An Easy Take on How to Draw A Mandala

Ever wonder how that complicated circular piece of art is made? Worry no more because in this post, you will learn how to draw a mandala and you’ll be surprised at how easy it is!

Creating your own mandalas can be as easy as pie if you know the basic steps to take. I have taken the liberty of making one just to show you that even an amateur artist like me can do it!

Mandalas are intricate circular designs that have one identifiable center where a series of repeating shapes and symbols emerge from. The word “mandala” comes from a Sanskrit word for circle and they have a deep spiritual significance in Buddhism and Hinduism. Mandalas can be used as an exercise, a tool for therapy, meditation, or simply for relaxation.

Drawing a mandala is fun and relaxing at the same time. Start simply and take it wherever your imagination wants to go. Here’s an easy take on how to draw a mandala.

Materials You Need

• Paper (preferably dotted or blank)
• Pencil
• Pen or Marker
• Eraser
• Ruler
• Drawing Compass (to draw the circles)
• Protractor
• Colored Markers, Colored Pencils, Crayons, or Watercolor (optional)

A Proper Mindset

Sure, making a mandala can be just an ordinary art session but it can be more than that. It can be an art therapy of sorts where you turn on your favorite music, tune out the outside world, and concentrate on the strokes of lines you make. Don’t think about the outcome, immerse yourself in the activity, and treat it as a meditative journey.

Mistakes happen along the way but don’t let them get to you. Making mistakes is part of the journey. After all, art is not about perfection. Unleash your creativity and don’t let mistakes restrain you from experimenting in drawing a mandala.

How to Draw A Mandala

Planning Out

1. Draw a dot that will serve as the center of your mandala.
2. Take out your compass and draw concentric circles around the dot.
3. You can make the outer circle as big as you like.
4. Take out your ruler and draw a horizontal line across the center of your circles.
5. Take your protractor and place it along the horizontal line. Mark out the degrees of your choice. You can mark every 30 degrees to have 12 sections, every 20 degrees 18 sections, and so forth.
6. Using your ruler, draw a line between the center and every mark you made.
7. Now that you’ve drawn the outline for your mandala, you can begin drawing the actual mandala!

Let’s Draw!

1. Start from the very center and fill the smallest circle with a pattern of your choice. You can draw circles, loops, triangles, petals, raindrops, etc.
2. The important element here is the repetition of patterns in your circular outline.
3. Vary your design patterns as you branch outside of every circle. The more designs you draw, the more complex your mandala will look.
4. Take it slow. Draw your patterns and shapes one at a time, and go around the whole circle slowly.
5. Once you’re done drawing your mandala in pencil and you are satisfied with the outcome, it’s time to ink it.
6. Mind which strokes you want to be darker or lighter.
7. After inking, carefully erase the pencil outline.
8. You can take it a step further and color in your mandala. I used purple and green markers to make my mandala look more attractive.

Congratulations! You have just drawn your first mandala!

Here’s a helpful video tutorial to make things even easier.

Mandalas are easy to draw. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it’s up to you if you want to make the design as simple or as complex as you want.

If you want to draw other things but don’t have the slightest idea of what to make next, here are 50+ sketchbook drawing ideas you can look at to gain inspiration.