Drawing Mandalas
Friends, I have found another love: drawing and creating mandalas.
They’re meditative to create, and they’re meditative to watch as someone creates them. I had been mesmerized before when I’ve seen videos with people creating time-lapse renditions of their artwork.
I decided to try my hand at doing the same. For the past several weeks, I’ve started setting aside one day a week to draw and create a mandala while I record myself doing so.
I don’t have a plan when I start. I just begin with my compass and a ruler to create some guiding lines. Then I get my Sharpies and depending on how much detail I’m working on, I select the thickness. To draw the generic part of the mandala, I use the ultra fine point markers. For fine detail, I have a Sharpie pen. For larger areas, I use the fine point markers. But otherwise, I let intuition and experience guide me. It is a labor of love while also trusting that the outcome will be all right.
I used to get those more expensive artist quality markers. But I found that they ran out of ink more quickly and didn’t go on as “thickly” as Sharpie markers. The drawback is that Sharpies are susceptible to fading over time. But well…bold lines or fading later on?
[bctt tweet=”In a way, the fading of my artwork reminds me that life – and all things – are ephemeral.” username=”n2itvnspiritual”]
That is, nothing lasts that long. Sure, the stars exist for eons when compared to a human timeline, but everything is born, lives, and eventually fades away….
The key is to appreciate the present.
When I draw these mandalas, that’s exactly what I’m doing. Sure, I might have the television on or some music on in the background. Sometimes it’s completely silent. But it doesn’t matter: I’m making a circle and that circle compels me to look within: to find balance, and to be in the moment with my creating.
The predominant feeling I get while I’m drawing is what compels me to name the mandalas the way I do. In the video below, “Happiness” is full of bright, vibrant colors and I was just content to create something that I hope would bring others some measure of joy.
The “Tranquility” mandala below reminded me of the peace I felt as I created.
The “Jeweled Bliss” idea came from the colors I used, and the contentment I felt in the moment while I created this.
For me, playing back the videos with the calm meditative music also becomes a meditation.
I invite you to meditate on one (or all three). If you’re wanting a little happiness in your day, take some breaths and smile at the Happiness mandala. If you’re craving a little more peace in your life, then watch “Tranquility” and if you’re seeking a bit of peaceful contentment, then check out “Jeweled Bliss.”
For now, I will create one per week. It takes anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to create these mandalas in real time. Then it takes another 2 hours or so to edit the video, and get it ready for export.
Eventually, I may incorporate other videos to go along with my other posts, but for now, these mandalas are calling my name. As of this writing, I am getting ready to create another mandala. I already have a theme and name in mind, but you’ll have to wait until next month to find out what it is…OR, you can go over to my YouTube channel and find out later this week. (And while you’re there, could you do me a favor? Will you click the “subscribe” button?)
Until next week, my friends. Enjoy!
Your Mandalas are absolutely gorgeous and love how this is not only a creative outlet for you, but a relaxing one, as well. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous artwork here with us and wishing you a wonderful week ahead now. Happy Monday and hugs, my friend xoxo <3
Sweet Janine – thank you so much! Speaking of mandalas, I need to send you a message. I’ll find ya on FB. 🙂 I’m glad you found this relaxing and I’m just so glad for your sweet support – always! I wish you also a wonderful week. February is flying by! Sending you hugs ~ xoxo
Cynthia, I love your Mandala’s and I find each of them relaxing and inspiring. And just have to watch them on large screen on my PC and fall right into them. 😀
Like you I have been putting aside more time for my paintings and this weekend has seen me absorbed in another. I put a CD of relaxing music on and I get lost for hours, and only come out of my little room when my hubby shouts me to say a meal is ready or do I want a drink.. ( Thankfully he knows me and how when I get transfixed in painting, not to disturb the flow LOL. )
I am happy to learn you are feeling brighter again from you bout of flu. Here’s hoping your week will go from strength to strength as you embrace even more Happiness, and Peace into your world..
Love and warm well wishes and Mega Hugs in your direction Cynthia.. Have a beautiful Week..
