Mandalas have a meditative quality that fits naturally into interior design mood boards, wall art concepts, and decorative motifs. The good news is you don’t need years of drawing experience to create stunning ones. With Procreate symmetry drawing tools, the app does half the work for you. This guide walks you through the exact settings, brush choices and beginner mistakes to avoid so you can draw clean, intricate mandalas from a blank canvas.
What is Procreate Symmetry Drawing?
The symmetry feature is built into Procreate’s Drawing Guides. When activated, every stroke you make is automatically mirrored across one or more axes. For mandala work, this transforms a single petal stroke into a full, balanced design in seconds.
Procreate offers four symmetry modes:
- Vertical: mirrors left to right
- Horizontal: mirrors top to bottom
- Quadrant: mirrors across four sections
- Radial: mirrors across eight sections (ideal for mandalas)
How to Turn On Symmetry in Procreate
Before drawing anything, set up your canvas properly. Here is the exact path:
- Open a new canvas (a square canvas like 3000 x 3000 px works best for mandalas).
- Tap the wrench icon (Actions) at the top left.
- Select Canvas.
- Toggle Drawing Guide on.
- Tap Edit Drawing Guide.
- At the bottom of the screen, tap Symmetry.
- Tap Options and choose Radial.
- Enable Rotational Symmetry for kaleidoscope-style mirroring.
- Tap Done.
One last step that many beginners forget: make sure Assisted Drawing is enabled on the layer you are drawing on. Tap the layer, then tap Drawing Assist. Without this, your strokes won’t mirror.
Choosing the Right Brush for Mandalas
Brush choice changes the entire feel of the mandala. Here are tried and tested options inside Procreate’s default library.
| Brush | Best For | Suggested Size |
|---|---|---|
| Monoline (Calligraphy) | Clean, even lines and geometric patterns | 3 to 8 percent |
| Technical Pen (Inking) | Precise detail work, dotwork | 2 to 5 percent |
| Studio Pen (Inking) | Slight pressure variation, organic feel | 4 to 10 percent |
| Soft Brush (Airbrushing) | Background glows and color fills | 20 to 40 percent |
Step by Step: Drawing Your First Mandala
Step 1: Set up the foundation
With radial symmetry on, pick the Monoline brush at around 5 percent size in black. Tap once near the center of the canvas to place a small dot. Notice how eight dots appear in a perfect circle. That instant feedback is what makes Procreate mandalas so satisfying.
Step 2: Build the inner ring
Draw a short straight line outward from the center. The app mirrors it eight times. Add small curves or dots near this line to create the first decorative layer. Keep strokes small and close to the center.
Step 3: Expand outward in rings
A good mandala is built in concentric rings. Work outward one ring at a time, varying the type of element used:
- Ring 1: dots or small circles
- Ring 2: petal shapes or teardrops
- Ring 3: longer lines or arcs
- Ring 4: lace-like detail or filigree
- Ring 5: bold outer border
Step 4: Add depth with weight variation
Switch to the Studio Pen and thicken key outlines. Pressure-sensitive strokes break the uniformity and stop the mandala from looking flat.
Step 5: Color (optional)
Add a new layer below your line work, enable Drawing Assist on it, and use the soft brush to add gentle washes of color. Stick to two or three tones for an elegant result.
Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting Drawing Assist: the most common reason symmetry appears broken. Always check the layer settings.
- Starting too detailed: small intricate strokes near the center get lost. Build complexity outward.
- Working on a single layer: separate your rings onto different layers so you can edit or erase without losing the whole design.
- Ignoring canvas size: a small canvas limits detail. Go for at least 3000 x 3000 px at 300 DPI if you plan to print.
- Overcrowding: leave breathing space between rings. White space is part of the design.
- Drifting off center: if you tap or draw too far from the guide’s center point, your mandala becomes lopsided. Trust the guide.
Can You Change the Number of Radial Sections?
This is one of the most asked questions among Procreate users. As of the current version of Procreate, the radial symmetry tool is fixed at 8 sections (or 16 with rotational symmetry enabled). To get more sections, the workaround is:
- Draw one section of your mandala on a transparent background.
- Duplicate the layer.
- Use the Transform tool to rotate each copy by the desired angle (for example, 30 degrees for 12 sections).
- Merge and clean up.
Why Symmetry in Design Matters
At Acanthus Design Interiors, we often use mandala-inspired motifs in textiles, ceiling medallions and accent walls. The mathematical balance of a mandala makes it visually restful, which is exactly the kind of element that anchors a busy interior. Mastering Procreate symmetry drawing gives designers and hobbyists alike a fast route to producing original artwork that fits any aesthetic.
FAQ
Why isn’t symmetry working in Procreate?
Nine times out of ten it’s because Drawing Assist is not enabled on the layer. Tap the layer and select Drawing Assist. Also confirm Drawing Guide is toggled on in Canvas settings.
How do I turn off symmetry in Procreate?
Go to Actions (wrench) then Canvas, and toggle off Drawing Guide. Or simply turn off Drawing Assist on the specific layer you want unaffected.
Can I use symmetry on more than one layer?
Yes. Enable Drawing Assist on every layer you want mirrored. The guide settings stay the same across the canvas.
Is Procreate symmetry drawing free?
The symmetry tool is built into Procreate, which is a one-time purchase app. There is no extra cost or subscription for the symmetry feature.
What canvas size is best for printing a mandala?
3000 x 3000 pixels at 300 DPI gives you a 10-inch square print. For larger pieces, go up to 5000 x 5000 px.
How do I mirror an existing drawing in Procreate?
Select the layer, tap the arrow (Transform), then tap Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical at the bottom of the screen.