Mandala Art- A great stress buster

The pandemic has confined us to the four walls of the house. In fact it is very much needed right now to break the chain. So giving utmost importance to our health has become our priority now. But there is a dire need to take care of our mental health along with our physical health. The present uncertain situation and hectic schedule adds up more stress and anxiety.

Hobbies have always been considered as a go to stress buster. During tough times like this, it is important to indulge ourselves in some or the other kind of activities(indoors) . It could be singing, dancing, art, craft, cooking, writing, reading books, listening to Podcasts, Yoga or any indoor games. The ultimate aim should be to stay sane and content.

For me art has been the best companion and I definitely lose the track of time once when I settle down with my brushes and pens. Although painting is my niche and favourite art form, I equally love trying out different art variants. One such art form is mandala which I pick up when I have enough time or have a really long break. I have always wanted to do a full page mandala, something of this kind for the longest time now. Mandala is all about playing with random patterns, basic shapes, lines and dots. The best part is that you need only simple basic tools like  pencil, compass, protractor, ruler and a micro tip pen along with a blank sheet of paper to draw a mandala. You need hell lot of patience of course 😀

So few things about mandala that I have always found fascinating :

•  It acts as a great stress buster and keeps the anxiety away.
• It enhances one’s creativity. The more you draw, the more you come up with various patterns.
• Mandala has the ability to beautify the overall output of any art form. So mandala could be used as a tool in fusing various art forms.
•  It increases concentration and boosts focus.

Some points to be kept in mind before trying your hands on mandala :

•  You may not be able to achieve the patterns in the correct proportion for the first time. It comes by practice.
• It’s always better to go very slow, even if you are an expert in drawing. With the intention of finishing off the work quickly, if we rush there are chances of ruining the symmetry and the overall beauty of the artwork.
• If you are into this art form for the first time, it’s better to try it on a smaller sheet of paper with some basic, simple patterns . Once you are comfortable with the form, you can opt for complicated and intricate patterns on a larger sheet of paper.
• It’s always important to take frequent short breaks while drawing a mandala. At times you might end up getting a back pain or a numb or painful hand as you sit in the same position for a very long time. So taking breaks in between would be really helpful.
• Never feel bad if the work doesn’t turn out the way you expected it to be. Creativity has no bounds, the more you create, the more you learn and become better at. So keep the work going!

After reading this, if you feel like giving mandala art a try, then go ahead with your decision! I am damn sure that you’ll enjoy drawing mandalas 🙂