Love Sue xxx <3
Sue – oh, sweet friend! How are you? Thank you for your sweet comments over at Youtube, too! My laptop doesn’t have the biggest screen, though I do use my DSLR camera to record the videos of the mandalas in HD. Hopefully they all look clear as you watch. 🙂 I’m glad to hear that they are agreeable to you. I have – at least for the time being – decided to dedicate one day a week toward creating these mandalas and posting them to youtube. Sure, it’s partly to grow my presence there, but partly it’s for the sheer fun of it. It really is a meditative process and if others can derive a moment of centering from them as a result, then it’s worth it. 🙂 As for your paintings, you took my breath away with your leopard painting. The colors. The symbolism. The time and labor of love. Incredible. I can totally see how you get lost in doing this for hours. When I was doing more painting, I would go for hours and hours, skipping meals, listening to beautiful music all in a world of creation. It’s a glorious thing. You make me want to get back into it. In time. In time. 🙂 Maybe sooner rather than later: my mother in law had a roll of canvas she wanted to get rid of and I’m having visions of creating a HUGE mandala….As for the flu…you know, I had it in December AND I got it again last week! It was a different strain and knocked me off my feet a second time. Now, I’ve given it to husby and he was supposed to leave for a ski trip with his brother, but now can’t go at all. :/ He’s on the mend, but he got it worse than I did. I figure having had a bout of the flu in December helped me to get over it more quickly this time…
I hope you also have a wonderful week, dear friend. Your words, smile, love, and light mean more to me than you will ever know. <3 May you always walk in beauty!
Thank you Cynthia. I’m glad you’ve found a new creative passion. I’m curious whether I might enjoy making mandalas too. I love your mandalas and enjoy the videos of you making them, especially the nice music pairing. Happy Creating!
Brad – oh, if you end up creating some mandalas, I bet they’ll be beautiful! I can see you doing them…they seem to go hand in hand with creating haikus. 🙂 Thank you for your feedback on the videos, too. That means a lot to me – especially in the fact that you noticed my music selections. I have spent a great deal of time trying to select music that I hope will pair well with the each mandala I created. You’ve noticed this and I thank you. 🙂 Happy created to you, too!
You’re most welcome Cynthia. Your mandalas are wonderful especially with the music. Though I must admit to a little discomfort watching the process in fast motion. 🙂 But I know they are meditative to create. Pairing them with haiku sounds wonderful.
Brad – ha! You’re not the only one. Husby gets wigged out by the fast motion of the mandala creations. 🙂 And haiku – so fun to write. 🙂
Your Mandalas are each so beautiful and how wonderful that you’re incorporating videos here to help illustrate your points too! May your creations bring many smiles to you and to those who come visit you (like me!) xo
Christy – aww, thank you sweet friend. Yes, doing more videos to illustrate these mandalas in the hopes of growing my channel and just hoping that folks can find a quiet moment in centering – for a few minutes, anyways. 🙂
I hope you’re well. Thank you for coming by. I’ve been enjoying all your posts over at your blog. Sending you hugs! xo
Your work is beautiful. I’ve seen many mandalas made in various art forms. I tried my hand at one or two but they don’t draw me in like other creative endeavors do. I’ve been honing down my array of crafting interests to focus more on just two or three. Too many things scatter my energy and leave me drained so I’ve decided to let go of so many other forms of art expression. Thank you for sharing these with me. I’ll look forward to seeing what you continue to create.
Hey there, Marlene! I hope you’re feeling all right! So glad to see you. ((HUGS)) As for the mandalas, I totally get what you’re saying. You know, until I got into haikus and more meditation, I wasn’t that into them, either. I suppose it’s almost a product of the “circle” and being fascinated with it. Before mandalas, I enjoyed doing “medicine wheel” type art that incorporated the four directions. I am a little nervous about cultural appropriation with that, however. However, I wonder about just doing “four directions circle art” hehe. In any case, I think it’s wise to focus on just a few things – yes, I have run into that familiar feeling of doing too many things and feeling scattered. Thank you for your wonderful comments, for your feedback, and your support. Extending you more hugs and wishes of health and light! <3
Cynthia
Drawing mandalas is something I would love to do. I envy you for having the time on hands to do it. Your work is absolutely perfect and awesome.
Hugs,
Martie
Martie – great to see you! Drawing mandalas is really fun. It’s challenging, but quite meditative as a process. Yes, I dedicate one day a week to doing this. I feel like with each one I get better and better. 🙂 Thank you for the compliments; I appreciate you. 🙂
I thought of you the other day on the clinical unit with my students, dear Cynthia.
