Mandala Tutorial #1 | How to draw a Rainbow Twisted Mandala

Dive into the world of Mandala drawing to swipe all negative vibes away.

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I am Maria hajj a meditative art teacher, a coloring book illustrator, a Youtuber and a blogger.

If you are a fan of Meditative mandala coloring books then please scroll down to the end of this mandala tutorial to find the links to my books.

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I am glad you have decided to join my Mandala tutorial #1 in which I show you how to draw a rainbow twisted mandala.
What is a twisted mandala?
It is a mandala in which the patterns or colors twirl towards one side. The technique is simple. Once you learn it and understand it you will be able to create twisted mandalas choosing patterns and colors of your choice.
To draw a mandala you don't need to have artistic skills, you just need the will and creativity. And don't start by thinking "well I am not creative". Everyone is creative. You just have to learn how to unleash this creativity and drawing a mandala is in fact the best way you can possible adopt to boost your creativity. You will be amazed by what your hands can create. Just relax and let's start with this mandala tutorial.

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Watch the Video Tutorial

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Materials Needed:

The materials needed for this mandala tutorial are the following:

Compas

Protractor

Eraser

Ruler

Pencil

A4 White paper or cardboard

Colored fine point Stabilo pens

Step 1: Draw a Mandala Grid

A mandala grid is a composition of circles and grid lines that will help us keep the symmetry of a mandala without an effort.
Grids can have different measures and angle degrees. It is fun to try to experiment by changing the angles between grids lines and distances between circles. Just keep in mind that grid lines have to be equally separated.

a- First thing to do in this mandala tutorial is to mark the center of your paper by measuring the center lengthwise, and the center widthwise and marking the crossing dot. Afterwards, trace a horizontal and a vertical line crossing this center and by that dividing your paper into 4 equal sections. Check the illustration below.

b- the second step is to draw circles. A mandala is, in fact, composed from a number of circles organized around the same center. So from the center you just marked you will draw 7 circles with the following radii: 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, 5 cm, 6 cm, and 7 cm.

Now, as I have mentioned before, the circles in a mandala don't have to be equally separated but in this tutorial I chose to have the circles' radii increase by 1 cm per circle.

Check the illustration below.

c- Third step in the mandala grid drawing is to trace the grids. For this step you will need to use the protractor. You put the "0" of your protractor on the center of the paper, and mark a point every 10 degrees.

Check the illustration below.

So now your mandala grid is ready and you are ready to start drawing the mandala.

Step 2: Learning the different patterns used in this mandala tutorial

To draw a mandala we use a number of basic shapes and decorate their inside to create the effect we feel we need to create while drawing. The inside decoration creates what we call a pattern.

So in the illustration below, I have listed the different patterns to use in this mandala tutorial. Kindly have a look at the illustration, and read the explanations written. More details will be explained as we move forward throughout this mandala tutorial.

Step 3: Drawing the twisted rainbow mandala

To draw a mandala we always start from center. But first choose the color sequence you like to follow. In this mandala tutorial I have chosen 9 colors. In every step I will show you how to use these colors to get a twisted effect.

a- In the center of the grid, start by drawing on double pointed petal on each 2 grid sections. Each petal of a color, until all colors are used. Then repeat. The number of drawn petals should be 18. So if you choose 9 colors, each will be repeated twice. Once drawn, color the inside of each petal.

Check the two following illustrations.

b- As a second step, draw one petal on each 2 grid sections. In order to twist the colors, follow this step.

Start with the red pen; draw a petal that starts from the summit of the previous red petal and end at the summit of the orange petal. Repeat with the orange petal; start drawing the orange petal from the summit of the previous orange petal and end it at the summit of the previous yellow petal, and so on. Once all the petals are drawn, fill them using the stippling technique.

The below illustrations will show you exactly how to proceed.

c- The following step requires you to draw new petals on the third row; each petal on two grid sections. Keep twisting the color through out the whole mandala tutorial exactly as explained in the step "b".

Afterwards start filling the inside of the petals with tear drops as shown in the illustrations below and color them.

d- In this 4th step, draw petals on each two grid section respecting the twisting protocol we followed from step "b".

Once all the petals drawn fill them as follows:

- draw an inner double outline

- draw a middle empty tear drop

- draw a colored dot

- fill the double outline

Check the illustrations below to follow the detailed steps.

e- Draw arc petals on each two grid sections by respecting the color twist.

Decorate the inside of the arc petals as follows:

- draw arcs on the inner outline of the arc petal and fill them

- draw a regular small petal inside the arc petal, fill it by stippling, then at the summit draw three tear drops and fill them.

f- Draw Petals on each two grid sections. Trace a double outline. Fill it with small circles.

Draw another small petal and fill with stippling.

g- Trace a petal on each two grid sections. Draw another small petal. Decorate the empty space with curves.

My Meditative Coloring Books

Besides being a meditative art teacher, I illustrate and publish meditative mandala coloring books. Coloring a mandala is a very relaxing and simple activity that can be your gateway to meditative arts.

I hope that you will choose to add these books to your collection.