How To: Mandala Step-by-Step

How to create your own Mandala:

This project is both fun and requires a bit of attention. The key to this project is keeping your focal point in the middle by making small details, and then expanding the size as you work your way out. Your eyes should naturally be drawn to the middle. Remember to have fun with this project!

Time to complete: 45 min-3 hours (Depending how intricate your design is)

Materials: 

• Paints (water color is nice, but any kind will do)
• Paint brushes
• Card stock paper
• Scissors
• Pencil to lightly draw in design

Step 1: Take a piece of 12x12 card stock paper and fold the top right corner to make a triangle

Step 2: Cut off the excess bottom half so you just have a right triangle

Step 3: Open up your triangle so you have a big square. Start designing by beginning in the middle and make tiny details.

Step 4: Start expanding on your design. I chose to go with a flower so I began to make big petals. You can make whatever you want, just remember to keep getting bigger and bigger.

Step 5: Finish off with the frame and then fill in any other details you see fit.

Step 6: Start painting the middle because the tiny details tend to be the hardest to fill in.

 Step 7: You can start to plan ahead and brush on what colors you want in each area. I tend to forget so if you already know which colors you want to use, feel free to skip this step. Because I chose to make a flower design, I am going with bright colors.

Step 8: At this point, you can color everything in. You now have a pretty and brightly colored mandala. You can really do just about any design with this project. Just remember that the center is your focal point where your eye must be drawn to. Thanks and hope you enjoyed!

The End!

Wire Sculpture

The theme of this sculpture was to create a sculpture of something you may find at the circus. I chose to an air balloon. All I needed for this project were a pair of wire cutters, and some easy-to-bend wire. I started out creating the basket of the balloon which was just two circles and then attached by four lines. Then i set out to create the balloon by creating a tiny circle, then attaching two large pieces of wire and then shaping them into circular shapes. At the top of the balloon I attached a small piece of wire to keep the balloon from tipping. Lastly, I attached the balloon and basket with four smaller wires. For finishing touches, I added some sandbags just for fun. This project was pretty fun because I honestly did not think I could create anything with wire. This project showed me that with a little dedication, you can make some pretty interesting sculptures.

 

For the full tutorial, go to http://alexaraemears.blogspot.com/

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Milk Jug Masks

I took an empty milk jug and cut out half of the side. I used the side with the handle since I felt like the handle would make a great nose. I then took white painter tape and pasted it all over the outside of the plastic. When it was all covered, I took black shoe polish and rubbed it everywhere on the outside. I gave about ten minutes for it to dry, then painted on my design with acrylic paint. I was inspired by making a skull, but then thought it would be cooler if i made a sugar skull. I think the mask was very fun to create and definitely one I would want to create again.

 

For the full tutorial, go to http://artforchildrenisfun.blogspot.com/

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Batik

When starting this project, I made my design on a piece of construction paper. When I had drawn everything out to my liking, I went over it with a black sharpie pen. Next, I layered a piece of cloth over the construction paper, and traced the lines with a baking flower glue. Once my full design was traced, I set it out and let it dry for a day. When I came back to it, I used non-washable tempera paint to color over the design. The last and most annoying part was peeling off the flower glue. It was really sharp and dug underneath my nails. The end result was much more legible, but when I put the cloth in the washer, it bled and really messed up the design. Unfortunately you can't see the design too well but at least I know what not to do next time. I really liked the colors I chose for my design, and next time I will not put it in the wash.

 

For the full tutorial, go here http://theartofkids.blogspot.com/

or http://elementaryarteducationjenn.blogspot.com/

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Coil Pinch Pots

When starting out, we were instructed to use quick drying clay and first make it into a big ball. Then, you begin to dig down in the very middle while also shaping the walls. You gently had to pull and stretch to create the shape of the bowl you wanted. Once I was satisfied with how large the pot was, I smoothed out my walls and any other cracks I could find with slip (liquefied clay solution). I then began curving my walls to look like a sea anemone. I then took a fork and played with textures on the outside of my walls, and then set it out to dry. Once I gave the clay anemone a day to dry, I took sea green and pink acrylic paint to it. The result was very sea like and I really liked how it came out. This was one of the more fun projects to me.

