Mandalas are an ancient form of designs originating from Hinduism. Which is why, I was very excited for this project. This project felt very culturally personal when it was first introduced to me. Researching more about it, I found out facts that I didn’t know before as a Hindu. Facts like Mandalas are used as a form of design for mental peace in hinduism is very fascinating to me.
Exercise 1:
For the first process, we were asked to collected 10 natural forms and 10 human-made mechanisms. Using digital applications and hand drawing techniques we were asked to draw different patterns in each row. The things we were asked to draw were:
Row 1: Photograph of natural or human-made/synthetic form (cite your sources)
Row 2: Proportion, Scale with Shape: Identify size and basic shape
relationships Row 3: Direction- identify movement (linear, radial, other) of
components
Row 4: Components- identify segments of parts or groups of parts that are unique from
each other (shape)
Row 5: Value and Color: identify areas of value and/or color change
Exercise 2:
After picking out different forms, We were asked to pick total 2 forms using 1 natural and 1 human-made form to make a pattern. I used Adobe Illustrator to draw out the forms using the pen tool and applied color to it, for a better view. I used a flower and human stacked stones as my forms to create the design above. I used scale, symmetry, and repetition to create the principle of balance on the 9×9” art-board.
Iterations:
Then I roughly hand drew a Mandala grid to get an idea of what I want to create for my final Mandala grid. I first drew an idea on sketchbook. Then used illustrator and the pen tool to draw a better version of the grid, to test it before using any other tools for my final grid. Then after taking inspiration from other Mandala grids given on carmen, I came up with the three mandala grids. I decided to use the one in the middle as my final grid, because it looked like it has movement into it, which was the principle I wanted to use for my Mandala. But later, I found it too complicated to work with, so decided to remove the slanted tiny parts from the grid and using forms to create the movement effect.
Construction:
Since I am a Henna artist, I wanted to include detailed henna designs into my Mandala, for very traditional feel. I then started hand drawing detailed forms into my roughly drawn grid, so that I can see what I want on my mandala and what I want to avoid using. To also find similar abstractions and forms to use for my mandala to give it a similar feel.
In second picture, I started testing out different forms on my mandala to see what would fit best in which area of my grid, so that I can contrast the forms with each other. And see what exactly I want to include on the grid. Third picture are the forms that I decided to use for my final Mandala. So then, I added value with black and white to it. I later realized that none of my chosen forms shows Movement or Rhythm, so I decided to add swirl like natural form to my Mandala to add movement to it.
Then I started adding color to my Mandala, and realized that the forms that I have drawn are not joint properly and so when I add color to it, the color would spread out and won’t stay within the abstraction. So little by little I started fixing all the forms that I drew with the pen tool and started adding value to the Mandala. I then decided to change the swirl part with a shell abstraction and create the same principle that serves the purpose of movement.
Color Value:
Draft Composition:
I then started experimenting with different color themes. I chose different color palettes from Adobe Color, using different styles. And started applying them on my mandalas to test them out. The first three colors in the middle are the colors that I applied first and tested them for my final drafts. The shades of purple- blue was the final one I wanted to use for my Mandala and the picture in bottom left is what I came up with for my final draft. The color palette was Analogous and the one right next to it is the mixture of Pastels (my favorite combination of colors) which are also Analogous. But since I wanted to try something unique for my second Mandala, I decided to not go with the purple-blue palette and created a new palette using Complementary form of colors. I used similar techniques and value to come up with my final Mandala design.
Edit for portfolio:
– I decided to edit my work after receiving comments from my instructor Emily. I decided to work on it to make it better by following her instructions and comments from my graded work.
– I added an avocado design to my mandala.
– I decided to play with value a little bit more for the final construction and added more details for the transition. In my case, I wanted to show rhythm and movement, so I decided to show that by using value in my composition.
– I tried using the same color palette as I used earlier, and tried playing with value a little bit more.
– I ended up using grey scale with hue to give it a particular transition look, but Emily instructed me to use only hue for a better effect and so I decided to edit a little bit more.
