Art Supplies and Ten-Fold Rosette Mandala

I've been ask a lot about the paints and brushes I use, specially about metallic paints. 

Here they are:

The watercolor box is DANIEL SMITH 24 Half Pan Empty Watercolor Travel Box. I bought it some eight years ago. I modified it and now it holds 39 colors instead of 24. I'm not sure if it is still available, the link has disappeared from their shop...

The watercolors are from tubes that I had squeezed in to the empty half pans, most of them are Winsor and Newton Artists' Watercolors, some Daniel Smith and a couple of Holbein.

The metallic paints are in a little mints tin from Walgreens. They are Winsor and Newton Designers Gouache Gold and Silver, Daniel Smith Iridescent Antique Watercolors Gold, Silver, Copper and Bronze.

The brushes are Spotters no. 4, 2, 0 and 3/0 from Rosemary & Co.

The Process Step-By-Step

 First, I constructed the pattern using geometry then I transferred it onto watercolor paper

 

Daniel Smith Iridescent Antique Gold

 

Daniel Smith Indanthrone Blue PB60

 

Winsor and Newton Cobalt Turquoise PB36

Winsor and Newton Green Gold PY129

I hope this is helpful.

Please contact me or leave me a comment if you have any question.

The Beauty and The Beast: A Mandala Journal Tale

This is the story of my new sketchbook for my self-exploration mandala journey.

I ordered a very nice Stillman and Birn Zeta Series A4 Hardbound Sketchbook which I decided I wanted to personalized as I've done before.

This morning a drew a mandala on its cover, using my usual technique of dip pen and acrylic ink.

I was very happy with the result and I posted a photo on Facebook and Instagram

Normally, after drawing on a book cover, I apply a layer or two of Acrylic Matte Medium to protect my mandala. I was very impatient to finish so I used a hair dryer to speed up the process. It wasn't enough, it wasn't completely dry, I should have waited...

DISASTER!!!! 

When I applied the acrylic medium the white ink went all over the place.

I ruined it...

After many failed attempts to fix it, including covering it with white acrylic paint, then black acrylic paint, I started to remove all the layers with sand paper.

Slowly, my mandala started to appear like a lost buried ancient treasure.

It reminded me of the process I'm embarking on, my journey of self discovery through The Great Round of the Mandala. 

The process is the same, its excavating what is hidden in my unconscious, like removing layers I've been applying through out my life, may be to protect myself...

There will be beautiful things, not so beautiful things and ugly things. They are all part of me, they are the whole, they are MY SELF... They are the treasure...

With much love and care I cleaned it and drew the lines and dots again.

I embrace my journal as it is now, as I embrace my self, I embrace the beauty and the beast.

Womandala Bag - Mandala Pouch

Almost two years ago I embroidered this Mandala.

As many of the thing I make, it didn't have any other purpose than making me happy while working on it. I store these "purposeless" things I make and makes me happy to look at them from time to time.

Two days ago, I was reading Stage One of the Grand Round of the Mandala in the Mandala Workbook I talked about on my previous post and in an instant, I knew what to do with my embroidered mandala.

I pulled my mandala out, cut it out along with another piece of linen to use as a lining and piece them together with blanket stitch.

Then I worked out a crochet border with holes following instructions from an old book. I had never done crochet before! Took me all day to do this.

I made two twisted cords to open/close my littke pouch , added two beautiful big glass beads I had 

 and voila!

My gorgeous Womandala Bag is ready to store little treasures and secrets.

It was challenging, I learned a little crochet and also somethings about myself.

It was a very rewarding exercise and I feel very proud of myself!

Now of to my journal to write about it, as part of my 2015 self-exploration journey.