Mandalas

Thursday, January 30th

Today I would like to talk a little bit about mandalas.  I've been teaching a Photoshop Elements for Quilters class for the last three years and the last couple of lessons have been on coloring mandalas in creative ways.  Mandalas have become so popular lately with the craze in adult coloring books, and there is no lack of mandala coloring books out there.  I have created a few mandalas on my computer using an assortment of design programs that I will get into in more detail in future blog posts. 

I gave these mandalas to my students with instructions on different ways they can 'color' them in Photoshop.  If you enjoy coloring mandalas on paper with colored pencils, I think it is even more fun using your computer.  The possibilities are limitless and you never have to worry if you don't like what you have done because you can always change it.  I guess that is the advantage and disadvantage of using a computer.  When you are coloring by hand, you pick a color and just go with it.  When you are using your computer, it is hard to decide when you are done because you can keep changing your mind.  There are endless possibilities, and sometimes you have to just pick something you like and 'go with it'.

In Photoshop you can color in a line drawing of a mandala by simply 'filling' a space with the Paint Bucket Tool.  It colors in almost instantly.  What makes using Photoshop even more fun is that you can color in spaces with patterns or fill them with gradients of transitioning colors.  By using Adjustment Layers with masking, you can change how your colors appear without really changing your original coloring.  You can make endless 'non destructive' changes this way to see many different possibilities and decide which one you like best, (if that is even possible).

So if you like coloring mandalas by hand, try scanning in one of your coloring book pages and color it in Photoshop.  I guarantee you will experience hours of creative enjoyment.  You can then print out your colored mandala on paper to frame or print it to fabric and applique it on a quilt block.  The possibilities are endless so have lots of fun with mandalas.