Mika’s Mandala Artwork [#2] – A Peek into the Creative Process

Meet Mika. She is six years old and homeschooled. She likes coloring Mandala Art.

A mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the universe.^[1] In common use, “mandala” has become a generic term for any diagram, chart or geometric pattern that represents a microcosm of the universe. [Source]

I showed in my previous post how she started her creative journey and interest in coloring patterns in Mandalas from Adult Coloring books. Most of the scribbles her brother makes on her pieces are gone in this piece and she also puts more attention to keeping within the lines as she improves her craft.

In this piece she uses washable color markers, crayons and colored pencils. She uses whichever she feels like using, really. She wasn't used to using colored pencils yet and she would push the pencil hard into the paper to make the color pop out. She was accustomed to the sharp colors of coloring pens or markers. Her use of coloring pencils assist in making sure she does not go over the lines because this Mandala has little lines separating the petals of the flowers in it.

She did this in one whole afternoon, pausing to eat apple slices. More often that not, she would be anxious to finish a piece, even more so when she knows she has other Mandalas to color. I found that when doing her Coloring book about Travel, she forego's any rules that she needs to follow such as the sky needing to be blue.

This I think is why she likes Mandalas, a flower can be all the colors she wants it to be.

Notice the grey flower which is one of the last flowers she colors, she drags a gray crayon all over, anxious to finish and see her final work. Mandala Art practices and stretches her patience to improve her skills in the arts. With more practice, I hope patience is something she will be able to apply somewhere else, like in a practical setting such as queuing at the grocery.

My daughter's creative journey that helped her find her passion in Mandala Artwork is a gift and a miracle. I hope it is something that she will not forget and she will keep with her as she grows up, not just something she puts into her Art Portfolio for homeschooling.