The world’s gone mandala mad. And whether you fancy colouring them, painting them, crocheting or even wearing them, there’s a perfect mindful mandala moment for you here.
Dotting
My Instagram feed has been flooded with images of these stunning rocks for a while so I was keen to give it a go. I wasn’t having much success on real rocks. There are scores of really good Youtube videos to get you started. If you are looking for good dotting tools need a complete starter kit – try this 34pc set, or these eco friendly ones from Squeakerchimp She also has some fab bead rollers.
Mandala art from Artofpoints. Image used with permission. Copyright of the artist.
Having stencils, good paints and a steady hand is essential. But I still wasn’t able to produce anything like the gorgeous work of my mandala rock hero Anni Berstling at artofpoints
You can follow her on facebook, instagram or buy her work on etsy
Hence, I decided to give the watercolour ones a whirl.
See more examples in the shop
Watercolour mandala
The words ‘art’ and ‘therapy’ are frequently found together. And it’s no surprise. Many hours in recent months , I sat in the sunshine with my watercolours creating these in bliss. It was a truly mindful experience. I lost myself in them. No planning or overthinking, just play with the colours, let the water take the paint. I enjoyed how they blended together, how the patterns took shape with the pen. I felt so super chilled when I finished each one. I was willing to make mistakes and felt totally engaged in the present moment. I’d done quite a bit of work on feathers previously so I combined them with the mandala circles to create dreamcatchers.
My mandalas and latest creations are on instagram and in the shop
Mandala’s also work as a great theme for your bullet journal. I’ve recently invested in a new one which is better at coping with watercolours. Read more about Bujo and my artists in my previous blog. You can create them on watercolour paper and then stick them in if you have pages prone to bleeding through. Or trace some Mandala’s and use pencil’s instead. I found some great free resources here:
Crochet mandala
If you want to make some cute little mandala coasters, there’s a fun little tutorial here:
Mandala masterpieces
So why are we drawn to these colourful circles? Is it that they are intricate geometric masterpieces with hidden layers of meaning, and religious significance? Or simply pretty patterns to appreciate? Could it be because there are so many in nature? Whatever the reason, where beauty is in the eye of the beholder, few people can fail to be impressed by these symmetrical stunners.
There’s a House of Cards episode which features a sand mandala. It always sticks with me, perhaps because I am an artist who wants to takes time to make crafts to last. As someone who hoards pretty things there’s a element of horror watching this. But I love the idea of learning to let go. It’s an important lesson. A reminder to enjoy art for arts sake. To create something just for you and not always worry about whether anyone else will like it. After all, we know sunsets and rainbows don’t last forever but that doesn’t stop us happily gazing whilst they do.
Take a minute to watch my little mindful mandala video above. And watch the sand one below. I’d love to hear how you celebrate the magic of the mandala.
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