MINDFUL MANDALAS: BOTANICAL DOODLING FOR SELF CARE
Skill Level:
ALL LEVELS
Class Length:
1 hr 45 mins
Materials Required:
A PEN
A Pencil
A few sheets of paper
An eraser
a FEW CIRCULAR OBJECTS OF DIFFERENT SIZES OR A COMPASS
a CAMERA OR PHONE
In this beginner FRIENDLY cOURSE, WE WILL USE REAL BOTANICAL REFERENCES TO INSPIRE DOODLES WHICH WE WILL DEVELOP INTO beautiful MANDALA DRAWINGS WHILST PRACTICING MINDFUL DRAWING TECHNIQUES
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
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GATHERING INSPIRATION
We will gather inspiration from our natural surroundings - this may be from our garden, our walk to work, or even from our collection of pot plants.
I’ll walk you through how to tune into your surroundings mindfully, so that we can practice mindful observation.
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RECORDING
We will record what we observe by creating an Inspiration Image Bank of photographs, which will serve as our inspiration as we move onto the drawing part of the class.
This will be a fantastic personal resource to draw upon, both within the class and beyond.
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EXPERIMENTING
We will use our Inspiration Image Bank to inspire a range of doodles, drawings, shapes and patterns, and this will become our Botanical Doodle Library which will be the foundation from which all our Mandala drawings are developed.
This is another brilliant personal resource to continue to develop beyond the class in order to support an ongoing creative practice.
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DEVELOPING A SERIES OF MANDALA DRAWINGS
We will explore 3 different Mandala styles, each one with a different compositional structure.
I’ll explain how to approach each style, and give lots of examples and ways we can apply our botanical doodles, as well as suggesting a mindful drawing technique for each to try out as we draw.
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GUIDED DRAWING VIDEOS
For each Mandala style, there are separate draw-along style videos, so that if you would prefer a little more guidance to create your Mandala drawings, you can draw along with me.
I’ll be sharing tons of tips and tricks along the way, so these videos can be a great way of learning by doing.
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Next Steps
I’ll give you some ideas for how you could continue to develop the practice beyond the class, so that you can incorporate what you have learnt into an ongoing creative practice.
Whether it’s honing in on a specific part of the process, or taking it in a new direction, there are a huge variety of ways you can develop the skills you have gained.
WHO THE COURSE IS FOR
This class is suitable for all levels - you do not need any prior experience with drawing, mindfulness, or mindful art-making. I will cover everything you need to know!
This class is perfect if you:
Would like to start a simple drawing practice as a tool for self care.
Are struggling with feeling creatively blocked or burnt out and would like some simple, easy guidance to start working through it creatively.
Would like some ideas for how to incorporate mindfulness techniques into your drawing.
Enjoy botanical drawing and would love some fresh new ideas for how to develop your drawings.
WHAT you will TAKE AWAY
By the end of the course, you will have:
A series of 3 experimental botanical Mandala drawings.
A toolkit of mindful drawing techniques.
A framework to continue the practice beyond the class (and ideas for how to adapt it going forward).
supporting resources
Provided along with the class is the Class Resource PDF which contains:
A summary of the 3 Mandala compositional styles and their suggested mindful drawing techniques
A selection of photographs from my own Inspiration Image Bank
A Botanical Doodle Library worksheet
A scan of my own Botanical Doodle Library for your reference
Circle templates
Mandala Composition Practice Circles worksheet to help you plan your drawings
ENROLLMENT OPTIONS
enroll through
skillshare
£150 per year
(subscription price varies by region)
With a Skillshare membership, you’ll get access to all my online courses, plus thousands of others!
Enroll with my link to enjoy one month free for new subscribers
ONE-TIME
PURCHASE
£20
(Local sales tax may be added at checkout)
No subscription fees
Watch it whenever you like
Lifetime access
MEET YOUR TEACHER
HI THERE! I’M MEL
I’m an artist and educator, and my mission is to support and empower others to explore their creativity.
In recent years, my personal Art practice has led me to explore the connection between art making and self-care, and specifically, how the act of creating art lends itself to supporting a mindfulness practice.
I have shared the processes and techniques which I have found particularly effective through teaching them to others, both online and in person, and have been overwhelmed with positive feedback at the impact they have had on my students’ lives.
I’d love to share these techniques with you too!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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No, the class is designed for all levels, from complete beginner.
It is useful if you are reasonably happy with very basic sketching techniques - for example drawing simple shapes like circles, ovals, and straight and curved lines in order to feel happy planning your designs.
There are detailed draw-along videos where you can draw along with me if you would feel more comfy creating your first Mandalas this way - and as usual I’ve packed all the videos with loads of tips and techniques so you’ll be picking up a lot of knowledge whilst drawing :)
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All my courses consist of pre recorded video lessons. There are also downloadable resources such as worksheets, reference photos, templates, guides and other materials which will help support your learning.
All my courses are structured around a class project, which is a practical way of applying the skills taught in the course, and also means that you will have created something by the end of the course, as well as learning lots of new skills - I think this is the best way of learning!
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The course content is exactly the same, whichever enrolment option you choose.
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This depends on your enrollment method. If you enroll via Skillshare, you will have access for as long as you have an active subscription. If you make a one-time purchase, you will have access for as long as the course exists on the internet.
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Yes you can - when you select the one-time purchase, there is an option at checkout to buy the course as a gift. All you need to do is enter the recipient’s email address and there is an option to add a gift message if you’d like to. The course will be sent directly to them with a link to access it, along with your message if you added one.
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Gumroad is an e-commerce platform which allows creators to sell digital products directly to their audience. It is a popular platform for finding all sorts of products, like digital brushes, e-books and courses.
When you make a one-time purchase of one of my online courses, you will be doing this through Gumroad. You can either create a log-in there, which will allow you to view all your Gumroad purchases in your library, or you can access the course by using the link which will be emailed to you after you have completed your purchase. There is also a Gumroad app, if you like to watch courses on your smart phone or tablet device.
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No problem! I’m always happy to answer questions - please reach out using the contact form here