Snow Far, Snow Good

We're still creating cards that feature snow this week at Jingle Belles and we'd love for you to join us. In the meantime, here's what I made this week:

One of my favorite "specialty" mandalas is a Snowflake Mandala. Because to me, snowflakes are (in a kinda sorta way) basically natural mandalas; at least, they're an arrangement of crystals in a more or less concentric circular pattern; which lends itself to being doodled and played with as a format. I feel similarly about Spiderweb Mandalas, and make at least one per year, generally in pink; but that's another story. A few weeks ago, when I was at Ranger HQ drawing mandalas with Patti Behan, someone watching the Live Video asked if I had any ideas for mandalas that would work for Christmas/ Winter Holiday greetings and I mentioned both Snowflake Mandalas and also Poinsettia Mandalas, of which I've done fewer, but I also enjoy them because you can easily make them recognizable... without having to make them realistic. I stand by this belief, lol. 

So of course, when I realized we were featuring SNOW this fortnight, I knew this would be the perfect time for the first Snowflake Mandala of 2026. I made a nice inky background with some of my favorite blue Archival Ink shades, dried it thoroughly, and then drew lots of snowflakes with a Letter It Fineliner. I added details with a few blue markers and finally put additional white in there with a Posca Pen. Since the design is quite busy already, when I turned my mandala panels into cards, I only added bright blue mats, a chunky (sparkly!) sentiment and some small Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Bling.

Hop over to Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's card, check out the Readers' Gallery, and get a peek at the tiny Snow-centric prize that one lucky cardmaker will score, just for linking up with us this fortnight. JB2610: Dashing Through the Snow runs until the evening of Wednesday, May 20th.

The Best Place for SNOW...

 ...is on holiday cards. In this case, it's a Superior Snowflake Mandala Monday and I'm very much hoping it's the ONLY snow I see this week!!! ;) I'll let you decide if you'd like to see actual snow in your location or not. 

Snow Far, Snow Good

Since my favorite place by far to see flakes of frozen precipitation is in artwork (the least favorite place being on my driveway!) here is a Super Snowy Mandala Monday with a wish that your week is off to a warm and cozy start. Scroll down to see a few fun digital manipulations. (Original artwork created by watercoloring with my Tombow Dual Brush Pens; digital fun perpetrated with filters from PSE9.)

and finally... back to the original:

MM50: Funky Flakes

It's a Soft and Snowy Mandala Monday... that is, the MANDALA is soft and snowy, whilst thankfully the Monday is sunny, clear and cold. Hope that the week before Christmas (or the week OF Hanukkah) is treating you well! 

Ranger's Letter It Fineliners plus a few Zig Dot Markers

 and a tiny bit of watercolor in my Dina Wakley Blue Edition Journal. 

Would You Like to Build a Snowman(dala)?

Snow is by far my least favorite form of precipitation in real life, but it must be said that snowflakes... and snowflake mandalas... are A LOT of fun to draw! ♥

pitt artist pens by faber-castell; tombow dual brush shadows, 

helix circle maker tool, canson mixed media sketchbook