Mandala Notes – Tips & Important Points

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2-3" breadth with 6-7" length

Or you can simply divide an A4 sheet into 4 length wise

The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean
"circle," a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a
model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation
to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

Describing both material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life: the
celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and
community.

Here are some benefits of mandalas:

They help with balance.

They bring peace and tranquility.

Looking at them will give you a feeling of calmness.

They help with concentration.

They make it easier to be mindful.

Another thing thing they do is push aside thoughts and let your creativity flow.

The way all the shapes and designs are laid out brings a feeling of balance.

Drawing mandalas have many benefits.Looking at them will give you a feeling of calmness.

They help with concentration.

They make it easier to be mindful.

Another thing thing they do is push aside thoughts and let your creativity flow.

The way all the shapes and designs are laid out brings a feeling of balance.

Mandalas are also a kind of meditation that can help you focus your attention. They bring harmony,
because energies flow through all their shapes and colors. These energies can transform negative
things into positive ones, and bring balance to your life.
You should also remember that mandalas go from the center and outwards. This is what will help
you connect with yourself, free yourself, rebuild yourself, and create a relationship with yourself. All
this happens thanks to the different colors and shapes you choose for the mandala.

You can also use mandalas to decorate your house or your workplace. For example

Paint mandalas on rocks and use them as ornaments.

Sew a mandala and use it as a blanket.

Put a mandala tapestry on your wall.

Put them in decorative frames.

Coffee mugs

T shirts

Coasters

Wall mandala

Jeans

Ceramic plates

Canvas

Bookmarks

Diary covers

Etc etc

One interesting thing about mandalas is their strong link to creativity. They let you have absolute
freedom with the colors and shapes. In other words, they make it easier to be creative, and are a
great source of new ideas. On top of that, every shape and color symbolizes unconscious aspects
about you.

The first step in how to draw a mandala is to measure out your paper into a square shape. The
square can be as big or as small as you like. The bigger the square, the more room you will have for
putting in lots of detail and color.

Next, use your ruler and a pencil to draw a dot in the very center of the square.

The next step in how to draw a mandala is to draw a series of circles around this dot. Once you've
drawn the dot in the center of your square, one easy way to draw circles is to use a compass.
Once you have drawn all the circles, divide them into equal portions from the central dot. Use pencil
for all these work so that they can be easily erased once you are done. Now fill these portions with
designs, and try to keep them identical.

Put a dot in the center of the paper and make concentric circles. These circles can be at equal or
unequal distances. It's totally up to you.

Remember.. there are two types of grids..

1: Box grids.. for practicing patterns/shapes

2: Circular grid.. for making proper mandala

Anything has to be practiced first in the box grids.. then used in a circular grid to draw mandala..

Many people think Mandala is all about curves. But, they are wrong. Mandala is much more than
just curves. There are unlimited elements used in mandala. One of the most important one are lines.
We need to practice lines, because we need them extensively while adding details and filling our
Mandala. If you look carefully at any Mandala, you will see how beautiful it is made as a combination
of lines and curves, and sometimes points/dots. So, working on lines is an important step .

What are motifs?

These elements/designs/patterns that we use to fill the basic shapes of a mandala are called motifs.
We will practice them in grid, like I have sent the picture, and then we will use these to fill the
mandala outlines/layouts that we have drawn earlier.

While making petals, start from the centre. Always draw the central petal first. Then divide the
available space into the number of petals. In this way the petals will be equal. If you start drawing
from one side, the last petal generally either gets squeezed or gets too large.

How to make patterns-

1: Draw any basic shape (sheet was sent on first day)

You can choose any basic shape for that.

2: Redraw the shape leaving some line (draw double lines) why we do that?? Because if we keep
drawing various shapes in different circles/layers in a mandala and then fill it with patterns, it
becomes messy. We make double lines because that makes our shape distinct even after detailing.
And also, it makes the mandala more clean

3: Choose any of the basic motifs (from the sheets sent yesterday)
This is totally your choice. You can use various combinations of lines, curves or motifs to create your
own unique patterns.

4: If any space is left inside the shape you can fill it completely (never leave any space blank after you
have drawn a motif, it will make the mandala messy) or fill using dots (pointalism method)

Follow these steps to create your own patterns.

So, for today, you all have to practice 12 patterns that I have sent step by step, and then try to create
some patterns of your own, following these steps

There were few motifs from yesterday which I am not much happy with you all drawing. So, I am
sharing their videos. Make sure to watch them and practice again for better shapes

Here I am using 3*4 grid size.. you can choose 2*2 or 3*3 or 4*4 or any other combination,
depending upon your convenience. The main goal is to keep the left and right half equal. Grids help
in improving symmetry

Today, we will learn about connectors.

What are connectors?

When you draw shapes in mandalas, a very small triangle shaped area is left in between, which is
often very tricky to fill. The patterns which we use in that small triangle are called connectors, since
they connect patterns of one layer to the next.

Now, let's go over the entire process step by step.

1: Take a sheet

2: Mark your center

3: Draw concentric circles using a compass

4: Divide your circles into divisions using a protractor

5: Choose basic shape and draw it in all the divisions in a circle, creating a layer

6: Choose another shape or use the same shape to create various arrangements

7: Complete the layout

8: Start filling with patterns

9: Use connectors between shapes

10: Use motifs into various combinations to create patterns for filling inside the shapes

These steps are same for all the mandala. Now, we have learnt how to draw concentric circles and
divide it, basic shapes, how to combine them into layers and different arrangements, motifs and
connectors. These are the elements of mandala making. Now by following the steps mentioned in
previous message and by referring the various sheets, you can yourself create unlimited mandalas
on your own.