Mandala and Dot Art for Beginners: Draw, Colour and Paint

Mandalas are circular patterns that grow outwards from a centre, and making them is calm, absorbing and satisfying. This guide to mandala and dot art covers three easy ways in: colouring ready-made mandala books, drawing your own mandala with a compass and fineliner, and painting dot mandalas with ball tools and acrylic paint.

1. Colouring mandala books

The simplest way to start is a colouring book. The Fujin Mandala Colouring 01 (A5, 30 pages) is a good size for a pencil case. Colour pencils let you blend and shade; see our colour pencils guide. Fujin also makes Animals 1, Animals 2 and Shapes 1 colouring books for younger colourists.

2. Drawing your own mandala

1. Find the centre of your paper and draw a dot.
2. With a compass, such as the Hushang Compass 6900, draw several circles around the dot at different sizes.
3. Use a ruler and a light pencil to divide the circles into equal sections, like slices of a cake: 8, 12 or 16 sections work well.
4. Starting from the centre, draw a simple shape in one section, such as a petal or a curve, and repeat it in every section.
5. Move outwards ring by ring, adding new shapes: petals, dots, scallops, triangles and lines.
6. Go over the design with a fineliner, such as a Sakura Pigma Micron 01 or 05, then erase the pencil.
7. Colour it in, or leave it as black-and-white line art.

3. Painting dot mandalas

Dot mandalas are made entirely from dots of paint in rings. Ball tools of different sizes make perfectly round dots every time.

• Metal Ball Tool Set (4 pcs): double-sided tools with eight ball sizes for dotting and embossing.
• Acrylic paint, such as the Art Rangers Acrylic 12 × 12ml set or bright neon acrylics.
• A dark surface makes colours glow: black card, a painted canvas, or a smooth stone. See our rock painting guide.

1. Paint a large dot in the centre.
2. Dip a smaller ball tool and make a ring of dots around it, keeping the spacing even.
3. Add more rings, changing colour and dot size as you go.
4. For “dot-on-dot”, add a smaller dot of a new colour on top of a dry dot.
5. Let it dry flat, then seal stones or canvas with varnish.

Prices change, so see each product page for today’s price. Browse mandala books and clay and dotting tools.

Colour schemes to try

• Rainbow: move through the colour wheel ring by ring.
• Ocean: blues, turquoise and white on black.
• Sunset: yellow, orange, pink and purple from the centre outwards.
• Metallic: gold, silver and white on black for an elegant look; see our metallic paint guide.

Tips for neat mandala and dot art

• Keep pencil guidelines very light.
• Turn the paper as you work so each section is drawn from the same angle.
• For dots, reload paint for every dot if you want them the same size; or keep dotting without reloading for dots that shrink in a pretty trail.
• Don’t worry about tiny imperfections; repetition hides them.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be good at drawing to make mandalas?

No. Mandalas are built from simple, repeated shapes, which makes them ideal for beginners.

What paint is good for dot mandalas?

Acrylic paint is popular because it is thick enough to hold a round dot and dries quickly.

Can I use a pencil compass for mandalas on canvas?

Yes, draw light guide circles on the canvas, then paint over them.

Do you deliver islandwide?

Yes. We deliver across Sri Lanka in 2–5 working days, with cash on delivery, card or bank transfer. You can also visit our shops in Boralesgamuwa and Horana, open every day from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Not sure what to choose? WhatsApp the Haanz team on 0711 515 515 and we’ll help you choose tools and colours for mandala art.

More Haanz Art Guides

A Starter Acrylic Palette: Which Colours and Tube Sizes to BuyRead the guide →Metallic Paint Guide: Gold and Silver Acrylics, Pens and MoreRead the guide →School Art Supply List: What Children Need by GradeRead the guide →Charcoal Drawing for Beginners: Pencils, Sticks and PowderRead the guide →

See all Haanz Art Guides