Something I stumbled across recently is doing Mandala art with watercolors.
Watercolors can be intimidating to work with but you learn caution, you
learn how to fix mistakes, you learn how to shift direction and rework
something. In a sense, you’re working with the element Water in more ways
than you think to produce something beautiful in the end.

Here’s another set of Mandalas done with “trippy” colors.

If you want to try this yourself, get some watercolor supplies from an
art shop. A beginner’s set of brushes, paint and paper costs less that
$50. For paper, acid-free, cold-pressed paper works well. A paper-weight
of 140lbs is good. Some shops have Mandala stencils, but you can order them
from here and here or google about to find lots of choices. Getting some
gel-pens is helpful – you can touch up rough spots in your work. A set
of artist archival black ink pens lets you retrace and outline your work
to make it stand out better.

Once you’re set with materials, tape an 8×8 or 12×12 piece of watercolor paper
to some smooth cardboard to provide a solid backing. Tape a Mandala stencil to
the paper and trace the design with pencil. Remove the stencil and you’re ready
to paint. A link to a youtube vid on doing this is here. The teacher uses drafting
tools to draw a Mandala. Skip to the halfway point in the vid to get some coaching
on how to paint with watercolors. You can get a Mandala painted up in an afternoon
but usually need a 2nd or 3rd pass to fix mistakes and work the colors to your
liking. If the Mandala turns out well, frame it and display it. On a related note,
people do neurographic art as well and a vid link is here.

If you try these paintings, you’ll find the work to be a soothing and meditative
way to go elsewhere for awhile. And while you’re working them, listen to what they
have to say to you. If painting is not your thing, do something with music or
crafts to nourish your inner self. Here are some more paintings to enjoy.