Symmetry drawing and mandalas on Mac

How to draw a mandala with symmetry on a Mac

1. Start a square canvas

   Choose File ▸ “New”, pick the “Square” preset (2048 × 2048 px) and click “Create Canvas”. Symmetry centers on the middle of the canvas.

2. Choose a symmetry mode

   Click “Symmetry” in the window toolbar and choose “Radial ×8” for an eight-way mandala (Pro, with one free stroke). For a free mirror, choose “Left ↔ Right”.

3. Pick a brush and a color

   Press N for Pen & Ink, where “Ballpoint” is free, or P for Pencil, where “HB Graphite” is free. Then click a color dot in the tools palette.

4. Draw from the center outward

   Start with a small ring near the middle, then add petals and rings as you move out. Every mark appears in all eight sectors as it lands.

5. Smooth and fix your lines

   Open “Tool Options” and raise “Steady” for calmer curves. “Undo” removes a stroke and all its copies at once.

6. Export your mandala

   Choose File ▸ “Export as PNG…” or File ▸ “Export as JPEG…”. Every export is free.

A symmetry drawing app for Mac that mirrors every brush

Paint My is a native macOS drawing and painting app with symmetry built into its stroke engine. Pick a mode from the toolbar “Symmetry” menu, and each stamp of your brush is copied to its mirrored or rotated positions as it lands, so the whole pattern grows while you draw.

It works with every brush, from pencils, ink and spray cans to the Pixel Brush, plus the erasers and Smudge, so cleanup stays symmetrical. Two effects are not copied: splatter droplets and the drips of the “Hi-Fi” spray can. Browse all 57 brush styles to choose your line.

The axes are fixed at the canvas center, with no guideline, and the Symmetry icon in the toolbar fills in while a mode is on. Shapes, gradients and fill are not mirrored.

What is radial symmetry in drawing?

Radial symmetry repeats a mark around a center point in equal turns, like the petals of a flower. In Paint My, “Radial ×8” draws each stroke eight times, 45° apart; “Radial ×4”, “Radial ×6” and “Radial ×12” use 90°, 60° and 30° steps.

Radial copies are rotated, not mirrored, so a curl turns the same way in every sector. For a mirrored, kaleidoscope-style look, use “Quad”. The menu offers three mirror drawing modes and four radial modes:

• “Left ↔ Right”: mirrors across a vertical line through the center (free)
• “Up ↕ Down”: mirrors across a horizontal line (free)
• “Quad”: both mirrors at once, so each stroke appears four times (Pro)
• “Radial ×4”, “Radial ×6”, “Radial ×8” and “Radial ×12”: copies rotated around the center (Pro)

Mandala maker for Mac: what is free and what is Pro

The mirror modes “Left ↔ Right” and “Up ↕ Down” are in the free version of Paint My, a free download with no account. “Quad” and the four Radial modes are part of Paint My Pro.

Quad and the Radial modes share one free stroke. Choosing a mode costs nothing: your next stroke uses it, then the mode switches back to “Off”. Until then a sparkle icon marks these modes in the menu; after that, a lock icon does.

Larger mandalas can reach the free limits: 3 layers, 50 undo steps and a five-color palette. Pro has no layer limit and no undo step limit, and adds the Chroma Orb color wheel. Plans are weekly, monthly, yearly or pay once.

Mandala drawing tips: layers, colors and pixel patterns

Each new brush and color pair starts its own layer at the top of the stack, named after them, such as “Red HB Graphite”. Ink the linework first, then color the rings, and drag the color layers below the lines in the Studio sidebar. When the 3 free layers are full, new marks go onto the active layer.

Every symmetry mode works with the Pixel Brush too, and mirrored cells snap to the same grid; see the pixel art app for Mac guide. Free “Left ↔ Right” drawing is an easy first project in a drawing app for kids on Mac.

New to painting on a Mac? The guide to digital painting software for Mac covers brushes, paper surfaces and stroke smoothing.

Questions