Abstract Art: Make a Mandala

We are going to learn how to create texture and in the process create our image. You will need paint, either acrylic or watercolor, an absorbent surface like watercolor paper, or illustration board, masking tape, plastic wrap, and masking fluid if you have it. If you don't have masking fluid, don't run out and get some! you can use white crayon to mask off areas as well - but the results will be different. Of course the whole thing can be a big surprise at the end anyway - which is part of the fun!

You can see my set up above.

Pick three or four colors that you want to use for your theme. remember to choose carefully because these colors are going to blend together. You may want to choose colors beside each other on the color wheel (yellow, green, blue). I am using acrylics for this piece, (I normally would use watercolors, but acrylics work nicely because they don't lift during later washes) and I am choosing the three primaries, Using Hansa Yellow, Quin. Magenta, and Pthalo Blue because the pure primaries are joyful to me.

Generally I try to pick more transparent colors, but in reality we are going to be thinning them so much that they will still be pretty transparent even at the later layers.

As you can see I use very little paint (a dot about the size of the tip of my pinky finger), but I dilute it with a lot of water to make a very transparent wash.

Put your paper or illustration board on a flat surface where you won't have to move it for a while.

Next, wet your surface completely with water (a spray bottle will help this.) you want the paint to be able to run around!

Then drop your paint onto the surface and enjoy how it mixes on the paper.

This is a light application and don't worry about white spaces and DON'T mix the colour on your surface with your brush - let it mix on its own.

This is how mine looks when the paint is wet and runny

Then while it is still really wet and running around... take your plastic wrap and scrunch it up all over the surface and leave it there. (really!) let it dry with the plastic wrap pressed in to the wet watery paint. the more scrunchy and wrinkly the more texture your final piece will have.

Now leave it alone and we'll come back later when it's dry and see how it looks. (try not to peek for at least an hour.. if you lift a corner and it's still wet put it back and go get a cookie)

When the paint has dried you can peel off the plastic wrap (you can save it if you like - we'll need more later.)

You should be able to see the texture already starting to build. Once the plastic wrap is off you still need to wait for the paper to completely dry. If your paper or illustration board is still cool to the touch it is too wet to move on to the next step. Just set it aside until it doesn't feel cool anymore then you can move on. (patience is a great benefit at this step).

Now I'm going to start the first step of the masking process. I've decided to start with a diamond shape.

I lightly drew my shape onto the paper, then I put the masking tape down to mask off my diamond shape.

Don't worry too much about being perfect - even if the tape lifts a little during painting it adds to the organic feel of the whole piece.

Next I mask off my circle. You can trace a plate, or bowl - I happen to have a compass that my husband gave me to make circles with (bless him!)

Then I use masking fluid to go around my circle with. If you don't have masking fluid you can use a white crayon - just remember that you won't be able to add anymore paint on top of the crayon, while you can paint into the area that the masking fluid is on once you peel it off.

Masking fluid tip: use a brush that is old so you won't be sad if the masking fluid sticks too firmly to it. Also it helps in the clean up if you wet your brush before the first dip into the masking fluid. Wash your brush immediately after using the masking fluid.

Pro Tip: It is imperative that your paper be absolutely dry before putting the masking fluid on, otherwise you will tear your paper when you lift the masking fluid.

Now wait for the masking fluid to dry completely before moving on.

Then working in sections, wet your paper again and layer another color on. You can either layer a color to mix with the first, or layer the same color to deepen your original wash.

Work over each area by just dropping wet paint onto the wet paper, do not mix with your brush - or you run the risk of creating brown or muddy color.

When the paint is dry then you can remove the plastic wrap to see what you have.

We will keep going this way, adding tape or masking fluid (or both) then painting... then waiting. at some point you will look at your image and think that it is looking pretty good! (really you will! LOL)

you can use any desgn you want (you don't have to do mine) and you can add symbols or even writing with the fluid or crayon.

you can even stop at some point and decided that it's a perfect background for a more realist painting (and that's OK too).

I kept adding more tape to give it more shapes and more areas to develop my colors. After each additional layer of tape I would use the paint and plastic. Sometimes I would leave an area dry, other areas got two or three more layers of paint. This is where you use your own creative instinct.

The last step for me was taking off all the tape and masking fluid. Then I went in and enhanced the texture in my circle to give it more form.

The Final Painting is, Mandala: Joy

Please give this technique a try and let me know how it turns out - or better yet show me in your own lens and I will link to it!