Create a Simple Mandala in Photoshop

28/10/2019 0 By Carol

This method of creating a Mandala can only be achieved in Photoshop CC 2019. Amazingly simple, this tutorial will give you a good working knowledge of the Symmetry function in Photoshop.

Simple Mandala

To create this simple mandala, I have produced a set of 3 brushes for this tutorial, but you can make your own or download free brushes from many places around the internet if you wish.

Download Mandala Brushes

Step 1

Open a new document, 800 x 800px, 72ppi.

Select the Brush tool and you will notice the Symmetry icon (looks like a butterfly) along the top tool bar.

Click on this icon, and select Mandala from the drop down list, then change the segments to 10.

Symmetry Settings

Step 2

Create a new layer and select the ‘centre-flower’ brush from the Mandala Brushes set. Make sure the foreground colour is black, then place the brush as shown below and click once.

Centre Flower Brush Placement

As you will see, the Symmetry function will repeat the brush stroke in each section.

Central Flower

Step 3

Create a new layer.

Select the Brush tool and a hard round brush, size 6pt.

Holding down the Shift key, draw a line as shown below. You may need to try this a couple of times to get it right and getting the points matched up perfectly. Just use Ctrl+Z to undo if you are not happy with it.

Line 1

Now do exactly the same thing a little distance from the first line.

Line 2

Step 4

Create a new layer.

Now select the ‘circle-ornament’ brush, increase the size to 95px and line it up as shown below, then click once.

Circle Ornament Brush

Circle Ornament

Step 4

Create a new layer.

Select the ‘outside-ornament’ brush.

Open the brush settings window and reduce the brush size to 144px and change the angle to -18° and line it up as shown below, then click once.

Outside Ornament Brush

Create a Simple Mandala Completed

That is the Mandala complete. The Symmetry function will also help with colouring the design.

You can use the Blending Options to put a Color Overlay on the lines, then create new layers under the lines then colour inside the lines. By colouring one section, it will colour all the repeated sections.

Here is the Mandala coloured with some drop shadow effects added to some of the line layers.

Coloured Mandala