Mandala Drawing on a CD

A mandala is an abstract design that is usually circular in form. In fact, “mandala” is a Sanskrit word that means “circle”. Mandalas generally have one center point from which radiate an assortment of shapes and designs. Radial symmetry is the cornerstone of any mandala design.

1.  I wanted to start with a bright background on my old CD, so I spray painted it white until it was totally opaque. After it was dry, I brushed it with some watery glue to make a more slippery surface. I learned that would help keep my markers from plugging up later on.

2.  After the glue was druy, I used a ruler and pencil to kind of estimate lines that would divide the CD into 8 equal sections. (I plan to give my students templates to trace to help them make straight, even lines.) I drew a line through the middle of the CD to split it in half, then another perpendicular to it to make 4 equal sections. Lastly I make marks around the center hole at what looked like the middle, and drew a line through it to make what looked like 8 pretty even sections.

3. Starting with just one section, I drew simple diamonds, circles, leaves and curves to fill it up. When complete, I repeated the shapes in the same manner until all 8 sections matched each other. After the pencil lines were done, they were all traced with a fine tip black Sharpie marker. Lastly, the shapes were all colored in with Sharpie markers, taking care to keep the colors all symmetrical. 

CA Visual Arts Standard: Grade Two

2.5 Use bilateral or radial symmetry to create visual balance.

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