The round format in art has historically been used in all kinds of contexts, including portraits, religious art, landscapes, abstract and non-objective works. According to artist Bruce Hill, an example from 15th century Italy would be the popularity of round paintings called "tondos," which is derived from the Italian word "rotondo," meaning "round." Both Michelangelo and Raphael painted religious works in the tondo format to represent the closeness of the Holy Family through the use of a closed circular space. Circle art activities involve a round picture plane drawn or traced on a square or rectangular surface, and then either left as is or the shape is cut out.
Mandala
A mandala can include repeating images and colors that are meaningful to the artist.
A mandala is an image in a circular format, usually symmetrical and consisting of radial elements around the center point. Laura Ellen Shulman, assistant professor of religion at North Virginia Community College, teaches about the spiritual significance and history of the use of the mandala in many cultures. She says that the mandala has a long history in Tibetan Buddhism, as well as by native North American peoples. Modern mandalas can include images and symbols that are meaningful to the artist without necessarily having a religious component. For this activity, provide each student with a piece of paper 12 inches by 18 inches. Use a pencil and compass to draw a circle 11 inches in diameter. Younger students can trace around a pre-made stencil or a plastic dinner plate. Use a ruler to divide the circle into between 6 and 12 equal wedge-shaped segments. Draw concentric rings within the circle. Use repeating elements and colors in all the segments (paints or markers) to create a sense of symmetry and balance. Cut out the finished mandala.
Round Village
A round landscape of a village of small houses can make interesting use of the space since there are no corners or flat edges to work with. The space in a round landscape can appear compressed rather than expansive as it focuses our view. Give students pre-cut round piece of paper 12 inches in diameter, or have them draw a circle using a compass and pencil or trace around a stencil or dinner plate. A horizon line could be lightly drawn about 1/3 of the way down from the top. Show linear perspective by making distant images smaller and overlapping larger, closer images in front. Houses could be drawn on either side of the circle, crossing up over the horizon, and images need not be complete. Some sky may be visible, and details such as trees may be represented. As in a rectangular format, draw from the background to the foreground, from the top of the space to the bottom. Add color with watercolor paints and detail with fine-line black ink or markers, if desired.
Spiral Design
This activity involves creating an abstract design within the circular format. Begin as above with a circular format. Start at the center and draw a spiral that makes several turns around the center as you draw toward the outside edge. Use round plastic lids in a variety of sizes to trace several circles on the spiral. Many of these circles will be bisected or trisected by the spiral lines. Color in each section of each circle using different, but related, colors. For example, for a circle with three sections use three different shades of blue such as blue-green, blue, and blue-violet. Color the spiral background in a contrasting or neutral color. Outline all drawn elements with a black marker.
