A simple mandala tutorial makes drawing a mandala very easy especially for people who think they aren’t artistic and feel intimidated by the idea of drawing. Often, they associate the word “drawing” with “failure,” which creates fear and discourages them from exploring art. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.
In fact, drawing a mandala is completely different from traditional drawing. First of all, it doesn’t require any special artistic skills. Moreover, as you’ll see in this simple mandala tutorial, anyone can create a stunning mandala, no matter their level of experience. Most importantly, this art is designed to be easy, enjoyable, and suitable for everyone.
But before we start, let’s take a moment to understand what a mandala really is. Essentially, a mandala is a design made up of circles that all share the same center. Interestingly, the concept of the mandala was introduced by Buddha, who used it as a tool to promote mindfulness and focus.
Even today, monks continue to create mandalas, but with a spiritual twist. For example, their mandalas often include intricate religious symbols and designs. Furthermore, they typically use colored sand to create these beautiful masterpieces. What’s even more fascinating is the process: after spending hours or even days on their work, monks wipe the mandalas away. This act symbolizes the belief that nothing in life is permanent and that everything eventually comes to an end.
Now that you know the meaning behind mandalas, let’s dive into creating one yourself!
How to draw a Mandala
Drawing a Mandala can be simplified into three basic steps:
- Step 1 drawing a mandala grid
- Step 2 filling the grid with basic shapes
- Step 3 filling the shapes with patterns.
To draw a Mandala you need the following materials
Materials Needed:
- A white paper or cardboard
- a ruler
- a compass
- a protractor
- a sharpened pencil
- fine drawing pens such as Uni Pin, Micron, etc.
If you don’t have a protractor or a compass then please check the below tutorial that will teach you how to trace a mandala grid without a protractor or a compass
Step 1: How to draw a mandala grid
A mandala grid is composed of a number of circles and a number of grid lines equally separated. Note that just the grid lines need to be equally separated not the circles. To learn more about a mandala grid you can check the below video
For this tutorial the mandala grid has the following measures:
Trace four circles with the following radii: 2 cm, 4 cm, 5 cm, and 6 cm.
As for the grid lines, they are separated by 10 degrees.
To trace the mandala grid follow the next few steps:
Step a:
Mark the center of your A5 paper
Step b:
Trace a vertical and a horizontal line that crosses the center
Step c:
Trace 4 circles that have as a center the center of the paper.
The radii are as follows: 2 cm, 4 cm, 5 cm, and 6 cm.
Step d:
Using the protractor, trace grid lines equally separated by 10 degrees.
Step 2: How to fill a grid with basic Mandala shapes
Take a look at the list of basic mandala shapes exposed in the video below
Step a:
Trace a double-pointed petal on each two grid sections of the first circle ( the 2 cm radius circle)
Step b:
Trace one arc petal on each section of the second circle ( the 4 cm radius circle)
Step c:
Trace a regular petal on each 2 grid sections of the mandala grid in the third circle (the 5 cm radius circle)
Step d:
Trace one teardrop between each two regular petals
Step e:
Trace a pointed petal on each two grid sections of the last circle (the 6 cm radius circle)
Step 3: Fill the mandala basic shapes with patterns
To give your mandala a special signature, fill the shapes with patterns and designs of your choice. In this mandala tutorial, I keep the patterns I used simply to make it easier for beginners to follow. If you like check the videos below to learn a series of patterns that you could apply to this mandala
Step a:
Trace a small circle at the top of each arc petal
Step b:
Draw teardrops inside each regular petal as follows
Step c:
Last, draw a double-pointed teardrop between every two pointed petals.
Finally, erase the lines of the mandala grid