Liora Hess, Artist

Beginning Mandala Class Supply List

For the classes I teach in person, I supply all the tools you need. If you want to purchase your own, this is what I recommend. Of note, some links may be affiliate links, which means it costs you nothing extra but gives me a nominal commission..

Paint Tray Palette – typically a round plastic tray with wells in it to hold little pools of paint.

Dotting Tools – For our beginner class, we use ball-tip dotting tools in the sizes of 1 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, and 3 mm. The inexpensive set I use in classes are these by Coyaho. I also recommend getting acrylic dowel rods. If you’d like an all-in-one kit that contains everything you need except for what you’ll be painting on, this is the one I started with.

My all-time favorite dotting tools set is by The Dotting Center on Etsy. They are colored in the order of the rainbow, which makes it easy to find the size you need, and include sizes 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 20 mm. Many people also like Mark’s Mandalas dotting tools set, but their width bothers me slightly, which is why I prefer The Dotting Center’s tools as I can more easily see what I am doing.

Watercolor Pencil (white) – I recommend watercolor pencils over chalk or soapstone as they wash off easily rather than needing to be erased or interfering with the acrylic paint.

Mandala Stencil Set – Happy Dotting Company makes an excellent silicone stencil that is flexible, allowing you to wrap around curved objects like a stone or mug.

Mr. Pen Compass with Pencil – This is a great item for creating your own designs without having to use a stencil. It allows you to put your watercolor pencil into the holder instead of a regular pencil.

Art Drying Rack – These are great for raising your art off the table in order to paint the edges and keep them from sticking to the surface below. If I am going to finish a piece with spray varnish, I also like to use these on the bottom of the box before spraying.

Flow Aid Additive – Flow aid additives allow you to make your paint thinner when it’s too thick. Liquitex makes a good one. Less expensive brands do exist, but I would carefully read the reviews as some additives can cause yellowing of white paint over time.

Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Craft Paint by FolkArt. I’ve tried many brands of paint, and this is the one that seems to work best for dot mandala painting. It has a natural satin finish, is weather-resistant, and can be applied to stone, glass, wood, metal, rigid plastic, canvas and terra cotta. There are many varieties of FolkArt acrylic craft paint, so please ensure you get the one that says multi-surface satin acrylic craft paint. It comes in a bottle as shown.

Other Fun Acrylic Paint for Special Effects – FolkArt makes a few other acrylic paints that I rely on, including the FolkArt Dragonfly Glaze line, FolkArt Color Shift line, and FolkArt Glitterific line (always get the fine version as big chunks of glitter don’t work well with dots!). I also like Viva Decor pens for creating big, juicy center dots, and consider the pearl (labeled as “ice white”) a must. After it dries, you can always paint it any color you want.

Gloss Varnish – Liquitex gloss varnishes are my favorite brush-on varnishes, and they come in gloss and high gloss. Either is fine (you’ll likely find the gloss easier to find than the high-gloss version), and a coat of varnish will really intensify the colors of your art. You can also finish a stone or canvas with Krylon sprays that come in numerous finishes. My favorite Krylon gloss spray is Krylon Triple-Thick Crystal Clear Glaze as it seems to take fewer coats to achieve a nice glossy finish. Krylon does make a UV spray version, but I have not tested it over a long duration outdoors. In general, it’s not a good idea to leave your acrylic creations in the sun as they will likely fade with time. As with flow aid additives, when choosing a varnish, carefully read the reviews as low-quality varnish may cause undesirable effects like yellowing of white paint over time.

Other Recommended Supplies:
– apron to protect clothing
– gloves
– pointed-tip cotton swabs
– toothpicks or popsicle sticks to stir paint and mix in flow aid
– rubbing alcohol to wipe dotting tools
– brushes of various sizers for painting large areas and adding fine details
– paper towels for under your artwork as well as to wipe tools