
Those of you who were with me last term will recall our right brain studies and successful practical exercises. What we are looking to create here is an icon to reflect our inner self, hopes or ambitions. You should be inspired by your mandala so perhaps start by deciding on your palette. Then shape and form. Some mandalas depict a scene, or landscape. Religious scenes or characters are often used, as are Hindu Gods, and Christian figures. You may create your Mandala in any medium you choose. Ancient Mandalas were often worked in Egg Tempera and embellished with gold leaf. Since we worked in Egg Tempera last week and at the end of last term, you may now feel confident enough to move onto a bigger project. Pastels also work well. I would hesitate to use oils simply because of the drying time if you wished to layer up your design. However a simple 2d single layer design could be accomplished in one sitting. Tools that will be useful will be anything circular to draw around, such as coins, tubes, pill tubs and suchlike, geometrical items, and of course a compass, set square and bezier curve invaluable! Using a spiro designer or similar would also work well.
When complete, you may like to burnish with gold leaf, or set crystals into your painting using jewellery cement, or even use an iridescent or glittery finish. Invaluable websites to visit are www.mandalas.com for inspiration, and for free downloadable templates, visit www.mandala-4u.com
(c) Kate Lomax 2013 All Rights Reserved