7 Days of Sunshine Inspired Mandalas — How to Create Mandala - Tutorial in Procreate and on Paper

As I hit mid mark of my 10 Day Sunshine Inspired Challenge, which I decided to take on at the beginning of the month (I’ll tell you all about it about next time) I realized I have never shared with you my reflections on the 7 Day Sunshine Inspired Mandala Challenge I set for myself a couple of months ago.

Depending on how detailed the mandala I’m working on is it may take from 20 mins to 2 hours or more every time. And knowing myself I knew that they all will be more detailed and will take between an hour and a half to 2 hours each. So this challenge wasn’t one of those quick and easy ones.

Taking a 7-day challenge was a great way to get things done in a committed and time-bound style. I have a long list of unfinished projects that are waiting for me to finally get them done. I really want to get my Ocean Inspired Mandala series closer to finish so I challenged myself to create 7 new mandalas in 7 days! Knowing that this is a lot of time to commit to a project I was able to schedule it in my daily routine ahead which helped me to succeed at it. (This takes me to my post with tips on choosing and succeeding at a 30-day challenge because they do apply to a 7, 10, 14-day challenge as much as to a 30-day and 100-day challenges. Did you had a chance to read it?)

I was able to create all 7 mandalas and it made me so happy to see my project getting closer to an end. But to be clear I have not finished my ocean inspired mandalas series yet, I’m still working on it. But thanks to creating all 7 mandalas I’m closer to getting it done.

I really want to share with you what happened while working on my mandalas over those 7 days:
- I created 4 new frameworks which I can use again later
- I created a reference sheet with some of my favorite elements so I can look them over when I need some ideas in the future
- I tried a folk-inspired design and loved it
- I realized that it was more work than I would wish for
- and that if I make it a priority I’ll get it done
- and I got inspired to create this newsletter tutorial for you

How to create a mandala in Procreate App or with pen and paper

1.You need to start with a framework. I provided 4 simple frameworks for you, keep scrolling to find the download.

When working inProcreate App:
You will have to save the framework on your tablet first or open it directly from Google Drive or Dropbox.

If you are opening it straight from Google Drive (that’s what I use) open the framework, tap on the 3 dots in the right top corner, tap on “open in” and then select “Add To Procreate”. This will send the image directly toProcreate App. Now when you open your Procreate App the imported image will be there waiting for you to start working with it.

If you have saved your framework to your photos you can add it to Procreate App by tapping on share icon and choosing “Add To Procreate” and it will be there waiting for you.

If you decide to open your canvas through Procreate you will have to create a new canvas. I usually make my 12 inches by 12 inches. If you are planning to print it out I would recommend creating a letter size canvas 8.5 inches by 11 inches. Then add your framework by going to your Actions tab (Tool Icon) and add your framework by choosing “insert a photo” and picking your framework from your photos.

2. When you have your framework ready it’s time to start. You can work from the center out or from the outside towards the center it is usually a personal choice. All the provided frameworks will work with the symmetry tool in procreating.

3. Now add a new layer and make sure to set the drawing assist on each new layer you will create.

To set the drawing assist go to the “Actions Tab”, tap on “canvas”, turn on the drawing assist and head to “edit drawing guides”. A window will open up and at the bottom, you will find the “Symmetry” tab. In the “Symmetry” tab choose “radial”. And you are now ready to add your first element.

I would recommend playing around with all the settings to familiarize yourself with all the fun things that can be done with ProcreateSymetry Tool. If you want your element to be an exact reflection of itself in the adjacent spot turn on the rotational symmetry.

Some of the frameworks won’t work with the radial symmetry and you will have to fill the appropriate spots with the same element again. There are two options here. You can duplicate the layer and rotate it to fit — but the lines will lose some quality and become bit blurry — I personally don’t like that and retrace the element to make sure it is all nice and sharp. To do that I create a new layer, turn on drawing assist by taping on the layer in the layer panel and choosing the drawing assist and retrace the element. The second option is to skip duplicating the layer and retracing and just directly to create a new layer with drawing assist on and draw the same element again.

4. Keep adding elements on their separate layers, this will make it easier if you decide to change that element later if you change your mind! I do that often and that is why it takes me so long.
As I mentioned when I was making my mandalas I created a cheat sheet with my favorite elements to reference later if I’m in need of an idea. I included that sheet in this week's download below.

When using the framework with pen and paper!

I also included the framework as a print sheet to make this easy for you.

There are 2 print versions:

in black — after printing it out you can trace it using a tracing paper or you can use a window as your lightbox. Tape the printed framework to the window and trace it on the second sheet of paper with a pencil. If you are using printer paper you might be able to see the framework underneath without the lightbox effect.

in gray — If you don’t want to trace the black version you can use this one and draw directly on the gray framework. I made it in a light color so that when you draw over and around it, it will be bearly visible.

And now all that you have to do is start filling out the spots with your elements. if you need some ideas you will find my sheet with my favorite element in today’s download below.

TIP: CREATE YOUR OWN ELEMENT REFERENCE SHEET

While you’re filling out your elements add them to your own elements reference sheet! It will help you in the future and will make your work go faster. The reference sheet helps me a lot when I lacking ideas and it will grow along the way.

Get Your 4 Printable Mandala Frameworks and a Reference Sheet Below

If you want to use these in Procreate I included JPEG files perfect for that, you will also find a pdf print sheet in 2 versions: black and gray. Black for tracing and gray to draw directly on the sheet. Download Here.