In This Blog Post:

1. Rock Painting
2. Outside Finger Painting
3. Bubble Art
4. Paint Pouring
5. Crepe Paper Flowers
6. Flower Pressing
7. Diy Beach Anklet
8. Paint Your Shirt
9. Memory Board
10. DIY Stickers

1. Rock Painting

Supplies:

• Rock
• Paint
• Paint Brush

What to do:

Choose a rock that isn’t overly rough so painting doesn’t get difficult. Then you’ll need to rinse your rock off to remove any dirt. Let fully dry before painting. Next, cover your rock in a base coat of one color. You may want to lay some paper towels out under your rock so you don’t get paint on anything. After the base coat is dry, sketch out your painting or design with pencil. Then paint what you sketched out. Be careful around the edges as the curve of the rock can throw you off. 

For more rock painting dot ideas check out my other tutorial Dot Painting Mandalas.

2. Outside Finger Painting

Supplies:

• Finger paints
• Large paper

What to do:

Use some rocks to hold your paper down so no wind blows it away. Look around you and decide what you want to paint. Dip your fingers into the paints and spread the paint onto your paper. Try to recreate what you see using your fingers instead of paint brushes. Please be sure you are using washable finger paints so you don’t stain your skin or driveway. For an added challenge use your feet to paint with or other objects you find outside like leaves!

3. Bubble Art

Supplies:

• Bubbles
• Canvas/Paper 
•  Dye 

What to do:

Mix your bubbles with your dye. Lay out your canvas or paper. Blow the colored bubbles towards the canvas / paper. Try to get the bubbles to land on your canvas. Either let the bubbles dry or pop them then dry.

If you mix the dye with dish soap in a bowl you can gently scoop out clusters of bubbles and set them on the canvas to dry. 

4. Paint Pouring

Supplies:

• Canvas
• Pouring Paints

What to do:

This will get messy so you may want to lay out a tarp and use gloves. There are many ways to do paint pouring but I’d like to share one of the best and easiest ones. First I like to start by coating the canvas in a thin base of white to help the other paint move across the canvas smoother. While the base is still wet, fill a cup with layers of paint. Pour the paint from the cup across the canvas. Pick up the canvas and tilt it back and forth to spread the paint to the edges. Let the paint dry fully before moving it.

5. Crepe Paper Flowers

Supplies:

• Crepe paper / paper strips
• Scissors
• Hot Glue

What to do:

Lay out about a yard of your crepe paper in a long line. Cut out petal shapes into the crape paper keeping them connected along the bottom. Line the bottom edge with hot glue and roll the crepe paper to form a coil. Once hot glue has cooled gently pull and tug at the petals to shape it into a flower shape. You can leave it like this or put it on top of a pencil or stick.

6. Flower Pressing

Supplies:

• Flowers / leaves
• Book

Wax paper

What to do:

Pick flowers and leaves in the morning and use them right away for best results. Use an old book that is ok to get damaged. 

Lay your wax paper on a page of your book. Gently lay out your flowers so they do not touch each other. Lay another piece of wax paper on top of your flowers and close your book. Set something heavy on the book to press the flowers. Let them be pressed for about four weeks.

7. Diy Beach Anklet

Supplies:

• String
• Beads 
• Scissors 

What to do:

Use a length of the string to measure around your ankle. Cut the string at that length plus two inches to tie it. Take small beads and thread them onto the string. About half way through add a small charm with a different color of bead on each side. Finnish beading the rest. Once you have filled the whole string minus the two inches for tying, wrap it around your ankle and tie it loosely on your ankle. Cut the strings off at about ¼ of an inch.

8. Paint Your Shirt

Supplies:

•  Shirt
• Acrylic tole paint
• Vinegar
• Spray bottle

What to do:

For these types of crafts always make sure you are being carful not to get a mess or a stain anywhere. Lay your shirt out on a flat surface. Sketch your design onto the shirt with a pencil. Following your sketch paint your pattern with the tole paint. Before the paint dries, take your shirt outside and lay it in the sun. Then use the spray bottle to spray the design with a mixture of vinegar and water. Let fully dry in the sun.

9. Memory Board

Supplies:

•  Printed photos
• Wood board
• Mod podge

What to do:

Print out your favorite memory photos. Cut the images out so they have a small white border around them. Put a small amount of mod podge onto your wood board, then place the cut out photos onto your board. Add any other decorations you want such as ribbon or glitter. Once all the images and decorations are placed, thinly coat the 

Images with mod podge to seal them in. Let it fully dry. 

10. DIY Stickers

Supplies:

•  Tape 
• Paper
• Scissors

What to do:

Draw a design or picture on a piece of paper and cut it out. Lay wax paper over your work space. Then make an area of tape on the wax paper bigger than your drawing. Place your drawing on the area of tape and tape over the top of your drawing. Cut it out leaving a small border around your drawing. When you are ready to use it, peel the wax paper off and place the sticky side of your sticker to whatever you want.

All of these crafts are perfect for summer and they make perfect gifts! Have fun creating art and crafting! 

Share with me what you made on social media!

The post 10 Crafts to do Right Now for This Summer appeared first on ButterStyle.

Dot painting is entertaining, artistic, and beautiful. It is a fantastic technique for both amateur and experienced painters as it can be made simple or complex. The art of creating dot painted mandalas is very popular and enjoyable. They also make wonderful decorations, gifts, and can be sold.

