Hand-drawn Mandala Bookmarks–Bronwyn the Brave Designs–Bronwyn’s Handmade ChristmasWith the start of school, I’ve been inspired by all the fun school supplies out there. For this month’s Handmade Christmas idea, I channeled my inner schoolgirl and drew you a picture!
Adult coloring books and zentangling have been popular for a few years now, so I’m sure you’re familiar with them. It’s relaxing just to draw or color for a few hours. The problem is that typical coloring book pages remain hidden inside their books and no one gets to see them. I’ve come up with a way to share my pretty drawings and create extremely inexpensive but useful gifts.
My favorite way to showcase my drawings is to slice them up and turn them into bookmarks. I’ve also turned a couple into tags for my son’s school bags. And if you make a mandala that you really love, why not frame it and hang it in your home?
I made a bunch of bookmarks a few years ago for my son to give his classmates. (I’ve had parents tell me that their kids still use them three years later.) I had a few left over to give as my own gifts. My only mistake was that I forgot to make copies!
But not this time, my friends! I scanned my original black and white drawing for you to color yourself. I’m not claiming to be a great artist, and this is very obviously hand-drawn, but isn’t that the point? I’ve also included a few tips to get you started on your own mandala drawing.
Use my drawing
Download my black and white mandala. Print the picture onto white cardstock and air dry completely. Place a few pieces of scrap paper underneath to protect your work surface from marker bleed-through. Color the mandala with markers (or your favorite coloring tools). Be careful with yellow and other light colors since inkjet ink may muddy the colors. I used these Arteza watercolor brush-tip markers for my sample. And I used fine-tip Sharpies like these the last time. One thing to be aware of when using markers is that your strokes will be apparent; just be neat and mindful of the direction of your coloring. The paper may curl a little from the moisture of the ink, so placing it under a stack of books might help. Skip ahead to Gifting below.
Or draw your own mandala!
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can draw your own mandala. You’ll want a compass, a pencil, a ruler, some white cardstock, a big eraser, markers for drawing and coloring, and some scrap paper to protect your work surface from bleed-through.
Find the center of the paper and place the point of the compass on it. If you’re feeling intimidated by the giant piece of paper, cut the paper in half and draw a smaller version. Use your compass to lightly draw concentric circles around this midpoint. Varying the distance between circles will add interest to your mandala. Next, divide your circles into equal wedges. I used 16 for mine, but you can use any number. If you can’t remember how to divide a circle using a compass and ruler, this video will jog your memory. If you feel more comfortable with a protractor, have at it. Or eyeball it. Just be sure to draw your lines lightly since you’ll want to erase them later on.
Now comes your chance for some creativity. Use an ultra-fine-tip black Sharpie to draw symmetrical designs in each ring. If you’re nervous, you can draw with a pencil first and trace over it, but I always just go for it with a Sharpie right away. Use the circles as a guide for the height of your embellishments. Use the straight lines to help with symmetry. Once the page is full, let the marker dry for a while. Then, erase all pencil your lines. If you think you’ll ever want to use this black and white version again, I encourage you to scan it so you can skip to the coloring next time. Color the mandala using the tips I gave above. (If you plan to make these heaps of these, you can even scan the colored version and slice up the copies. In my experience, though, the color is not as vivid in the scanned version. The bookmarks in my photos used scans that were printed. Playing with your printer settings and editing the image may produce better results.) Continue on to Gifting below.
Gifting
This wouldn’t be a Handmade Christmas post if I didn’t show you what to do with these cool mandalas, now, would it? My favorite things to make are bookmarks. Even with the rise of e-books, most of the people I know still read physical books fairly often. I’ve also turned a smaller bookmark into tags for my son’s backpack and drumstick bag. These can be laminated to make them more durable.
Using a paper trimmer or scissors, cut the mandala into rectangles. I’ve found that one letter-sized piece of paper yields 8 good bookmarks. Trim coordinating solid colored cardstock a bit wider on all sides. Mount mandala paper with glue stick to colored cardstock, leaving an even border all around. Allow to dry. Laminate if desired. You can also punch a hole and add a tassel to emphasize its purpose as a bookmark.
These would make fantastic gift tags, too. Wouldn’t it be fun to attach one to another handmade gift? 
I’ve love to see your mandalas! Please share them with me on Instagram or by email. Tag me @bronwyndp and use the hashtag #bronwynthebrave to be sure that I see them.
I’m always on the lookout for more ideas for Bronwyn’s Handmade Christmas. If you come across a cool idea, I’d love to hear about it! Check back on October 25th for another gift idea.
P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for a new knitting pattern next month. Cupid in the Underworld is my new shawl design that uses a gradient mini-skein set. Watch my Instagram feed for more photos. And be sure to sign up for my newsletter. I offer special discounts to my subscribers.[maxbutton id=”4″ text=”Sign me up!” window=”new” ]
