How to Paint a Bee-Inspired Mandala

Paint a bee-inspired mandala rock in bright sunny shades of yellow for an adorable mood-booster. This design is a great opportunity to practice a variety of mandala shapes, like dots, petals, and leaves.

Gray painted stone on a yellow background. Stone is painted with a yellow, white, and black mandala with a small bee in the center.

When you’re taking your inspiration from animals, there are endless possibilities. An animal can influence your mandala’s color scheme. Use its unique pattern as a starting point, or highlight a characteristic feature.

In my bee mandala, I also included a piece of the animal’s environment into my design. If you’re just starting mandala painting, check out my step-by-step how to paint rock mandalas guide before beginning.

Excerpt and photos are from my book Mandala Rock Painting Made Simple. This post may contain affiliate links, I could earn a small commission from purchases at no cost to you.

green background with white text that reads "Slow and steady is the key to making these swish patterns, inspired by the antennae and wings of a resting bumblebee. Vary the outer petals to make your own favorite flower."

Table of Contents

To Paint a Bee-Inspired Mandala, You Will Need:

START-TO-FINISH TIME:
1 hour

SUPPLIES:
Smooth 3-inch round rock

TOOLS:
1-inch and 3/8-inch flat brushes;
Extra-small, small, and medium dotting tools;
3/0 and 20/0 round brushes

PAINTS AND SEALANT:
Gray, light yellow, golden yellow, white, and charcoal acrylic paints;
Spray-on varnish sealant

How to Paint a Bee Mandala

PREPARE THE ROCK AND BEGIN THE DESIGN. Paint the rock gray using the 1-inch flat brush, then use the 3/8-inch flat brush to paint a thick light yellow ring as shown.

Mark a grid (learn how to make a mandala grid). Use the 3/0 round brush to paint the bee’s body and head in the center of the grid using golden yellow and wings using white, then add stripes and antennae using charcoal paint.

A close up view of a gray rock with a gray circle inside yellow circle in the center. A tiny paintbrush paints black lines on a bee in the center.

PAINT THE CHARCOAL RING. Using the 20/0 round brush, paint a thin charcoal circle around the inner gray/yellow border.

Then paint alternating short and long lines outward around the circle. Finish the ring with a small charcoal dot on the end of each line.

A close up view of a gray rock with a yellow circle in the center. A small bee sits inside a gray circle with a black outline. A tiny paintbrush paints thin black lines radiating outward from the black circle outline.

PAINT THE WHITE PETAL RING. With the small dotting tool, begin on a grid line and dot and drag (How to Paint Swishes) a white petal from just inside the light yellow circle toward the center.

Make four petals per grid segment. Repeat around the circle for a total of 32 petals.

A close up view of a partially finished yellow, black, and white mandala on a gray stone. A yellow circle with black radiating lines and a bee in the middle, with a dotting tool painting a ring of white petals inside the circle.

ADD GOLDEN YELLOW ELEMENTS. Beginning on a grid line, paint a golden yellow leaf shape outward from the light yellow circle. Repeat to make 16 equally spaced leaves.

A close-up view of a partially finished black, white, and yellow mandala with a bee in the center, painted on a gray rock. A small brush fills in the outer ring of petals with yellow paint.

PAINT FINAL DOT ACCENTS. Paint a medium white dot on each leaf and 2 extra-small white dots outward between each leaf.

Use the extra-small dotting tool to add tiny golden yellow dots to fill the remaining gray center space around the bee. Dry completely, then varnish.

A close up view of a gray rock painted with a yellow, white and black mandala and a bee center. A small silver dotting tool paints a white dot in a ring of yellow petals.

Share this Painted Rock Bee Mandala with Friends

Your shares are how this site grows, and I am genuinely appreciative when you do. Pin to your favorite Christmas Pinterest board or share this idea to a craft group on Facebook.