We attended a patient group where we all colored a mandala and added / discussed the factors that motivate us in life – what a worthwhile and insightful exercise for all.
Your work is beautiful, just like you. Love, peace and hugs, Maria
Sweet Maria – I cannot tell you how much this makes me smile! My heart warms at the thought that I’m touching lives and planting seeds of mindfulness and peace. I really, really want to figure out how I can get my meditation certification training. I so want to lead retreats that involve meditation, silence, creativity, writing, and more. Your comment here just makes me want to do that even more. Thank you. 💝
I am so pleased you are creating these one day a week.. I showed your video to my 7 yr old granddaughter when she came to sleep over and stay a day this week in half term holidays.. She loved it.. And said how clever you were, She sat transfixed through the whole video .. She watches a lot of YouTube ( parent controlled ) .. She was so impressed I knew someone ‘Famous’ on YouTube and wanted to know where you lived and was full of questions.. 🙂
It got her into the painting mood, she did some painting of her own and she so loved my painting she wanted to create one of her own.
So I gave her a small canvas..
Last week we were discussing the Chinese horoscope animal years.. And she looked up in which year we were born, and found she was a Gold Tiger which inspired her greatly as she has red hair.. 😀 So I had a Chinese painting book of tigers, she found a cub one she liked, which was snarling and climbing a tree… She painted it adding the lettering of the Chinese symbols too that were also on the print.. ( we had no idea what they meant, and it could have been the artists signature .. But she wanted to paint it as it was.. )
She took it home with pride and is going to hang on her wall..
She had fun with her researching about family members birth years and which animal..
Later in the afternoon she had a go at making her own Mandala.. and coloured in with crayons..
See How you inspired a little girl with your art.. 😀
I hope your hubby is improving.. These virus’s are bad ones.. My daughter had flu at Christmas then it returned three weeks later, laying her low again ..
Sending LOVE and healing thoughts.. Take care. and many thanks again.. xx <3
Sue – oh the feels. The feels! Your comment came in at a time when my empathic self has felt strained these past few days. The emotions of others seemed to have left their mark on me and I was feeling it. Even though I spend that time in meditation, I don’t always remember to shield myself before the day begins and I can’t fend off the emotions of others. But, luckily, I have the next four days to be around supportive people and in my own space to heal, create, and spread light. 💝 So, reading about your granddaughter is so incredibly heart-warming and motivating to me. Seeing that a little girl somewhere across the Atlantic liked something I created just gives me goosebumps (in a good way!). The things you show her, the wisdom you share, I know she’s a very blessed and lucky little girl to have a grandmama like you. What you shared here makes my heart feel so warm again, knowing that there are really so many out there who celebrate love, light and bliss. How did her mandala turn out? The kids at the school where I work love to create “nature” mandalas, using sticks, twigs, rocks, grass, seeds, pinecones, that sort of thing. They are beautiful while they exist and after a short while, they mesh back into nature. It’s just so wonderful to see.
We are both improving. The flu was really bad this year: just about everyone I know had it. It seemed like if you were just nearby someone who had it, that you’d get it. But, it sure makes you grateful for good health, getting out of the house to enjoy nature, and watch the crocuses poking out through the grass. 🙂
Ooh, I bet you’re getting excited to be out in the garden! It’s been sunny and warm here – in the 70s today! (21C) It’s still technically winter! That’s unusual but I’m soaking it up. I just love sunny, warm days.
As for painting and artwork – oh, you’re making me want to get out my paints and canvas! In time. In due time. 💝 You’re a burst of creativity and I love it – it just makes me so happy to see you creating all these beautiful things!
I hope your sister’s feeling better, too. Sending YOU love, creative thoughts, hugs, light, and all the good things. Sweet friend, you make me smile!
What a gorgeous post, Cynthia. Mandalas are a path to the soul ❤
Sweet Tina – so good to see you❣️ Thank you for the sweet compliment and hope you’re feeling well on this Monday❣️ Sending you hugs.🤗
I’m feeling better, Cynthia. Hugs back to you, my friend ❤
Tina – I’m so glad. I’m sending more thoughts of healing and love!
Thank you, my sweet friend ❤
Tina – You are so sweet ✨💫🎆🎇💛🎇🎆💫✨