You liked my first Mandala Stone Tutorial so much, that I decided to do another one. This time with a green and blue mandala pattern. I used the same paints and brushes again.
If you want more in depth information on the right colors, brushes and techniques, you can read about that in my purple mandala stone tutorial
Recommended materials:
acrylic paints (available here*) – watered down
synthetic brushes (available here*)
alternative tools: nail art brushes and dotting tools (available here*)
Use a round, flattened stone with a smooth surface. Clean the stone gently with soapy water before you start painting.
You don’t need to apply an undercoat or a layer of transparent varnish, but it can make the painting process easier.
Use a dark color to paint a big circle on your stone. It will enhance the colors of your mandala. Make sure to leave a little space to the edge of the stone, because the mandala pattern will be larger than the dark area.
Let the dark paint dry and paint a big white dot right in the middle. It’s always easiest to start mandala patterns from the center.
Frame the big dot with little white dots. They should all be the same size and evenly placed.
(If you struggle with a brush, you could use a nail art dotting tools (available here*) for small details instead.)
Use a bright yellow for the next row. The dots should be placed between the dots of the previous row.
Next choose a light green color. The dots should get slightly bigger with each row. Leave a little gap between the dots.
Use a darker green for the next row.
Choose a turquoise color next, to make a gradient from green to blue. The gaps between the dots should get slightly bigger.
Save a small amount of each shade for later. You will need it for detail work and maybe to correct mistakes.
Use a dark blue color for the last row. Paint the dots of your last row halfway across the edge of your dark undercoat.
If you have a lot of space left, just add more rows to fill in your dark undercoat.
Now to the gaps: Fill in the space between the colored dots with little white dots. If the gaps between the yellow dots are too small, just skip that row.
To enhance the gradient effect and to add some depth to the pattern, paint smaller dots ON the colored dots of each row. Always choose the shade of the previous row for that, as indicated in the picture. White on yellow, yellow on light green, light green on dark green and so on..
If the contrast between the shades is too small, add a bit of white paint to each shade.
If you like your mandala like that, you can stop at this point. I think it looks really pretty, but I can never stop myself from adding more details.
If you have enough space left, you can add a row of blue dots on the outside. Make sure to leave enough space between the dots and the pattern in the middle.
Use the light green to paint small dots on top of the blue ones.
Frame every blue/green dot with little white dots. (Use a dotting tool* instead of a brush, if that’s easier for you.)
That’s what it looks like, when all the dots are framed.
If you still want to add more, you can add little yellow details. Imagine a straight line from the center outwards. The yellow dots should be placed on that line. Start with a bigger dot followed by smaller ones.
Make a light green dot on top of the biggest yellow dot.
If you want to, you can add some more detail to the middle. I used the light green and the yellow again. – And that’s it! 🙂
Add a finishing layer of clear acrylic spray paint (available here*) if you want.
Illustration of the mandala pattern. I numbered all the steps for you.
Don’t forget:
If you do a mandala, it is not important to make it perfect or do it exactely like I showed here. It is a form of meditation. Just relax and let it happen. Create your own patterns, change the colors as you like. And most importantly: Have fun doing it! 🙂
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I think this is fabulous and a gateway for imagination to take over!
thank you!! 🙂
I made this today at work and helped one of the people I support make one as well! Thank you for the thourough tutorial it really helped me understand and be able to explain this to my client. I wish i could leave a picture, im thrilled at how it turned out
aww I’m so glad!! I would love to see a picture! You can always mail some to Barbara@colorful-crafts.com
Thank you for this tutorial. It seem quite simple. I’ll try it very soon
I find the painting colored circles on the stone so beautiful and fascinating! Thank you for sharing with us. Joyce
Thanks for such an exceptional tutorial, Barbara. You are an excellent teacher! I have played/struggled with these for a while now, not enjoying much success, but this tutorial furthers my understanding of creating mandalas on rocks. Your work is beautiful, and I’m very grateful that you shared your process!
Thank you so much for this nice comment! 🙂 I’m very glad that my tutorials are of help to you.
Me encanto el tutorial,bellisimo trabajo,relajante y entretenido!!!!Gracias!!!!
I would LOVE for you to do a few more of these step by steps…!!
Thank you! I will definitely have more of those on the blog 🙂
I paint and wanted something new and different. I love these, they are so pretty. I have the paint and dotting tool, now I must find a rock. Thank you so much for the tutorial.
Hi ! Thank you for share this tutorial. Do the stones need a special cover to protect the designe/colors? Thanks in advance.
Thank you! That just depends on what kind of paint you use and what you want to do with the stones later. Acrylic paint becomes water-resistance when dry. If you keep the stones inside the house, you usually don’t need a protective layer on them. If you want to decorate your garden with them, a thin layer of clear acrylic spray paint is reccommended. 🙂
Turns out beautiful. What type of paint do you use?
thank you! 🙂 I like to use acrylic paints thinned out with a little water. You can find some reccommendations in the article
Thanks so much for this tutorial! I love, love, love the mandala rocks!
Thank you! 🙂 I can’t get enough of them myself
Thank you. The best tutorial
Thank you for taking the time to share your tutorial. It’s so clear that I shall have a try at one of your patterns and hope I can achieve your beautiful results! Most inspiring.
Thank you! 🙂 I’m sure yours will be beautiful!
Well done for such beautiful intricate work. Really beautiful! Really enjoyed watching your excellent tutorial. A big thank you from the bottom of my heart for teaching us how to do it. Very well explained. God bless you for sharing?
Amazing tutorial and very generous of you to share. I’m about to start leading craft workshops for vulnerable adults, and your visuals make each step wonderfully clear. Thank you so much!
Your tutorials are easy to follow and I appreciate that. Great job. Thanks for taking the time to show us how to make them.
Hello. I’m just starting my trials with rock painting. I think these type of acrylic paint is a bit expensive where I live, so thanks for telling me where to buy them. But I still have a doubt: what should I use to wash the brushes? Thanks in advance.
Bellissimo grazie!!!