Alphabet Mandala

This week’s Art Journal Adventure prompt was to incorporate a mandala or something similar.  I am no good at mandalas.  I have tried them a few times but I just don’t have the patience or precision required.  I like to draw things that are wonky, asymmetrical, that involve dribble and spatter.  That’s my kind of thing.  The mathematical precision and repetition of mandala are just not me.  My workaround, therefore, was to think of something I could use that would create a repeated pattern for me.  My eyes landed on my small alphabet stamps and I had my flash of inspiration.  Stamping letters in concentric rings should have been simple enough but even that “cheat” defeated me because I did not line up the stamps with enough accuracy to create sharp rings.

I was going to keep the page black and white and let it sit like that for a while.  I worried that it was a bit too boring, however, so I spritzed the page with yellow spray ink and spattered on some orange and red watercolour.  It turns out that I much prefer the monochrome version.