Mandala Stones: 50 Inspirational Designs to Paint Paperback – June 20, 2017

I saw some mandala dotted items in a gift store and decided that mandala dotting was going to be my new hobby. I bought a kit with the tools, and this book to show me how to do it. I love the beautiful, colorful photos and the descriptions of the tools to use. It's both beautiful to browse through the pages, and helpful when coming up with my own designs.

This is an excellent book for learning how to paint mandalas. I took 1 star off for the condition of the book. The cover was bent in two corners and there was noticeable wear, though it was "new." The condition was disappointing but I kept the book because the content was so good.

I love the raised designs on the cover and the content is beautiful too.

Good book. Lots of little ideas to work from. Touches on different styles.

This book: Mandala Stones: 50 Inspirational Designs to Paint is an excellent book for techniques, tips and ideas. I would recommend this to anyone who is learning to paint Mandalas on stones. The author gives detailed instructions with pictures to show how the stones are painted... a great step-by-step book.

Firstly, I am not a complete dotting beginner. I've watched a lot of tutorials on the internet and I belong to dotting groups on facebook. I have created a beautiful piece with no guidance and consider it a true artistic masterpiece.Secondly, I don't blame the author/artist for my disappointment. I do suggest she update the book and make it more relevant to today's standards. It also appears that the book is intended as inspiration, while many of us are expecting instruction.Mandala Stones appears to have been written in 2016 and published in 2017. The art of dotting has come a very long way in the past six years. While most dotting instructors offer a list of "found objects" you can use, the only non-found objects mentioned are nail artist's tools. All the other rods and tools we modern artists are using are not included. So, we are basically left to guess at sizing. This is fine on paper, but when you're using stones...well, you might ruin a lot of your supply.So, my first photo is of the stone I wanted to try first, Summer Meadow. As you can see, there are no instructions. This design is rated "beginner!" To see what's going on in the center, I need a magnifying glass. That doesn't sound like fun! I guess I'll skip this one!The second photo shows two more examples. One beginner and one intermediate. Shoot for the Stars might be doable without instruction. How about Solar Gold? Go for it! Because I'm on facebook groups, I see beautiful examples of people's work. If I want to pick apart a design to duplicate, there is a lot of inspiration out there and I don't need a book.The third photo is the reason I bought the book. I wanted to see The Golden Egg up close, and I had expected to receive direction on how I could duplicate this for myself. As you can see, I am once again left to figure it out for myself.Mandala Stones is not completely devoid of instruction, but it is truly minimal and most basic. I do like her designs. I would say it is not a complete waste, but in my case there is no added value.I am on a tight budget and will likely return this book and look for one that will provide more of the type of content that's valuable to me.Thank you for your time. If you find my review helpful, please click the button.

Beautifully illustrated paperback with step by step instructions to start your own rock paintings. It gives detailed pictures of the supplies you need as well as improvising with every day items to use. I wasn't sure if this was one of those adult coloring books as the review page never showed more than just the front cover. I actually messaged the author Ms. Alexander and she explained the contents of the book. It has many designs for a beginner to start and all the way up to advanced designs. I can't wait to start my projects! Well worth it!

It's very visual and has lessons from beginner to advanced. It has great ideas and one of the more inspiring art books I've had. I made 2 designs the first day I received it. And they actually looked pretty awesome. I know I will be getting a lot of use out of it, I super happy and definitely will recommend it to my fellow artists.

Arrived promptly. Lovely book (& interesting forward from author as I too am recovering from treatment from breast cancer) I hope I become as good at it as she is! My first attempt I showed to my 4yr old Grandson & he shouted 'it's beautiful' & took it home with him....bless!

Brilliant book with 50 different mandala designs, my only criticism is that out of 50 designs there’s only 5 suitable for a beginner all the rest are classed as intermediate or advanced. Not sure how I’ll progress from beginner to intermediate in 5 designs. Disappointing

Well set out with clear instructions and a fair number of different designs for a beginner to work through. Good coloured illustrations it is the only one I have bought so I cannot compare it with any others but I have found it useful.

Absolutely lovely book - inspiring designs with easy to follow steps for creating some beautiful patterns. Literally, anyone can have a bash at this!

I like stone painting and this gave me some ideas I hadn't thought of. Well described stages and easy to read. Would recommend for adults or children with supervision for some of the types of materials used.