Mandala Illustration

Description

A mandala is an intricate, abstract design, usually in circular form. In this project, you will use your background of patterns, circles, measurement, and positive and negative space to create a fun mandala illustration.

If you prefer a shorter, printable version of this challenge be sure to check out the linked PDF in the Materials tab.

Materials

• Paper
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Ink pens/markers
• Ruler (or any straightedge)
• Drawing compass (OR tie one end of a piece of yarn to your pencil. Place one end of the yarn in the center of your circle and hold it with one hand. With your other hand, move the pencil in a circle. Shorten the length to create smaller circles. You can also trace coins, lids and jars!)
• Protractor (OR use your straightedge and estimate your sections like you’re cutting a pizza; up and down, then diagonally across)

Project Steps

These steps guide you through creating your mandala illustration.

Step 1

Using your pen, make a small dot in the middle of your paper. This doesn’t have to be perfectly in the center but will serve as the anchor point for your compass. 

Step 2

Next, take your compass, and place the needle on the dot. Make several circles of different sizes by adjusting the hinge of your compass. All of your marks should be light, you’ll erase them later. The size of the circles is the designer’s choice.

• If you don’t have a compass, use the yarn and pencil method

Step 3

Using your ruler, draw a line straight through your circles, using the dot you made as a guide.

Step 4

Bring out your protractor! Align your tool on the horizontal line.

Determine how wide you want your sections to be. For example, for every 30 degrees, mark 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180.

• If you don’t have a protractor, use your straightedge and estimate your sections like you’re cutting a pizza; up and down, then diagonally across.

Step 5

Using your ruler and pencil, draw lines to connect the marks to the center and extend to the other half of the circle.

Step 6

Using your pen or makers, begin marking in your Mandala map. You can start in any circle. The trick to keeping it balanced is that you count how many elements are in each divided section. Repeat that pattern all the way around!

Step 7

There are no rules! You don’t have to be an artist, any pattern works. Youth enjoy making cat, money, and car-themed mandalas.

Step 8

Erase your pencil lines and share your mandala!

Discussion Questions

Here are discussion questions connected to this project. Try to research or figure out the answer yourself first. Click the arrow to reveal the answer!

Sharing Your Project

Once you’re done, you can share a picture of your project! This is completely optional. We’ll be using these photos to create a project gallery. If you’re interested, please fill out the following form and upload a photo of your completed project.

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