Dot Mandala Painting Masterclass

Dot Mandala Painting Masterclass

In this workshop you will learn:

- Australian Aboriginal origins of dot painting

- Buddhist tradition origins of mandala art

- Dot mandala painting as a spiritual practice

- All of the technical tools and techniques to help you create your own, meditative masterpiece!

We will first begin this painting workshop by setting the space, honoring the indigenous peoples who first developing dot painting techniques: the Australian aboriginal tribes and the Buddhist traditions that first created mandala art. From there, we will discuss how to paint a dot mandala by making it into a spiritual practice.

 When I paint for others, for example, I chant mantras or listen to music that matches the energy I want to put into the piece. We’ll review all of the tools, get set up, and then vibe for about 60 minutes as we breathe, dot, meditate, and pray together through this ancient method of art. We will allow 20 minutes for clean-up and sharing!

Supplies:

A very reasonably-priced kit is available through Amazon. (I wish this was available when I had gotten started!) 

>>> BUY THE WHOLE MANDALA KIT HERE <<<

+ buy the acrylic paint HERE >> (https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Barrel-Essentials-Paint-Set/dp/B0829R16YG/ref=sr_1_8?crid=1OZ01550YYC8W&dchild=1&keywords=acrylic+paint+set&qid=1626022791&refinements=p_36%3A-1000&rnid=2638325011&s=arts-crafts&sprefix=acr%2Ctools%2C228&sr=1-8).

If you have some of the supplies in the kit and just want to buy certain parts, these are the required supplies for this masterclass:

- Dotting tools of varying sizes: these do not have to be “official” dotting tools: I have used pen caps, paintbrush handle tips, teeny tiny brushes, etc. Get creative! If you aren’t purchasing the kit (linked below) this is a good little set: https://www.amazon.com/Styluses-Painting-Modeling-Embossing-ABenkle/dp/B07QFRD6SQ/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=dotting+tools&qid=1626022826&s=arts-crafts&sr=1-10.

- Paints: I recommend acrylic craft paint (like this little set: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Barrel-Essentials-Paint-Set/dp/B0829R16YG/ref=sr_1_8crid=1OZ01550YYC8W&dchild=1&keywords=acrylic+paint+set&qid=1626022791&refinements=p_36%3A-1000&rnid=2638325011&s=arts-crafts&sprefix=acr%2Ctools%2C228&sr=1-8) , so the kinds found in the crafting aisle, not the fine art aisle of your craft store. Do not buy “high flow” or “pouring acrylics”; they are too watery for our purposes in dotting. If you own a lot of acrylics already, you can purchase an extender or flow medium, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002646NLS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

- A surface for dotting: this kit includes circular card stock but I usually use small wooden discs (about 6” in diameter) or river stones (at least 3 inches wide), which are both available at most craft stores. You can dot on any surface that would normally allow acrylic paint (wooden boxes, your phone case, etc.). I would just avoid anything that will hold food or drink as I don’t know how it will do in those situations and I can’t handle poisoning a sister.

- Clean-Up: Standard paper towels and (high recommended) baby wipes can help your workspace stay clean and easily clean up afterward.

About the Presenter:

Molly (Rudra Priya) is a 200-Hour registered yoga teacher (RYT) certified in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She has always loved creating art, especially for spiritual and expressive purposes—not for the product, but for the insights provided by the process! 

Her art is displayed on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollysmandalasandmore/. 

She teaches weekly Kali Natha Yoga and Chair Yoga classes and offers workshops on the lunar cycle as well as the basics of yoga (a non-snooty, low-anxiety introduction to yoga). 

You can visit her Moxie profile here: https://moxie.xyz/mindfulmolly2020. She's an Associate Professor of writing with the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She is currently studying Marriage and Family Therapy with an interest in the psychology of stress, burnout prevention, and serving our helpers & healers