Round Pumpkin Mandala Coloring Page

Mandalas reward patience, and this one is dressed for October. Rings of small pumpkins stand upright around the outside, each with a stem pointing away from the middle, and between them sit bands of teardrops and narrow petals that step inward toward a large plain circle at the heart of the design. Small dark accents punctuate the rings and keep the pattern from going soft. The rule that makes any mandala look deliberate is repetition. Pick a color for one ring and carry it the whole way around before moving inward, rather than working outward from a single wedge. The eye reads concentric bands instantly and forgives a wobbly line, while a patchwork in no particular order looks like a mistake even when every shape is neat. That open circle in the middle is deliberately empty. Some people leave it white as a resting point, others use it for a name, a date or a small drawing of their own. Fine tipped pens or sharp pencils suit the smaller shapes near the center better than markers do.