The Mandala Guidebook

Book excerpt: Relax, create and connect with mandala art. Do you love coloring mandalas? You're not alone! Adult coloring books are gaining in popularity every day. Do you want to learn how to draw and color your own mandalas? In The Mandala Guidebook, Kathryn Costa shows you how with easy instructions perfect for the beginner. You'll find a wide range of projects, each with beautifully illustrated step-by-step instructions covering more design styles and artistic mediums than any other book out there. Simply put, a mandala is a circle with a design in the center, but psychologists and spiritual leaders have used mandalas as a tool for self-reflection and self-exploration through the ages. Mandalas have intrigued cultures around the world, from Celtic spirals and Indian mehndi to medieval church labyrinths. And now it's your turn! If you can write the alphabet, you can create beautiful and expressive mandalas. Journey with Kathryn, creator of the "100 Mandalas Challenge," to create spontaneous and spirited mandala art: • Enjoy prompts and questions to practice self-discovery, gratitude, relaxation, meditation and explore your unique talents and artistic path as you create • Discover 24 demonstrations with clear and colorful step-by-step instructions to master the mechanics of making mandalas--both freehand and geometrically symmetrical designs • Explore mixed media and textural painting techniques within the boundaries of a circle using everything from a simple pen and paper to watercolor, collage, acrylic and stamped Gelli plate • Get pattern inspiration and discover how to play with color using common palettes from the world around you Set your intention and learn how to use mandalas to solve problems, let go of fear, lean into love and gain clarity and insight as you create!