In this tutorial I will show you how to create professional looking dot paintings with minimal practice.  And hopefully you will learn how to make the best dot painting you can, and enjoy this blog. This will give you insight to the process of dot painting.

The Supplies you need to start Dot Painting

The tools used for dot painting are quite simple and can be bought on Amazon or on my website ButterStyle. Amazon/dot.painting/mandala ButterStyle/dot.painting. In fact you can make them yourself! DIY dotting tools are not as good or long lasting but are a good way to try dot painting. 

You will also need the item you will be painting on (rock, paper, etc.) You can also use a stencil to create your pattern. The type of paint you use depends on the look you are going for and what you have on hand. I use acrylic but there are so many types you can try! 

You’ll need something to put your paint on so you can dip your tools in the paint. A paper plate is a low cost option. There are also paint pallets and mini containers for individual colors. You will also need paper towels as well to wipe your tools on.

Follow these links to make your own dotting tools: Make your own dotting tool with household materials! Handmade Dotting Tools | Dot Mandala | Nail Art Tools | DIY || ABC

How to use Dotting Tools

The art of dotting is fairly easy to grasp. All you have to do is dip your dotting tool in a small amount of paint then dot your tool where you want the dot of paint to go. You don’t have to press hard and there is no need for dragging your tool in the paint or on your mandala.

You do have to make sure you wipe off your tools on a paper towel fairly often, so the paint doesn’t dry on your tool. If paint dries on your tool it can ruin your tool and dis-shape your dots. It’s best to hold your dotting tool on a slight angle, like a pencil. 

Step 1: The Center and Surface

To start a mandala you first need to pick out what you will be painting on.

You can paint on paper, vases, wood, ornaments, rocks, or anything you can think of. If you are new to this type of painting it is best to use cardstock paper. If you are painting on rocks make sure it is free of dirt and is fairly smooth.

 Once you have decided what you will be painting on you need to find the center. Using a tape measure or ruler, find the very center of where you want your mandala to be and draw a dot in pencil where the center is.

Step 2: The Pattern

 Next is finding your pattern. A simple google search for ”dot painting stencils” can help you get an idea for what type of mandala you would like to create. Don’t be too ambitious if you are new to dot painting. 

Once you have a pattern picked out or one of your own created trace/draw it on your surface in pencil. Make sure you draw lightly so it doesn’t ruin your suffice or end result. If you don’t want to use a pattern and just free style it all you need is a center mark and possibly some circles going out from your center with lines to the center to help you keep things symmetrical. Find examples of this here.

Step 3: First Dot and Colors

Now that you have your center and pattern you need to pick out the colors you will be using. I find its best use at least 3 colors and no more than 10. Try to pick colors that compliment each other using a theme. You can find inspiration for your colors from anywhere, such as online, past artwork, clothes you like, nature, or anything you see. 

Once you have your colors take the size dotting tool you want for your first dot and place your dot. You can also start from the outside of your mandala and work your way in.

Step 4: Expanding your Mandala:

The easiest process for adding on to your mandala is to build out from your center dot with the biggest dots in your pattern then once the big dots are dry going back and adding the smaller dots. Or you can build outward from the middle not caring about the order of the sizes.

Once the dots are dry you can go back and put smaller dots on the original dots in a different color. You can also go back and add more small dots around the larger ones until it is as filled in as you want your mandala.

Step 5: Being Patient

As with all types of painting it is important to stay patient, and many dot painted mandalas can be very elaborate. 

If you are not patient you risk having a sloppy looking end result or your mandala not being exactly as you had imagined or wanted it. You do not want to put in all that effort for it to not look appealing. Make sure that if you are going close to, or on top of, what you have already painted to wait for it to fully dry.

 With dot painting, it is easy to take a break as most of the tools do not require washing or rinsing, but instead just need to be wiped off on a paper towel throughout use. All you need to do is make sure your paint won’t dry out. You can cover your pallet with cling wrap for short periods of time or use small containers that you keep your paint in instead of a pallet.

If you are having a hard time being patient you should take a break and sit back for a minute then come back to your art. You can also try eating some food or getting a snack to eat while you are painting. Another way to keep yourself calm is by listening to some music. (I find classical the best for painting but using your favorite songs is good too!)

Step 6: Finishing your Mandala

Now that you have completed your dot painting and it is fully dry, you should very gently use an eraser to erase any showing pencil lines. Do not rub the eraser against the painting too harshly as it might damage your mandala. 

This is the time to go back and fix any mistakes that you may have made. You can do this by covering up any misplaced dots with the background color, then after that fully dries placing a new dot in the correct place. Just be careful not to mess it up further.

If you are worried about the paint coming off, you can cover it in modge podge, or use a protective spray coating over your mandala. 

Don’t forget to sign it!

What to do with your finished Mandala

Yay! You made some beautiful mandala dot art! And hopefully you had fun doing it. You can now hang your mandala painting up or set it on a shelf. Dot paintings also make great gifts, especially if you are looking for a handmade gift item. Dot painted mandalas can also be sold to other art lovers. 

If your mandala did not come out exactly as you wanted and imagined, that’s ok. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get used to a new style of painting, and learning what works best for you. Give it another try, your next one will most likely turn out much better. 

And if you are pleased with how your mandala ended up, congratulations! You should still make more as it’s fun, and you get to grow your skills.

Thank you for reading!

For more tutorials from me, subscribe to my blog.To get the best art supplies, go to my website, ButterStyle

The post Dot Painting Mandalas appeared first on ButterStyle.