A mandala uses rotational symmetry. Whatever you draw in one slice gets repeated, rotated, around a centre. With 6 slices it looks like a snowflake; with 12 slices, a stained-glass window.
Build a polygon
regular hexagon
interior each
120.0°
120.0°
exterior each
60.0°
60.0°
interior sum
720°
720°
diagonals
9
9
Why the polygon helps
A mandala's slices are the sectors of a regular polygon's centre. Drag the polygon to 6, 8 or 12 sides to see exactly how wide each slice is — 360° ÷ n — before you draw the guide lines.
Slice counts that work well
- 4 slices → 90° each, bold and simple.
- 6 slices → 60°, the classic snowflake look.
- 8 slices → 45°, intricate.
- 12 slices → 30°, stained-glass-window dense.
Your turn
If your mandala has 8 slices, through what angle do you rotate one slice's drawing to make the next?
How to make one
Pick the number of slices (4, 6, 8 or 12 work well). Lightly draw the lines of the slices on paper. Decorate ONE slice — then carefully copy that decoration into each of the others, rotated to match.