Sketch, Color & Blend!

By Melody | Published December 4, 2012

Remember the doily-inspired mandalas I created in my art journals? I’ve created a few more since that first post, and thought I’d share a recent creation with you. I decided to take photos as I worked, to show the three main stages of my process:

1. Sketch the design
2. Color the mandala with water-soluble colored pencils
3. Blend color with a paintbrush & water

My sketch was very loose and rather sloppy. It’s obviously not precise, symmetrical, or to scale, but that’s not what I’m striving for. I’m focusing on interpretive renderings, more stylized designs, and am just having fun playing!

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Thus far I’ve added color with water-soluble crayons or water-soluble colored pencils, but will likely add acrylic inks and other media into the mix in the near future.

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I love seeing the colors come to life when they’re activated and blended with the water. Making these mandalas is a great way to try different color combinations.

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