Mandala drawing template
Concentric rings and radial spokes as a construction guide for mandalas, rose windows and radially symmetric designs.
Opens with these settings already loaded. Change anything you like, then download as PDF, PNG or SVG.
Symmetry comes from the guides, not from skill
Freehand mandalas drift — the eye is poor at judging equal angles across a circle, and a small error at the centre becomes a large one at the rim. With rings and spokes underneath, each repeat lands on the same guide and the symmetry is automatic. This is exactly how the traditional forms were constructed.
Choosing the number of divisions
The spoke interval sets your repeat count and it changes the character of the design entirely. Twelve divisions (30°) gives a calm, clock-like structure. Twenty-four (15°) supports more intricate work. Eight (45°) reads bold and geometric. Prime numbers of divisions look restless, which is occasionally what you want.
Working outward
The usual method is to build ring by ring from the centre out, completing each band all the way round before moving to the next. Working outward from a finished centre keeps the proportions right; jumping between rings tends to produce a crowded middle and a sparse edge.
Printing it accurately
This only measures correctly if your printer doesn't rescale the page. In the print dialog set Scale: 100% — not "Fit to page" or "Shrink oversized pages". If you're not sure it worked, print the calibration page, measure the ruler on it with a real ruler, and it will tell you exactly what your printer is doing to the page.