Mandala Sand Art
By Marisa Pawelko
Summary:
Tibetan sand mandalas are beautiful ritualistic works of art designed to symbolize the ephemerality of life and the world. Sandtastik’s colorful Classic Sand Sample Pack is perfect for creating sand mandalas! In Tibetan culture the mandalas are temporary and ceremoniously dismantled with the wind. Our Tibetan inspired version of the sand mandala is glued to a canvas so you can enjoy it in your home for years to come!
What’s Needed:
- Classic Sand Sample Pack
- Canvas
- Fine Tip Craft Glue
- Coffee Filter
- Compass
- Ruler
- Mechanical Pencil
- Mini Clothespins or Clips
- Paintbrush
- Precision Glue Applicator Tip (optional)
- Stencils (optional)
Gather up your supplies as shown.
With the ruler, draw and “X” in the center of the canvas. This will serve as the center point for your mandala design.
With the compass, draw concentric circles from the center point.
Next create your design. You can either freehand shapes within the sections, or use stencils to create your mandala design.
For best results, use a small glue bottle with a fine tip nozzle.
If you want to get super detailed with an intricate design, you can opt to employ a metal precision tip applicator. However, for this project, the fine tip nozzle of the glue bottle provided enough precision for the desired level of detail.
Select the colors for your design from the Sandtastik Classic Sand Sample Pack. The assortment of vibrant colors included in the pack is abundant!
Begin to trace elements of your design with the glue as shown.
Lay the piece on top of a coffee filter. And apply the sand. For this design we created a black border for our shapes.
Tap the excess sand onto the coffee filter.
Fold the coffee filter in half and use it to replace the excess sand into the bag. This technique helps to conserve the sand.
Repeat this technique to continue accenting all the shape borders with sand.
Once you’ve completed all the borders, set the piece aside to dry. Once dry, brush away any excess sand with a paintbrush.
Now you are ready to begin the color blocking process. Carefully fill the area within a shape with a thick layer of glue.
Working on top of a coffee filter, sprinkle the colored sand into the shape.
Tap the excess sand onto the coffee filter and use it to replace the sand back into the bag.
Continue this color blocking process, working one section at a time. Make sure to allow adjacent sections to dry between applications. 
Continue this proves until you’ve filled all the desired spaces with color blocking.
For the centerpiece of this mandala design we employed an ombre technique. For this technique, use mini clothespins or clips to fold the bags as shown. This gives you greater control when sprinkling the sand.
Fill a large area with glue and then apply the sand in an ombre (blended) fashion.
Continue this process until you have filled the entire area with the ombre sand. Set aside to dry and then brush away the excess sand.
- ABOUT THE ARTIST -
Meet celebrity crafter Marisa Pawelko, winner of the Craft & Hobby Association Indie Craft Contest and the host of “America’s Next Top Crafter™”. Armed with a formal education in furniture design, Marisa used her talents to design products for the gift, toy, fashion and accessories markets before turning her focus to the craft industry. In 2005, sparked with an idea to create a recycled baby memento-keeper out of one of her son’s baby food jars, she founded Modern Surrealist LLC, which quickly developed an international following. Marisa enjoys inspiring crafters on her blog with thrifty project ideas for “upcycling” ordinary objects, into extraordinary custom creations! Her work has been featured by PBS, HGTV, Illinois State Museum and in countless exhibitions and high end boutiques around the world. Modern Surrealist LLC has been providing customers around the globe with individualized and fantastical gifts, crafts and accessories since 2004. Featuring eclectic themes that celebrate your individuality with humor and heart!
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