Curious About Dot Mandala Art? Meet Ash, the Artistic Expert!

By Ruchi Sharma

A piece of art is surely enough to lend a new perspective to any room or home! You might have brought various paintings, sculptures and more for your living room, bedroom or any place for your home. How easy it is for an art piece like a painting to bring a smile to your face when you are totally spent or feeling a bit low. What we often miss is the work that goes behind making that delicate piece! If you are someone who has an artistic streak and is onto some detailed intricate projects, we are sure you agree with us here! So, today we are going to dive deep into the beautiful stunning world of Dot Mandalas. We have with us Ash Sundaram, who will not only be sharing her own story but at the same time we will learn a few tips and tricks from her too! At the same time, we look forward to knowing more about this soothing artform- Dot Manadala.

Ash’s love for intricacy can surely be seen in her works which are totally delicate and personalised. She’s a teacher, a culinary writer and of course a thorough expert in making mind blowing artworks with dot mandala art!

So, let’s wait no more, where’s presenting an amazing conversation we had with her- SpeSHEalist Talks with Ash, an amazing lady working on making those intricate beautiful dot mandalas!!

1. Hey Ash! We would love to know more about you. Tell us something about you and Krivi creations too!

I am Ash & I have been calling Australia home for over a decade now. I am a recipe blogger (Sowpernica’s Kitchen) and a culinary writer, having written several articles for various food magazines and have authored a cookbook in Tamil. I am a volunteer special religious educator at the local public school, teaching for the last 8 years. I am a self-taught nail artist and jewellery maker. The latest addition to my journey is dot mandala art which is also self-taught.  In July 2020, I was impacted by a heel condition called plantar fasciitis and started doing dot mandalas to distract my mind from the heel pain. But soon after, I realised I had a natural eye for it. As I started making more artworks, I set up an Instagram page (@krivi.creations_dotmandala) & started adding my creations there, thus was born Krivi Creations. The page gradually gained momentum, and Krivi creations naturally progressed into a solopreneurial small business venture. That’s Ash and Krivi creations in a nutshell for you 😊

2. For our artist buffs reading this, what exactly is dot mandala and how is it different from normal Mandala Art?

Mandala in Sanskrit means circle or completion. Circles have very powerful significance in countless cultures and traditions signifying the eternal universe with no beginning & no end. Mandalas start from a central point called “The Bindu” and the design expands outwards. Dot mandalas are made predominantly with dots where a dotting tool is dipped in acrylic paint and placed on the base material whereas normal Mandala art is creating patterns using different types of pens from my understanding. Living here in Australia I have also come across aboriginal dot paintings which are very similar to dot mandalas.

3. Nowadays Mandala making is considered a form of mediation, is that correct? If yes, can you tell beginners reading here how they can go ahead with it.

Yes, that is very true. Mandalas have become a popular symbol of meditation, which aids in many ways including enhancing focus, silencing thoughts, combatting stress and anxiety, and forming a greater connection with oneself. For me, creating dot mandalas is more than just creating a piece of art. Personally, I have been on a conscious spiritual journey since 2014 and I must admit that creating mandalas has become another integral aspect of my spiritual journey, probably hence why I am not outgrowing the thrill of making them. I do my dot mandalas like a sacred ritual, in solitude with crystals and meditation/Carnatic music or chants on, along with the aromas from my essential oil diffuser, my eyes looking on those colours in the palette and my mind focusing on getting the placement of each & every dot right. I thereby create an atmosphere for myself where I am present at that moment which is akin to or no less than a meditation session, I have a lot of internal churning happening and insights come up with my dotting sessions, leaving me with a calm, relaxed and meditative state of mind.

4. Materials are generally super personal to an Artist; we all have our favourites! So, what's your favourite type of paint, tools etc.

With paints only acrylics are the go-to as far as dotting is concerned and I have tried a few different brands. I personally like the jo Sonja acrylics & deco art paints for dotting. With tools I bought these tools called “DIY Mandala Stones” from Etsy which I love, they are numbered making it easier with sizes of dots while dotting.

5. For someone who cannot find professional Mandala tools, can we try to make some homemade tools too?

Yes, most definitely! In fact, that’s the way I started. I started with just tools around the house. I remember it was school holidays in July 2020 and I did my first mandala with my son. We went to an art store and bought some acrylic colours to begin with and I was on a hunt around the house looking for all those things which I could find with a circular flat tip. These were our first mandalas respectively. The tools I used were toothpicks (we used both ends for different dot sizes), cotton ear buds, flat tip of kajal pen, flat tip of lip balm stick etc. to name a few.

6. Dot Mandala looks so beautiful when formed in these super colourful patterns! How do you decide which pattern you want to go by? Do you plan it all somewhere?

Being a self-taught artist, the initial pieces I did were with the help of some YouTube tutorials. But soon after I started taking flights on my own where when I sit for a mandala session, I pick up the colour scheme intuitively and the patterns/designs flow through my hands from the guidance within. I have personally never had to do any trials before I hit the main canvas and I strongly feel there is some divinity beyond me associated with this. So, the whole process of my mandala making is on the spot rather than a pre-planned one. I recently tried the brush swooshes (inspired by a fellow mandala artist) for a corporate client custom order for which I took some practice on canvas papers as one I was working on a large canvas, two the swooshes using the brushes are a little tricky and involves techniques.

7. For our creative people here, can you share with us some perfect tips to get those special shapes like curved ‘commas’ and even those beautiful round dots?

I am not sure if they are perfect tips, but I can share things which I have encountered and gathered with my experience of dotting.

