The Process of my Mandalas - Day 1

So I'm going to try and document the process I go through on these mandalas.  Please feel free to ask questions, clarifications and comments as I go.  It's tricky to slow it down and scan each step, but it is a challenge I think I'm up for.  There are as many ways to do Mandalas as there are people who do them and everyone has their preferences. It is a very personal process and it is more about how it makes you feel then the end product, so experiment for what works for you.

Sometimes I just start drawing on completely blank paper, some days I do a highly detailed framework.  I love symmetry, so I tend to use a framework to get myself going.  However sometimes its nice to leave all that at the door and just freewheel something straight from the heart.  It's really how you are feeling that day and then translating that onto the paper.  So here is one example of how I do my symmetrical mandalas.

  So day 1 - I set up some form of framework in pencil, that gives my mandala direction.  I used a compass this time and a ruler.  Today I decided I wanted to try circles within a circle and small mandalas within a larger mandala.  I divided it into 6 equal sections (can be done with a protractor - 60 degrees each) and then picked a point along the line to make another circle of the same size and repeated this on each line, at the same distance point, around the mandala.  Everything in a symmetrical mandala is about repetition.  What you do in one section, you do in all the others.  Then I joined the centers of the mandalas and this divided each of the outer ones into 6 equal sections as well.  The joy of symmetry and math is it always works out.  (Well almost!!)  This was done in light pencil, so the picture comes out kind of grey, I want to be able to erase my pencil marks, so I make them as light as I can and still be able to work with it. This sketch was made 8" x 8".

So back I go now, to figure out what I want to do next!  See you soon :)

Day One Sketch with a compass and ruler.  8" X 8" Mandala