In this mindful circle art exercise, we’ll calm our minds by drawing circles.
The circle is the favorite shape of our brain. While angular objects can evoke fear, the circle represents safety, unity, and protection. This explains why circles do not activate the amygdala, the fear center of the brain, as angular shapes do. We trust circles, they make us feel safe. Research shows that even babies prefer circles, which means that this preference is deeply ingrained from birth.
This is also the reason that I usually draw circles or curved shapes. It calms me down and helps me relieve stress.
In this exercise, we’ll create art by just drawing circles. We’ll fill our entire page with them; from large ones to teeny-tiny ones.
Focus on what you’re sensing when you draw; how does your pen feel on your paper, does it make a sound, see how your page slowly fills up with circles, etc. This will help you be in the present moment and forget about the rest for a while. Let your mind relax for a bit.
Have fun with this mindful circle art exercise! Please let me know if you’ve tried this one, I would love to see it.
You can find a small video of this exercise on my Instagram @thecreativecooldown
Supplies used:
Watercolor paper 300gr (Fabriano), watercolor (Kuretake Gansai Tambi), round paintbrush (Da Vinci and ZenArt), fineliner (micron), washi tape, and a paper towel.
Alternative supply suggestions:
You can also draw your circles with a regular pen or a pencil.
Use pens, crayons, colored pencils, or markers to add some color.
Instructions:
Step 1
Before you start, slowly breathe in and out a few times to clear your head and get more relaxed. Put washi tape around the edges of your paper. This will create a nice border around your painting.
We’ll start by randomly drawing some circles on your paper. Don’t think too much about it, just draw. They don’t need to be perfect circles. As long as they sort of resemble circles, you’re good to go. You can even draw ovals if you like.
Step 2
Next, we’ll add smaller circles wherever there is space available. Continue until there is only a bit of white space left around your circles.
Step 3
Now it’s time to fill up all the white space left on your paper with teeny-tiny circles. A relaxing and repetitive motion, that can get you in a nice flow. Just focus on your drawing and pay attention to how your paper is slowly filling up with circles. Take your time, there’s no need to rush.
Step 4
Lastly, you can add some color. Choose colors that calm you or make you feel good. I decided to add color to all the regular circles and leave my teeny-tiny circles blank. There is no right or wrong way to do it. You can also decide not to add any color or just add color to a few circles. Do what feels good.
Slowly remove your washi tape when you’re done. Make sure to keep the tape parallel to your paper when you remove it, this will prevent your paper from tearing.
Now you’re done with this mindful circle art exercise! Hope you had fun.
If you liked this exercise, you might like my mindful semicircle pattern exercise as well.
