Mandala Mania

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine, Sandy Johal, taught me how to draw mandalas. In case you don't know what a mandala is, in its simplest form, a mandala (the name comes from the sanskrit, meaning 'circle') is a symmetrical geometric design, generally with a central point, which can be more or less enclosed within a circle.

The first kind of mandala I learned how to make was created by drawing a grid of lines and concentric circles using a ruler and a compass, then colouring concentric rings with different colours of oil pastels, and finally, etching a design using a knife.














The next kind I started making used the same basic grid of lines and concentric circles, but I drew the mandala design with black pen. This simplified the process is some ways, as I was no longer working with colour, but put the focus more on form, shape, balance and design. The first ones I drew free-hand, and made them symmetrical.














Then I began drawing ones which were not symmetrical, but rather 'spiralled' and 'moved' around the central point.













Then, I started working with a ruler, and boy, could I ever get into lots of detail with that technique.














My latest ones again use with colour. I draw the design with black pen, then 'colour' in the shapes with watercolour pencils, then 'paint' the colour with water to give a watercolour effect. The mandala at the top is also an example of this kind.















The amazing thing about drawing mandalas is that you don't really plan them - once the grid is drawn, you just start drawing in lines and shapes, draw the same thing in each quadrant of the grid, and before your eyes, a design, a mandala, starts to appear. It grows, changes, and emerges right before your eyes, within the space of less than an hour. The possiblities are infinite. No one is ever the same.















I taught my neice and nephew to draw mandalas, and they took to the process like fish to water. They liked the process so much that we even had a mini art show of our creations, and staged a mock 'opening' to show off what we created during an afternoon when I was visiting.

Now, sister Mary has created a quilted mandala hanging - yet another manifestation of the infinite possibilities of mandala design.



















More about mandalas.....Mandalas were first created by the 'Hindus' in India and were used in religious ceremonies as early as 1500 B.C.E. Mandalas are also used by Tibetan Buddhists. Their general purpose is to represent the oneness of the universe, and they are also used as meditation aids.