Deborah Howland-Murray   Self-Images 
PORTRAITS OF 2-LEGGEDS and 4-LEGGEDS

Materials you will need: Square piece of paper, compass, ruler, pencil, markers, crayons, craypas, or colored pencils.

Mandala means “circle” in Sanskrit, though mandalas can be found in almost every religion and culture. Often the circle is contained within a square and divided into equal quadrants. The quadrants can represent many things, either universal or personal. For instance, there are 4 directions, 4 seasons, 4 phases of life from birth to death, four elements. Or they might represent significant events in the artists’ life, or important values, places or people. Ultimately, the meaning of the mandala is up to the artist’s choices as a means of self-expression.

You may use any color paper. To begin, locate the center point and divide your paper into four equal squares. With the compass, draw a circle with a diameter 1” smaller than the size of your square, leaving about ½” to the edge of the paper on all 4 sides. Your mandala can be a design, or representational drawings, symbols or words. You can leave the lines showing between quadrants and outline your circle or not. When you’re finished, it’s fun to share the meaning behind your mandala.