Heavy Heart Mandala Book Volume 1 - preview and sneak peeks


   Heavy Heart Volume 1 (pink cover) the first is a mandala coloring book I released in June 2017. It took abut a year and a half to get the first one published. Beginning in January 2015, I started creating the majority of the designs back then. Many of which are influenced by stained glass, art nouveau patterns, sculpture and jewelry. Initially I wanted to publish a "how to" guide on making your own mandala - since all of the early designs were hand drawn, using a template I made. I also had lots of ideas on exactly how I wanted the book designed; I wanted pages that were easy to tear out, thick paper that would hold up under watercolor and some other features. Due to the production costs however, it wasn't going to be easy, cheap, or affordable. I still want to make a how to guide, its just going to take a little bit longer than I have the patience for at the moment :)
   While the idea I began with turned into something else, I couldn't be happier with the evolution of the 'mandala book' idea. I wanted to make something that people would enjoy coloring, but also something that tattoo artists could use for reference. And for coloring fans, a collection of mandalas to be able to get lost in, but also something they could step away from, come back and want to finish what they started on. 

matte cover - Heavy Heart A Mandala Book - Volume 1

   Volume One of the mandala books features 52 symmetrical, unique and original mandala designs, including a few hand drawn full page images. Here are 2 of my favorite full page pieces - both hand drawn 

Hand drawn full page mandala sheet - click to purchase Volume 1 on Amazon.com

Another full page sheet from Volume 1 - click to purchase Heavy Heart on Amazon.com
   Im currently working on more coloring books, (taking a break from mandalas at the moment) but I would like to do an entire book of 100% hand drawn full page images. Making these sheets really takes a toll on my hand (and fingers) quickly though - leaving me with a temporary gnarly claw-fist. I look forward to designing this book, but I also dread it in a way - a big way!

   Each mandala is printed on a single page but feel free to use a scrap piece of paper or thin cardboard under the page you are working on to prevent bleed. With varying degrees of complexity, these designs make for intricate and relaxing images to color. The book measures 8.5 x 11 inches and the pages within are recommended for gel pens, markers, and colored pencils.


hand drawn stylized flower mandala from Volume 1- colored with Prismacolor pencils
An artsy fartsy shot of page 8 in Heavy Heart Volume 1

  As far as difficulty in regards to complexity for coloring and using these images for tattoo reference I would consider them “medium to difficult” . All if the mandalas are circular in shape, and rare roughly 7 inches in diameter. 

This mandala would be tricky - but fun to tattoo! Any takers? Contact me if you're interested in wearing this one :-)

   I have used a couple of these mandalas from Volume 1 for tattoos, and found them to be easy to make a stencil from, and read and follow with a tattoo machine. I will be making a separate blog entry for those, very soon!



One last sneak peek from Heavy Heart Mandala Book - Volume One 



   So you get the point as far as the composition of the books goes. I am constantly working on mandalas, patterns and similar designs - even when I am "taking a break" from said designs. 

   I will be posting a similar break down for each volume, as well as mandala tattoos I've done, and also some new download and print pages. If you want to stay up to date on the mandala books, new editions as well as new coloring book projects I'm working on, feel free to follow me using the links below

Coloring books and Mandalas - mindhandstudios on Instagram 
Tattoos and other artwork -  kimmythehun on Instagram
My website  ( tattoos, contact & scheduling info) - www.kimzilla.com
my Zazzle store (in progress) 


Thanks for reading and thanks for the support and feedback on the books!

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