 

For the full tutorial, go to http://myartisticodyssey.blogspot.com/

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Chinese Brush Painting

In class we were given actual sets of what the Chinese  use to create the paintings of bamboo on scrolls. I started out by practicing my stroked with the brush. The first set looked like a long and thick femur bone. The second stroke was a horizontal looking "Z". Lastly, I made these thick strokes that started off going forward, but then I would change its path to backwards. This created little leaves. The result, when all steps are combines, looks like bamboo. I thought this project was fun and interesting to do.

 

For the full tutorial, go to http://saigemillsap.blogspot.com/p/chinese-brush-painting.html

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Passacaliga (8-expanding)

In a group, we were given a grid and a set of points to follow first. When we each finished with plotting the set of points, We then decided as a group to flip our page around and then plot the same points. We then connected those set of points and then set off on our own to make a pattern. We put our sheets together again to see where we wanted to layer our sheets. Lastly, we began to color in our sheets of paper with a color blocking effect. The end result was very satisfying for us all.

Color Assignment

 

This project was a fun one. For the top picture, our instructor played very unusual music and told us to paint with black and white tempera paint. Because of how crazy the music sound (it was something out of a horror film), my strokes were wild and very messy. You can see the various lines of where I used black and where I used white. The bottom picture was playing with lightness and darkness for complimentary colors. I chose red and green. I also made triangle shapes because of how cool it looks to flip them around by each other. I liked this assignment because i had fun mixing colors around.

Rhythm Sculpture

This project is quite overwhelming to look at, but I like that about it. I tried to replicate how a garden can look when we aren't focusing on one type of flower. At first, gardens are kind of like a huge blob of color, but as we start narrowing in on certain bits, we can start to identify the type of flower. The rhythm of my piece is definitely constant drum sounds. I started off with Popsicle sticks on the bottom, layered over with foam triangles and squares, then made spiral fuzzy wiring to go over that, and lastly added colorful flowers. I really like my colorful mess.

 

For the full tutorial, go to http://elementaryart2014.blogspot.com/

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Georgia O' Keefe Flower

 

 

We designed a flower by looking at it from a certain perspective, then duplicating that perspective on paper. I originally was looking through a tiny square when I was creating my perspective. When I began painting, I noticed how there are different hues of orange in the flower and tried to capture that by mixing colors together. The flower is the lightest in the middle and gets slightly darker around the edges. I had playing with color in this project as well as filling the open space with random lines. I think they add a sort of leafy texture to the painting. I definitely felt this flowers bright colors was a representation of who I am as a person.

For the full tutorial, go to http://silvermagpieart.blogspot.com/

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Internal Texture-Watercolor Techniques

This was one of our more delicious assignments. In class, we all brought a variety of food with different textures. We each got ourselves a plate, and tried the many types of food. We then painted what we felt the texture of the food tasted like. Starting from the top left: 1. Swedish fish: the texture was first almost powdery but then became soft and chewy. The waves represent the different textures that I felt all in one. 2. Carrot: When eating the carrot, there was a pattern of sweet and then more neutral hard bites so I made a pattern of a neutral green and then sweet pink color. The texture is both smooth and crunchy. 3. Cheeto: The cheeto was crunchy and had a salty cheesy flavor. I really felt orange was a fitting color for the texture (which it already is), so I made the majority orange. Bottom left: 1. Cucumber: Strong vinegar tastes overwhelmed my senses so I painted green and orange, and put plastic over the painting to create harsh and smooth texture I tasted. 2. Cookie: I started out with a rainbow background but then put salt over the top, and then flicked random colors over the salt. It came out much more dark but I felt this fit the strong taste of vanilla and its moist texture. 3. Brownie: This last one involved a faded swirl with colors of dark blue and purple. This represents the rich and soft texture of the brownie.

