How to Cut a Paper Mandala
Fold a 6–8 inch square or circle into 8 wedges, draw on one wedge, and cut. Paper, pencil, scissors, compass or a lid.
What You'll Need
- Paper (printer, junk mail, or magazine pages)
- Craft scissors
- HB pencils (pack)
- Compass or a round lid / cup to trace
Use paper you already have — junk mail is enough.
You fold one sheet into 8 equal wedges, draw a simple pattern on the top wedge, and cut through all layers. Unfold and you have a radial cut-out. Start with a 6×6 or 8×8 inch (15×15 or 20×20 cm) square, or trace a 6–8 inch circle. Junk mail, magazines, or printer paper all work. Plan 20–40 minutes. No glue.
Supervise kids with scissors. Do not cut all the way through a fold that holds the sheet together — that splits the mandala into pieces.
Cut a square or circle
Square method: start with a rectangle, fold one short corner to the long edge to make a triangle, and cut off the leftover strip. You want 6×6 or 8×8 inches.
Circle method: set a compass (or hold a pencil against a lid) and draw a 6–8 inch circle. Cut it out.
Fold into 8 wedges
If you have a square: fold corner to opposite corner (diagonal); unfold. Fold the other diagonal; unfold. Fold in half horizontally; unfold. Fold in half vertically. You now have an asterisk of 8 triangular segments. Leave it folded into one stacked wedge (fold the square on a diagonal, then in half, then in half again so all 8 layers stack).
If you have a circle: fold in half, then in half, then in half again (3 folds = 8 layers). Keep the folded point as the center.
Draw on one wedge
On the top wedge, along the two folded edges, draw a few simple shapes: a curve, a small triangle, a half-circle. Stay a few millimeters off the center point and off the outer edge so the design stays in one piece. What you draw repeats 8 times.
Fewer cuts read more clearly. If you want 16 repeats, fold the stacked wedge in half one more time before you draw.
Cut, then unfold
Cut along your pencil lines through all layers. Leave the spine folds intact. Open the sheet slowly. Press it flat.