• Practice the patterns & designs prior to hitting the main canvas to get some confidence, although I haven’t done this much, I highly recommend this especially to those beginners who want to start but are sceptical.
• Getting the geometry right is of paramount importance, I call this “the heart of a mandala” as any slight variation here can cause disruptions in the pattern/designing phase.
• Having the paint in the correct consistency is another key thing, neither too thick nor too thin is the right consistency.
• I would say no matter how small or how big the canvas is, the work can only progress at the pace of one dot/swoosh at a time. So, my pro tip would be to focus and get each dot/pattern right with patience which will result in a magnificent outcome.

8. Which one’s your favourite space to work on- canvases, bottles, or is it something totally else?

I initially worked a lot on bottles and then moved to canvas, mdf etc. I have also worked on glass, cardboards, and a variety of other surfaces. I love working on canvas and canvas panels purely for the way they receive the paint on them.

9. Artworks are something we all would want that they should become like an heirloom! Can one use varnish or similar medium over their Mandalas to preserve it in the long run?

Yes absolutely. Sealing the artwork is a very important step, it helps create a permanent protective barrier from dust, moisture, tarnish and much more. I have tried using both varnish sealants and resin to seal my artworks. Personally, I lean towards the varnish sealants as they give a nice sheen and are not as tedious in process as the resin finish.

10. Have you ever come across an Artists block? Something akin to a writer's block. How do you find your inspiration for your artworks?

Touchwood, not until now! Honestly, I guess a part of my brain only constantly thinks about mandalas and Instagram content for my page. I strongly feel that catching ideas isn’t a process where one can sit and bring them out, on the contrary only when you sit to generate ideas will you feel more blank, and the brain won’t generate any. I am sure a lot of people reading this can relate with what I have shared above. This is how I go about it; I always have a diary and pen with me around the house so whenever there is any spark, I make sure to note it down, or if I am outside then I note it on the notes app on my phone. So, the next time I sit in my workspace I work on and materialise on these idea snippets.

11. It's generally considered that for creating Mandala one needs to be artistic, is it true?

Yes, I would say so too! Any creation of art springs from the creator’s mind translating through their hands. For some being artistic can be very natural, they may be creative by nature but for some people like me, it could be latent. Throughout my childhood up until very recently, I always felt that I was not artistic/creative. However, my mandala journey has helped me in recognising the creative aspect of me which was dormant.

12. Now this one’s a curious one! You are into customised projects, so how exactly do you customise your artworks? Also, which one’s the most difficult customisation you ever did for a customer?

I get all my custom client order requests via Instagram DMs predominantly. I have a linktree on my insta page on which one of the links is a client order form where clients can give me basic details of their artwork such as size, colours, and the pattern they are after. I give them an approximate cost and if they are happy with that we catch up on an audio or video call to finalise the order. I wouldn’t say the most difficult but there have been several custom client works which have been challenging in terms of conception, geometry and execution like the ones shown in pics below. The Horse mandala was a challenging one, it was a 60 x 75 CMS canvas where I had to get the outline of the horse first and a very tricky geometry of several smaller mandala circles within it. The Perumal mandala which had 3 elements on it, they had to be equidistant, had to be in the same plane despite being 3 different structures. I also did dot mandala on a client/friend’s veena (musical instrument) . She wanted some mandala patterns on the extra resonator part and patterns with chakra (rainbow) colours on her veena’s string cover.  

13. Do you organise workshops too? We would love to know more on how we can learn this super beautiful artform. Where can we find you?

I have done a few dot mandala and jewellery making workshops locally in Sydney in conjunction with Women NGOs. I haven’t ventured with online workshops yet, but I am currently working with another Instagram page, and I will be doing a few online workshops starting late August. I shall post details about the same on my Instagram handle, and it would be worth to keep an eye on my page if anyone’s keen. As to the last part of your question I have my presence on Instagram mainly and also have a Facebook handle (facebook.com/krivi.creation/)

14. Is there a signature piece of yours?

Yes, there is! The Shiva-Shakthi (Arthanareshwar) dot mandala which was one of my earliest pieces is a signature artwork of mine, I think I am the first one to have done this concept in dot mandala. This concept is akin to the yin-yang. The Shiva represents the masculine energy where I have used blue hues and the Shakthi the feminine energy where I have used red to yellow colour scheme. I also have done this same artwork as custom client orders in different sizes.

15. Coming towards the last leg of our amazing journey, would you like to share something with our fellow women out here who are not sure if their passion can become their career.

Let me be brutally honest here, I don’t think the number of artworks I do can sustain me economically every month. Krivi Creations is a solopreneurial venture where I do all it takes from end to end by myself from procuring, drawing inspiration, customer liaising, creating the artworks, shipping etc. Art is something which can neither be worked like a 9-5 everyday job nor like a manufacturing belt, one would need the flow and the mood to create artworks. A lot of times it takes me hours across several days for artworks especially the bigger ones and if I am going to add those hours to the cost of the artwork, the final figure $$ would be unaffordable.  I cannot create a business model which generates enough revenue unless I have a good turnover of art pieces every month which is unlikely. My personal life is such that mandala & Instagram are a part of the many other things I do, so my sincere 2 cents would be to think many times before taking up art as a career and quitting one’s job. I am sharing this as I have a lot of girls message me asking if they can quit their jobs to become a mandala artist. My sharing to the fellow woman out there is to always have something of your own be it a hobby or a passion besides one’s career, family etc, which they can hold on to whenever they need, which can be their therapy to maintain sanity, which allows them to connect with their inner selves. You are still an artist if you pursue another career for financial stability!

And those were some very honest answers by Ash! You can follow her on the above mentioned Instagram ID for watching the intricate artworks she makes.