Centred

Smudge quickly prepared a new canvas and tapped the middle with great drama. Tap, tap, tap.

“This is where every mandala is born—in the very centre. Without it, your design is like a jungle with no river… or a pancake with no syrup. Absolute chaos!”

The monkeys gasped in horror at the thought of syrup-less pancakes.

“Luckily,” Smudge went on, “finding the centre is easy. Let me show you how.”

Step 1

Prepare a New Canvas

You know the drill—firm surface, crisp paper, taped corners, tools at attention.

Smudge gave the page a ceremonial pat. “No wobbles on my watch. Showtime.”

Step 2

Find the Middle (Top to Bottom)

Smudge held up his ruler like a sword. The animals all stepped back cautiously.

“First, measure the paper from top to bottom. Find the halfway point and make a tiny mark on the left edge and another on the right edge.”

Finding the middle from top to bottom

Step 3

Find the Middle (Side to Side)

Smudge squinted and made odd little noises as he concentrated. The animals gave him strange looks, but they were impressed by his craftsmanship.

“Next, do the same from side to side: find the halfway point on the top edge and the bottom edge. Make tiny marks.”

Finding the middle from side to side

Step 4

Draw Your Guidelines

“Now, join the marks with your ruler and light pencil: one straight line across the page for the horizontal—left to right—and one line up and down for the vertical—top to bottom.”

Drawing centre guidelines

“Where they cross—ta-da! That’s your centre.” Smudge tapped the exact spot.

“This tiny point is the heart of your mandala. Hold it steady, and your circles will flow from it like ripples in water.”

Get Centred

The centre of your page will become the centre of your mandala, the point everything grows from. Without it, nothing stays balanced. So, can you find it?

  • Place your ruler across the paper from top to bottom.
  • Mark the halfway point on each edge.
  • Do the same from side to side.
  • Draw straight vertical and horizontal lines using these marks.
  • Where the two lines meet, make a tiny dot.

All done! Step back and see—you’ve found the very centre. It’s ready, balanced, and waiting.

← Back Next →