How to Make a Mandala in DesignScape

Let's learn how to make a beautiful mandala in DesignScape with this in-depth tutorial! We'll go over how to make a template to help us create the mandala, create an action that’ll save us some time, and then put the tools to use together. You can do so much with a mandala design. Create a mandala coloring sheet, use it as a part of another design, add it to your decor, etc.

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Before we start, create a new project in DesignScape with settings based on your use for the mandala.

Step 1 - Make and Edit Template

The template will help us rotate the mandala design correctly when duplicating the sections. The size of the mandala will depend on how big your template is.

Draw a Straight Vertical Line

Select the Line tool (U).

Change the following settings in the top toolbar to the following:

• Fill: None
• Stroke: Pick a solid color
• Stroke: 1px
• Width: 1px

Hold Shift and draw a straight vertical line near the center of the canvas. We renamed our line layer to Line 1 by double-clicking the layer name. This is a personal choice so if you can leave it as is.

Decide How Many Sections for the Mandala

Decide how many repeated sections you would like for your mandala design. You can use the chart we created below as reference for creating the template and the action. We decided to make a mandala with eight sections.

Duplicate the Line and Rotate

Copy (Ctrl/Cmd + C) and Paste (Ctrl/Cmd + V) the new line. With the new copy of the line selected, go to Edit > Transform > Rotate.

Look at the chart provided above and see the Rotation Angle for the corresponding number of sections you decided on. Enter that number into the rotation angle input box in the top toolbar. Click the checkmark icon to the right to accept the changes. Our Rotation Angle is 45.

Repeat Previous Step and Unlock Background Layer

Repeat the previous step, until you have duplicated and rotated the required number of sections. Remember, you will copy and paste the newest line. Then each time, you will enter the same rotation angle.

Once you have created all the lines, click the padlock icon on Background layer to unlock that layer.

Align Layers with Background then Merge Layers

With the Move Tool (V), select all the layers in the Layers panel. Click the Center Horizontally and Center Vertically buttons in the top toolbar.

Now select all the line layers, right-click, and choose Merge Layers.

Select Background layer and click the padlock icon to lock it.

Rename Merged Layer to "Template"

Double-click on the merged layer’s name and change it to "Template."

Create and Edit Template Layer Copy

Copy (Ctrl/Cmd + C) and Paste (Ctrl/Cmd + V) Template layer and rename the duplicate to "Design Template". Click + drag Design Template layer below the Template Layer. Now lock Design Template layer.

The Design Template layer will only be used for creating the design in a single section. This will help us to know where to add paths/shapes.

Edit Template Layer Stroke and Fill

Select the Template layer, then the Path Select tool (A) on the left side toolbar.

Change the Stroke and Fill to None in the top toolbar.

Step 2 - Create Action

Next, we will create an action that you can repeatedly use to add more pieces to your current mandala or create other mandalas.

Create a New Layer

Click the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel. This layer should be called Layer 1. Select the Pen Tool (P). Pick a color for the Stroke. Now make a line inside the top center-right template section to see what’s happening while creating the action. We will delete this layer later on.

Set Up Actions Panel and Start Recording

Next, go to Window > Actions to open the Actions panel. Click the New Action Set icon and then the New Action icon at the bottom of the Actions panel. Now click the circle Record icon to start recording commands.

Select and Duplicate Layer 1

Select Layer 1, right-click, and choose Duplicate Layer.

You should see Select Layer “Layer 1” and Duplicate Layer commands listed in the Actions panel under Action 0.

Select Template Layer

The new duplicate layer (Layer 1 copy) should still be selected. Hold down the Control/Command key and click on Template in the Layers panel. Select Layer “Template” should pop up in the Actions panel.

Flip Selected Layers

Now, go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontally.

You should now see Free Transform added to the list of commands.

Select and Duplicate Layers

Next, click on Layer 1 copy. Hold down Shift, then click on Layer 1. Right-click and choose Duplicate Layer.

Without deselecting, hold Control/Command and click on Template. At this point, the commands for selecting the two layers, duplicating the layers, and selecting Template layer should all be in the list of commands.

Rotate Selected Layers

Now go to Edit > Free Transform. For the rotation angle input box in the top toolbar, enter the number in the column Action Run 1 (from the chart). This corresponds to the number of sections your mandala has. We entered 90, as shown in the following image. This command will appear as "Free Transform" in the list.

