We used Adobe Illustrator to create Mandalas. We set up the canvas so have different slices of Mandala options to pick from and so that when one slice was drawn on, the other slices would mimic it. I was very precise in my Mandala creation process since after finishing the first stage of line art, I went through to make sure the lines intersected well and it was clean.
If given the opportunity to change my mandala, I’d consider designing an asymmetrical element to the design. In my colored version of the mandala, I could have stars or shapes resembling a twinkle to make it seem as if the piece is sparkling. That connects it more to my theme of nocturnal animals. I’m happy with how my mandala came out and wouldn’t change anything for the black and white mandala besides minor technical details.
The mandala project has taught me the value of drafting different ideas out first before pursuing a final one. I experimented with different slices and ideas, one of which being diving pelicans and another dinosaur fossils. I settled on the nocturnal woodland animal theme when I realized after drawing the pelicans, I wanted to do a theme involving birds. I implemented the swirls of wood into the patterns of the owl and badger as a reference to “woodland”. I wouldn’t have decided this if it weren’t for my early attempts of filtering through concepts.
I’ve learned from this project to have more confidence in my own creative abilities and the decisions I made on instinct. My theme for the mandala design wasn’t thoroughly planned and the art I made for this project was done based on what I felt at the moment. When the class looked at examples from previous years, I found myself to be more fond of the mandalas with animals. I knew I wanted to incorporate an animal into my mandala to encourage the viewer to imagine a story.