Mandala #2

Series: Mandala Makers 2020 #2

After creating the colourful mandala for week one of Rachel Evans White’s free Mandala Makers 2020 class, week two went back to basics with black and white.

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, especially considering I had absolutely no plan at all at the start. In some ways that’s the trickiest part of this whole process; I’m getting used to not having a specific end in mind when building mixed media pieces (especially the backgrounds), but it’s a different feeling when I’m doing something as precise as drawing with a fineliner.

And while I know that not all black inks are equal, it was curious to see how one of the pens I used (Staedtler pigment liner) photographs so much more grey than the other (PITT artist pen).

If I could switch my brain off a touch more and stop overthinking the process, this could be a pleasant almost meditative experience. That, I expect, is something that will come with practise.