SpirographMandala Maker - The Easy Way to Make Countless Amazing Mandala Designs - Design Mandala Art - Ages 8+

As a child/pre-teen/teen, I had the original Spirograph (when it was new and no one had ever heard of them before), and then the really big Spirograph when I'd drawn about 100 designs and my parents saw that it was something that I REALLY liked. They were so much fun. (I still have them tucked down in a box in the original, rather worn, packaging. All the disks and wheels, most of the pins, but the pens dried up.)Having had a bad summer this year (too many things died), I wanted something fun. And since I like mandalas, and my old Spirographs, I bought this new type of Spirograph for myself when I spotted it. Like, how perfect for me!So far, I've played with drawing with their pens (much better than the originals from the 1960s/1970s), gel pens (they work fine), and doodling little additions in with felt tips (looks great), and have tried out a number of design combinations. So many possibilities! I haven't tried all of them yet, that'd take years!Looking forwards to using it with colored pencils and other art supplies. Maybe on black paper, when I get some. Several suggestions are made in the booklet that comes with the set, too.NOTE: There are questions on this page asking what I consider the "right age for the toy". Well, it's MY TOY, and I'm 70. I guess never too late for a happy childhood. Though, I remember a Spirograph being great when I was about 12. So I'd say pre-teen to old age. If you have the steady hands and concentration to use it. Keeping the little wheels on the gears does take some skill, which is why I really wouldn't give this to anyone under about 10, or anyone with hand issues.Another note: Someone said there was a booklet included that explained the designs, and what they meant. All I got was two booklets with lots of pictures explaining how to use the items. One booklet was in English, the other in French, but otherwise, the same booklet. (Glad for the English, my French isn't THAT good.) And while info on what designs mean would be interesting, I'm more focused on making things that are pretty.Biggest issue -- trying to keep my elderly cat from helping herself to the bits and pieces while I'm trying to work. And from putting grimy paws on the artwork. But I have that issue with all artwork, and try everything from keeping small pieces in zipper bags to putting covers over what I'm not using that minute. (Both usually work fairly well, though it's sometimes inconvenient when I'm focused on doing something.) Sometimes I end up working fast, and distracted. However, that's not a matter of anything wrong with the toy. Just the work environment, which really needs an upgrade.

Got this for a 5 year old who loves to draw and do crafts . She had a learning curve but has a great deal of fun.Definitely buy a sketch pad large enough and with heavy enough paper so you can experience and use all the options .

This Mandela Spirograph is cool to use! It makes all different shapes that are repetitive. I wish there were more designs for the middle row but rather than that your drawing will be perfectly even shapes giving it the Mandela design.

It's pretty impressive!I started to get into drawing again. The Spirograph Mandala Maker looked pretty interesting. The gears that you get with this package is pretty minimal. So, if you have the regular Spirograph or even the Super Spirograph, feel free to experiment with using other size gears within the 4 different size rings. One stencil has a centre size of 128 teeth and the outer 58 teeth. The other stencil is 96 teeth in the centre with the outer one being 72 teeth.One HUGE improvement that Spirograph made over other Spirograph sets is; that the rings have a top barrier/lip that prevents the gears from popping out. Especially if your pen/pencil is in the first few holes. This small innovation should be implimented with the standard 144/96 and the 150/105 rings. I'm going to submit this idea to Spirograph. I think that all who read my review should recommend the same idea. A top lip over the teeth that prevents the gears from popping out would be an awesome improvement with the ability to order them from their supply.I experimented with Canson's black paper and Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils. I loved the result. Markers get absorbed by the black paper. So, I wouldn't recommend using markers. However, opaque pencils like Faber-Castell and Derwent work great. Crayola pencils work, but you may have to go over it twice. So, if you want to also experiement with black paper, go with opaque pencils. Then seal it with a Fixative, if you want to preserve your work.

I am enjoying the fun to the creative

DH and I actually bought this for ourselves. We were looking for little no-brainer activities to do whilst sitting in front of the baseball game on tv. I like using cheap watercolor paper and making my designs. Then, I go back and paint the shapes. It's like grown-up coloring. I use the spirograph during the baseball game, then later on when I want to do the painting, I put on an audiobook and paint away. So far, DH has just used the pieces with the included marker pens to make interesting designs on regular old printer paper. Endless fun.

Granddaughter loves it

When I received this it was a sealed box but it did not come with paper or idea guide. So it must have been left out at the factory.I really would like the guide as it's hard to guess how it's supposed to be used

No tenía expectativas sobre el producto, pero me gustaron sus materiales y su acabado. Soy un usuario eventual.