"The Redemption Mandala"

"The Redemption Mandala"

This double mandala is based on the sacred geometry motif, the Vesica Piscis, created by two interlocking circles. It contains many symbols representing the redemption and salvation found in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have included a graphic with details of these symbols, and further information can be found on my blog (URL in bottom right-hand corner of the chart).

Ruler
Compass
Protractor
Initially with a standard HB mechanical pencil, then with a Staedtler Mars 2H graphite pencil sharpened to a fine point.
Staedtler Pigment Liner fineliners of various thicknesses for the ink work.
Kneaded eraser and standard art eraser.
Neenah 8 1/2 x 11 inch Bristol Vellum 147 gsm drawing paper.

To draw the Vesica Piscis, I drew one circle with the compass, and then a second one, putting the point of the compass on the circumference of the first circle. This results in two overlapping circles with the Vesica Piscis shape in between. I decided to keep the concentric circle guide lines to a minimum as I wanted the drawing to grow organically without too many restrictions at the beginning. The circles were divided into 16 sections, each of 22.5 degrees.

The pencil drawing was done first with a standard HB mechanical pencil which produced quite a lot of smudging so I used a kneaded eraser to clean it up before going over it again with a Staedtler Mars 2H graphite pencil sharpened to a fine point. With hindsight I think I would have done better to omit a lot of the detail at this stage, and either add this direct with the pens, or add further detail pencil work at each stage of the ink work.

I took my time with this and added some hatching lines but not too much in the way of shading. There were a few amendments to the pencil drawing.

Most of the shading is in the form of stippling. This is a method I love using; you can get subtle gradations of shading with it and it’s very easy to control. I also added some hatching lines, and filled in other areas with solid black. This gives depth and contrast. I tweaked the design here and there until I was satisfied with it, and considered it a finished drawing.

This mandala's theme is the redemption we have in Jesus Christ when we put our faith in Him. The drawing has many symbols representing different aspects of this. I have made this chart which gives details of them, and for more details, you can visit my blog: https://shoshiplatypus.com/the-redemption-mandala/