Collaborative Art Project: Dot Mandalas

If you’re looking for ways to get your art students to work together, then I have an art project that not only does that, but also provides you with the opportunity to teach your students about concentration through a mindfulness painting practice. Keep reading to find out how to use this collaborative art project in your art class!

Mindful Painting

This may be a new term for you, let alone a new practice to incorporate into your classroom in general. However, once you understand what it is, you’ll most likely want to make sure you have a project that uses this technique more often than not.

In a nutshell, mindfulness painting involves painting intuitively. It goes without giving much thought and allows a student’s creative juices to naturally flow. For this particular art project, the students were challenged to create a dot mandala piece of art that would later be combined with other student’s work.

A Dot Mandala Collaborative Art Project

This project was inspired by Amy Diener, a New York based artist (living in Thailand) who specializes in vibrant dot paintings inspired by colors and patterns from her travel encounters. Her mandala paintings are made by using articulate dots with some magically dripping on the edge. 

I used this technique with my fourth grade students, using a variety of dotting tools. To use this art project with your students you’ll need:

• A ¼ sheet of paper

• Dotting tools

• Tempera paints

Start the project by introducing the artist to whom this technique is well known for. Find a few of Amy’s travel adventures and show your student’s where she’s been. Then, talk about her style of mandala painting. Teach them about the word mandala, what it means, and how they’ll be depicting it in their very own dot mandala painting.

Provide each student with the supplies and invite them to tap into mindfulness painting by allowing their creativity to flow. Add to the ambiance by playing relaxing, instrumental music as they paint.

Once students are finished and their pictures are complete, combine them into a full one-page display. It will become a unique collaborative piece of art. These would be super cute displayed around your art room or in the hallway of your classroom!

Note Your Student’s Experience

I took note of what my students were saying while they were doing this project. They could be found saying things like:

“I could do this all day!”

“I wonder how long this would take to dry if I layered multiple colors?”

“I had no idea you could paint with a pencil.”

“I like how you can make the paint go into layers!”

The thoughts of your students can give you a wealth of information about the kind of art they like, how they enjoyed a project (or not), and what you could focus on in the future. You can also learn a great deal about your own teaching style and quite possibly about trying new things.

Projects like these are always a learning process for both the students and the teacher but it is always worth trying. Take notes throughout the project and reflect on them later. Always ask your students how they feel about a project, what they like or dislike, and get an idea of other techniques they’d like to learn about.

I’m excited to know if you’ll be trying this project with your art class! Let me know if and when you do!