Repeat the Previous Two Steps

Repeat the last two steps, Select and Duplicate Layers and Rotate Selected Layers. Each time you apply the action, make sure you use the number from the correct column (in the chart). This matches the number of times you’ll be applying the action. For example, the second time you apply the action, use the number in column “Action Apply 2”. The third time you apply the action, use the number in column “Action Apply 3”, and so on.

Continue repeating until all the sections are filled in. See the following image for what our list of layers and commands look like after we’ve finished filling in the sections.

Select Layers One by One and Merge

Now we will select all the "Layer 1" layers one by one. First, click on the topmost layer. Then hold down Shift and click on the rest of the "Layer 1" layers.

Next, right-click and choose Merge Layers.

You should see the commands for selecting each layer and merging the layers in the Actions panel. Click the square Record button to stop recording commands.

Save/Download Action

Click the Save button in the Actions panel to download the Action. This is the only way to save your action for future mandala projects. Saving the project as a PSD will not save the action.

For more information on loading actions, we have a tutorial on loading and using PSD actions. The tutorial also works with actions saved in DesignScape.

Step 3 - Delete Current Layer 1

After you have created the action, select Layer 1 and press Delete.

Step 4 - Prepare Template and Background Layers

Center Template to Canvas/Background Layer

Each time you want to apply the action, you must first realign the Template layer to the center of the canvas/Background layer.

Select the Move Tool (V) and unlock Background layer. Click on Template, and holding Control/Command, click on Background. Click Center Horizontally and Center Vertically in the top toolbar.

Lock Background Layer

Select Background layer, then click the padlock icon to lock Background layer again.

Lock Template Layer if Needed

Lock Template layer when creating the mandala design or adding to the mandala design. Leave the Template layer unlocked if you will be applying the action right away.

Step 5 - Create One Section of the Mandala Design

Keep Design Inside Overall Template Shape

Your design objects can cross over into the other sections, but you must keep the design objects inside the invisible template outline. For a better understanding, see the following image. Keep design objects inside the blue dotted line.

Create Design Using Pen Tool or Shape Tools

You can create your mandala design in the top center-right section using the Pen Tool (P) or shape tools. When using the Pen or shape tools, a new "Shape #" layer will automatically be created by default, which we will rename later on.

Create Design Using Brush Tool or Pencil Tool

To use the Brush Tool or Pencil Tool, you must first add a new layer. Click the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers Panel, then select the Brush Tool (B). Draw inside the top center-right section.

Rename Layers if Needed

Before applying the action, there must be a “Layer 1,” and the other layers must not have the same name as any of the layers in the action. The layer that the action is being applied to has to have the same name as the first layer in the action in order for the action to work. Rename layers if needed.

For example, we added a shape using the Custom Shape tool in the following image. This created a layer called Shape 1. Shape 1 will need to be renamed t to Layer 1 before we apply the action.

Step 6 - Apply Action Then Rename Layer 1

Unlock Template Layer if Needed

Before applying the action, click the padlock icon on the Template layer to unlock the layer if it is locked.

Click Apply/Play Button to Apply Action

As long as you have a Layer 1 layer, you can simply press the Apply/play button to apply the action.

Rename Layer 1

After applying the action, double-click on Layer 1 in the Layers panel and change the layer name.

Step 7 - Add to Mandala Design or Redo Single Section Design

Add More Elements to the Mandala Design

Repeat Steps 4, 5, and 6 when adding more design elements. Skip Step 5 if you already have more design layers created and simply want to apply the action.

In the following image, we applied the action multiple times and renamed the layers.

Redo Mandala Design

If you’re unhappy with the design after applying the action, you can get back to the single section design on Layer 1. To do this press Control/Command + Z to undo each command applied by the action.

Then, edit the original design using the Move Tool (V), Path Select tool (A), or Direct Select tool (A). Then repeat Step 4 and Step 6 to apply the action again.

You could also simply delete the layer and start fresh with a new Layer 1.

Step 8 - Edit Final Mandala Look

Once you're happy with the basic mandala design, change the Fill and Stroke of paths/shapes using the Path Select tool (A) to modify how the final mandala looks.

Here is our finished mandala that we created following the steps in this tutorial!

You have now finished learning how to create your own mandala in DesignScape. If you find it too difficult to make a mandala in DesignScape, we have some free mandalas you can download from Design Bundles.