To put it simply, this project rocks! Our Mandala Stone Dot Painting DIY is so calming and meditative, you just might find your “center!” While these beautiful stones appear incredibly intricate, our step-by-step tutorial makes it accessible for even a beginner. Using the cool technique of dot painting, your colorful geometric pattern will come to life on the most unique canvas! This project is perfect for individuals ages 8 -Adult!

Materials

Rounded, flattened stone (found at your favorite beach,purchase at a craft store or online)
Pencil
Various acrylic paints and palette
Flat paint brush
Dotting tools (can be purchased online) or cotton swabs
Print out our free mandala template or use: a piece of copy paper, a ruler, or anything with a straight edge Chalk

Download Free Mandala Template

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How to Mandala Paint on Stones

STEP 1: You’ll need your stone, paintbrush, and a dark-colored acrylic paint of your choice. Black will make your design shine the brightest, but a dark blue or purple will also work! Paint a large circle in the center of your stone. This will create the base of your design.

STEP 2 (OPTIONAL): If you are using cotton swabs, you will need to prepare your tools for dotting! Grab a minimum of 3 cotton swabs, along with a pencil with a dull tip.
For your largest dot size, leave one cotton swab as is. Coat with a thin layer of white acrylic paint. Just use your finger to spread it on!
For your medium dot size, pull about half the cotton off one of the swabs. Coat with a thin layer of white acrylic paint.
For your medium/small dot, pull all the cotton off one of the swabs.
Use your dulled pencil for those extra fine details!

STEP 3: Use a large dotting tool or a cotton swab to create a large white dot in the center of your rock. If you are using a cotton swab, you may need to roll it around a bit to get a slightly larger dot! This will be the center of your mandala. Let it dry.

PRO TIP! It’s a good idea to pick your color palette and get it ready before you start dotting! While you are waiting for your first layers to dry, mix up some colors. We decided to go with a warm, sunset-themed palette with some gold accents, but you can let your imagination run wild!

STEP 4: With your pencil, create a dot in the center of your white circle. Take your straight edge (template, ruler, or copy paper,), line it up with the dot, and draw a line across the surface of your rock. Turn your rock and draw another line through the dot, dividing your rock into four equal sections. These lines will serve as guides as you create your mandala!

STEP 4 (Optional): Take your printable mandala template and turn it over. Cover the back in white chalk. Then, place your template on top of your rock, with the center of the template at the center of your white dot. Trace over the lines of the template with a pencil to create a transfer.

STEP 5: Start your first row by creating four dots around the center dot with your small dotting tool/cotton swab. These should be centered on the guidelines you created in the last step! Then, fill in the space in between these first four dots with more dots of the same size. This completes your first row!

STEP 6: Continue onto your next row of dots. Place each new dot halfway between the two dots beneath it in the previous layer.

STEP 7: Continue working outwards from the center, changing colors and increasing in size as you move outwards. If you are using cotton swabs, you may want to roll the tip of the cotton swab around to create larger dots. You can also use the eraser on your pencil.

STEP 8: Once you have filled the surface of your stone with dots, start going back over your work and adding more details. This is the fun part! Add smaller dots in empty spaces, add layers on top of your previous dots, go crazy! Add until your masterpiece is complete.

Free Mandala Template

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If you prefer guided instruction, we offer a Virtual Mandala Painting Party  Have a blast painting with our engaging Art Instructors and other crafters!

We also host Virtual Mandala Painting Workshops for adults. Awesome for team building and staff appreciation!