The Painting That Took Me Over 500 Hours - Part 1 Have you ever heard of the idea that it takes 10 000 hours to "master" something? I keep track of how long each painting I do takes me, partly because it helps me set the price fairly - but also because I want to reach 10 000 hours painting Mandalas and become a Master Mandala Painter! So far I'm at about 7800 hours. Back in 2016 when I was almost at 5000 hours, I decided to do a big painting with the most detail I'd ever done - plus a little something special! I was thinking of it as my "Half Masterpiece" It's 48 x 48 inches. The first step to creating one of my paintings is to create a pattern. For me it's the part I find the most fun. I never really know what they'll turn out like when I start with a small dot in the middle. I made the dot in the middle of this one as the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve to start 2016. For this one just creating the pattern took me almost a month. I do all my work freehand, I never use geometry tools or a ruler. In some places where the lines are thicker, it was to make corrections in the symmetry as I noticed them. Stay tuned for the next phase! Visit my website @ https://www.NexusVisions.com/art