Simple and easy Diwali rangoli using paper cups

We can get beautiful fast  rangoli designs  using tools at home.  Use of these objects ensure that symmetry is maintained.  Still we have to be careful while arranging the cups and bangles initially because if there is any misalignment , we are likely to have it redone again. 

 The trick is to see that all the points of contact are in contact be it bangle to bangle or paper cup to paper cup or bangle and paper cup .  Only then can we get a perfect rangoli.  Once we have done this with care the rest is just child's play and we can let our imagination run riot to get a design or our choice or imagination.

To make a rangoli design using paper cups , we need

a) paper cups
b) cotton buds
c) rangoli colours - various .

This is the pattern we get after removing the paper cups.  Place dots or bullets at the joints of the triangular shapes in white and press them gently .
  Next using orange rangoli colour , place bullets ( big dots ) inside the gaps at the centre

This is the important step in this rangoli.  Using a cotton bud draw curved petals that may also look like the blades of a fan so that the edges meet the small white dots .  This will make  the rangoli appear very beautiful.
 Use of cotton buds  to gently curve the petals outward is very essential to enhance the appearance of the rangoli and to take it to a different level.

After completing all the designs , orange bullets are again placed in the gaps outside and they are converted into floral designs , again using cotton buds.

The rangoli after completion is shown in the next image , below.  Light diyas along the floral designs outside to decorate for Diwali festival.

I  have used a 5,4,3 combination of paper cups similar to the 5 to 3 dot pattern we use in kolam designs.  We can have a larger arrangement depending upon how big we want the rangoli to be .

The paper cups should be so arranged that they touch each other i.e each cup touches the cups that are adjacent to it ( on left , right , top and bottom ).  Then we should visually check whether the cups arrangement is as symmetrical as possible .  This is to ensure that we get even patterns .

Then fill the gaps among the cups with rangoli colours, we can choose only one colour or different colours.  I have chosen green for the innermost layer and pink for all the remaining gaps around.

We have to ensure that there is no natural breeze where we try this idea because it can affect the cups arrangement and rangoli colours sprinkling also.

After completion gently remove the cups one by one .  What we get is a beautiful pattern that is very difficult to get if we try free hand.  After all innovation in any art is welcome particularly in rangoli designs.

While the whole process of creating this type of rangoli is very easy , it is almost child's play we can say , we have to take some simple precautions to make the rangoli creating experience a beautiful one.  First as I said at the beginning , breeze natural or from the ceiling fan can affect our paper cup arrangement. 

 While using cotton buds to create patterns we should be careful that our bangles ( I  wear a combination of gold and glass bangles because it is our tradition to do so and this you would have observed in many of the images and videos I have shared.) to not erase a part of the rangoli while drawing it. .

 I invariably face this problem and so I take some extra precautions , not consciously but as a matter of habit .

One more rangoli design using the same trick , this time instead of cotton buds I have used tooth pick to form floral pattern and the cups have been arranged like a ner pulli kolam i.e 4 by 4 dot grid.

The steps are as explained for the previous rangoli , so the pictures should be self explanatory.  The result is a totally different rangoli design , the previous one was a circular rangoli ,  this is a square rangoli , both for decoration of festivals like Diwali and Navratri.  

Though rangoli is very common and popular , in fact most popular during Pongal ( Sankranti ) in South India , traditional rangoli designs are preferred for that festival.  Navratri is probably the only festival , where I have a combination of traditional and innovative rangoli designs for festival decoration of Navratri kolu or golu.

One more idea for rangoli art using paper cups , bangles and cotton buds.    One more rangoli for Diwali is shown step by step through the series of photos below.

Here is the photo gallery showing the rangoli being created.

After many colourful rangoli , a white rangoli design that can be created by placing the cups in a pattern , filling rangoli powder around them .  Then push the cups outward gently to form floral patterns.  If a petal design is not formed correctly, fill some rangoli powder in that area and again place a  cup and push outward gently to get a floral petal shape.  Initially, the cups are placed around a bangle to ensure proper symmetry.  After this it is only a matter of filling the designs with dots and converting them into flowers using cotton buds.  The pictures explain the steps.

Create a without chukki white rangoli easily 

We can try such innovative ideas for Sankranti rangoli apart from the traditional rangoli and also a decoration for weddings, functions. If you are looking for easy and simple rangoli for Dhanteras or  fast speed rangoli for festivals like Dipavali , Janmashtami one of these tips and tricks may be of use. 

We can use colours as theme - for example for Krishna Janmashtami we can use generous display of blue.