December 1, 2023
Resources for Radial Symmetry Project
NEW: a rotating group of artists and art educators will be bringing you high quality art projects and lessons at Outside the Box Creation! December's project is Erin Meade's second project as an Artist in Residence with us: mandalas, snowflakes, and radial symmetry!
DOWNLOAD YOUR PROJECT PLANSetting the Stage
Painted 17th-century Tibetan 'Five Deity Mandala'.
Somapura Mahavihara, a 7th century buddhist monastery in Bangladesh.
The above mandala is from Canva, the graphic design app. Many mandalas you see today, like this one, are created to appreciate the artform and design based off of the spiritual practice.
In December's project, we are going to create mandalas and learn about something called radial design. Radial design, or radial balance, is symmetry in several directions at once, often creating repetitive patterns in a circular shape although radial design can be used with squares, rectangles, hexagons, stars, and more!
Mandalas represent unity and deep thinking through many different symbols bringing peace to oneself. They were produced in Tibet, India, Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, and Indonesia. Mandalas are used primarily for meditation. Monks and other spiritual practitioners build mandalas out of repeating patterns, shapes, and symbols, until a beautifully ornate and meticulously formed pattern is achieved.
Mandala makers focus on each element of the design as they make them, thus creating a meditation ritual. Completed mandalas radiate in circles of color, repetition, radial design, and symmetry. Mandalas give humans a purpose and meaning to their life, knowing that healing comes full circle.
Download this month's project plan and have fun exploring!
Resources for Further Learning:
Asia Society write up about Mandalas
Wikipedia entry on Mandalas
The Mandala Book by Lori Bailey Cunningham
Wikipedia entry on Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley
YouTube: Tibetan Monks Create Sanda Mandala at Clark College in Vancouver, WA
Supplies Needed for Insider's Club Members (or if you're a box subscriber & want to purchase additional supplies)
Strongly recommended: Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw. You can purchase it or find it at your local library, or watch our Artist in Residence's read aloud below!
Mandala Templates and Basic Mandala Shapes Template
Rope Chord like this
Clear Glue (Tacky or Elmer's) like this (they both work, but we suggest using tacky glue for better sticking power)
Compass like this one
Heavy paper/cardstock for the mandalas and glue, like this kind
Printer paper like this pack, or any scrap or construction paper you may have around. It needs to be a square or 8.5x11
Cups for glue & Cotton swabs - you can either dip the swabs in the glue to line your paper or squeeze glue directly onto the templates. Old yogurt containers, tins, jars, or paper cups work great!
Something to cover your work surface such as an old shower curtain liner, cardboard, or even old rags and paper towels.
*The above Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of them we may earn a very small commission but it does not increase your price at all, so we hope you will!
Main Project Tutorial
Below are Artist Erin's finished products for each of the templates and some inspiration for you! The colors we recommend for each template are optional, however they are designed to complement one another and add to the radial design. Feel free to choose your own colors, and no worries if the colors you have don't match exactly.
Taking It Further
Read Together
Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw gives us a great visual for radial design! Snowflakes are symmetrical all the way around, which means if you were take one and fold it in half at any point, the other side will match!
Can you see how snowflakes and mandalas share this design concept? Do you see radial design in your own mandalas?
About the Artist
Erin Meade
I am both an artist and educator in New Bedford. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Merchandising and currently enrolled in the Master of Education program at UMass Dartmouth. My love for art started in New York, working with renowned industry leaders. Created window displays for Macy’s, SAKS, and Brahmin Handbags. I have always gravitated towards creating art installations out of unconventional materials and have been doing so for the community for the last few years. I grow from creating new connections, expanding my creative expression, and exposing myself to always learning new art techniques. As an artist, I work hard to create installations that speak to the community as well as myself. Before I begin brainstorming my ideas, I think about the process, theme, and how it will speak for itself. With every finished piece, I bring the purest innovations, designs, and culture that are captured on display.
Printable 'Find the Differences' & Answer Key
Our newly designed project instructions feature an activity just for fun!
The December game is a spot the differences game found on page 11 of the printed insert.
Below is a printable version of the game for sharing and the answer key.
About the Insider’s Club
The Outside the Box Insider’s Club is a monthly digital membership that includes videos, downloadable curriculum/project plans, and tips to make it easy for parents to do art regularly with their kids! If you know someone who would enjoy this, please share the Outside the Box Insider's Club. If you have been a box subscriber for a year or more and have accumulated a large stash of art supplies, you may want to switch to the Insider's Club digital membership.
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