Mandalas from Zentangle.com! A nifty printable that helps set out a mandala!
I’ve used two tangle patterns in this design – tripoli and between. I’ve taken inspiration from each to complete the outer ring.
To start with, I pre-cut a piece of ClaireFontaine Paint On mixed-media paper using an 11cm circle die, and a Sizzix Big Shot die cutting machine. In fact, I cut four at 11cm and four at 9cm in size, so I have a few that are good to go.
Next, I coloured one large and one small circle with Distress Inks. Then, I set about using the Markus Operandus to lay out the basic bones of the mandala.
Only then could I start to draw the design, though I had no idea what I was going to do.
The photo above is the final mandala. I used Arteza Everblend markers to add shadows to the zendala. A white gel pen was used to add dots of white for highlights. A silver Gelly Roll pen was used to add silver to the fine ring borders, to the circles and to the darker areas in the tripoli pattern pieces.
I’m quite happy with the outcome. More so, as it’s been a very long time since I drew a mandala without using digital tools.
Today’s video is rather long – well over an hour. It’s kind of a celebration that I’ve reached 900 subscribers on my YouTube channel! I never thought I’d get even one subscriber. So, a huge thank you to you if you’re one of my subscribers.
Mandalas are mesmerising to me. There is something so soothing about their rhythmic, symmetrical design. Creating volume in the design is always part of the fun! Choosing colours is always a bit tricky for me, however. So today I’ve gone with golds, yellowy greens and turquoise blues. A fairly analogous colour scheme, which means the colours will always work together.
I’ve not finished colouring the mandala, and it’s likely to sit unfinished somewhere on my hard drive. But it’s fulfilled its purpose of making me smile; a contented half-smile that is accompanied by a soft, warm, glow in my heart. That’s such a lovely feeling, and it took me many years of EMDR therapy to discover what contentment was. That glow, my touchstone of contentment, is always there. I can sense it even when the dark storm clouds of some emotional upset gather. It’s like a gently glowing lantern that leads me on through the storm back to contentment. It’s an amazing thing for sure!
I’m feeling a tad delicate today. I ate something that disagreed with me yesterday it seems. So, some soothing art needed to be done, with no pressure involved.
Mandalas are drawings I turn to when I need soothing. I know they’ll work out for me, that I can indulge myself in abstract patterns, and even if the colours are a bit of a mess, they kind of work out in the way a kaleidoscope always does.
Having said that, I’m fairly happy with my colour scheme! The only thing I’d change is the saturation of the colours in the centre; they look a tad insipid next to the next few rings!
I really like the way the Zentangle pattern Tripoli looks all bumpy at the top and bottom too. That playing with shadow and highlight is something I really, really love.
Thursdays seem to come around so quickly, not that I’m complaining at all! But with each Thursday that comes around, I create a new template for the Angela Porter’s Coloring Books Fans Facebook group. It’s free to join the group and the weekly templates are free to members though some reasonable terms and conditions for use apply.
This week I chose to create a mandala. I do love a mandala! There is always something so soothing and relaxing about drawing and adding colour to them.
For this one, I kept to a simple palette – two bluey-greens, a pink, a purple and a yellow-orange. I really am trying to work with fairly limited palettes more often, and to focus on contrast in my art so it really has some volume and dimension.
I think I’m going to go and work on a hand-lettering project I started last night. After I’ve ordered some black felt for some slow stitching. And some other sewing supplies I think I may find useful too.
Art is the Adventure 