This project was both fun and tasty!

 

For the full tutorial, go to http://TayleeMorgan.blogspot.com 

Weaving

In this project, although the outcome isn't as pretty, I have to say it was rather hard to make. I started out by weaving pieces of fabric in and out of the string. I picked colors that reminded me of a watermelon because of how pretty pink and green look together. It was also still warm outside when I made it so I felt the color choice was appropriate. I wish I had used more materials to weave through as well, but it must have slipped my mind in the moment. I think this wasn't my best creation, but I did my best to make it fun.

Australian Aboriginal Art

Aboriginal art is one of the oldest forms of traditional art. It is mostly made with earthy colors, like reds and yellows and makes symbols with tiny dots. I decided to make my own that depicts my daily journey, which is sort of silly but still fun. You start on the bottom left-hand corner and then work your way to the top right. It should read "When I awake, I drink some water and eat some food. I head outside but am confused on what to do next. My day could go one way or another, but mostly I will be happy with what ever I pick. I relax, knowing that there is love in my heart, and in the end, I go to sleep knowing that it's going to be okay". Pretty cheesy I know, but that is for the most part how my day ends up. This project was both fun and expressive for me to create.

 

For the full tutorial, go to http://iwanttoteachartinelementary.blogspot.com/

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Alien Names

 

This project was pretty fun because it had to do with aliens. I am naturally drawn to weird and interesting creatures, so I knew this project was for me. Naturally, one of my favorite movie series is "Alien" and I was inspired by the "large head, thin body" concept. What makes this project special is we also had to design these aliens on what would be considered an attractive alien in their world. I made my ideal aliens with bushy eye-lashes, tiny lips, and scaly outer bodies. The male aliens have veiny  innards while the female aliens have colorful polka-dots. Their surroundings are filled with angular plants and pastel, cotton candy skies. Somewhere in a parallel universe, my alien world could exist.

For the full tutorial, go to coloroutsidethelimits.blogspot.com/    

or http://www.oodlesofcodles.blogspot.com/

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Gesture and Contour Lines

 As you can see, I am not that good at gesture and contour lines. I started off by looking at an object like a sandal and lamp, and would not look away from that object while sketching it. I made long, thick strokes and they did not come out the way I wanted. I also looked for inspiration in my room and saw a rather curvy lamp. I decided to draw that with more exact lines and it came out slightly better than the others. Overall, I feel I need much more practice in the sketching department.

Non-Objective Square

I really enjoy how this piece came out. In class, we were instructed to design a line that goes from one corner to another. I started off just moving my pencil around the mat which made some pretty random shapes. When I stopped to look, I thought that it looked similar to cells and veins, so I colored the middle in with pink and purple color pencils (I imagine this is what color I would look like on the inside). I felt that this was one of the more fun things I have done in class because I really love how it looks similar to anatomy structures.

 

For the full tutorial, go here http://artlessonsforteaching.blogspot.com/

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Mandala

For this Mandala, we were instructed to incorporate things that have to do with our life. My mandala isn't as "busy" as the average kind, but I tried to do the best I could. In the very middle, I have a sun, a few raindrops, and grapes because I am from Napa, CA. I added in a lot of hearts as well because I like to think of myself as a loving person. You might notice that there are a lot of designs in three's on account of the fact that it's my favorite number. There are huge light sabers to represent both my dad and brother since they are huge star wars nerds. You can also find a big robot head that represents my longtime boyfriend who is really into mechanics and how everything works together as a whole. Lastly, there are footprint trails that have a start but no end which is like the journey i am on right now: no end in sight. I threw in a few random things as well. Overall, i feel that my life is represented very well through this design.

 

You can find my tutorial on the first page of my blog!