Ulog #20 - Learning to Draw Mandalas

I was very inspired my @eveningart tutorial on how to draw Mandalas. As I did not have a compass (shameless cop out) - I decided to try and draw one using a new drawing package that I have just bought.

I am using Affinity Designer by Serif. It is very similar to a previous product that I used a few years ago called Serif Draw Plus so I had a pretty good idea how to use it.

I did look at Canva however it made my brain hurt trying to learn a different package when I had been using another (reasonably) successfully for a number of years - even though many people do an it is very good!

The reason that I bought Affinity was to enable me to create images for my website/ blog posts and then my journal covers. I have really enjoyed the creative process and although my skills are limited at the moment the learning interests me.

My journals up to now have primarily been seaside themed lined journals. I like the look of them and they are the sort of thing that I would buy - which in my mind is a good place to start.

I have also set up a website to showcase my journals and although I have been plagued with technical issues it is now up and running. So if you would like to take a peek then feel free to head over to WindmillBayBooks.com. It is still very much 'work in progress' but it is getting there.

I wanted to explore the idea of creating slightly more adventurous books such as prompt journals, colouring and puzzle books.

I started trying to find ways of creating these interiors/ new cover designs myself... hence the Mandalas.

So here it is TA DA my first one!

It is a bit rough around the edges as it is difficult to draw straight lines freehand using a mouse. I think quite a few people use a drawing tablet and pen for more accuracy however I have to resist my desire to buy gadgets until my portfolio and income grows a bit more.

I studied some videos in detail last night to learn how to do this. I did find that some of the creators do tend to skip details which are important to follow so watching a 6 minute video actually took me over an hour to pick up all the finer points!

Any how if you are interested in learning how to do this then I am happy to share!

Until next time,

J x