Make simple rangoli in 2, 3 or 4 steps

Very very small rangoli for daily purpose

The images below show some ideas of creating easy and simple designs using spiral patterns for our daily purpose rangolis we draw at the entrance

Making easy Diwali rangoli designs step by step / nice patterns  

 In continuation to  a post on easy rangoli for beginners that has images of simple rangoli without dots, this post also has easy rangoli (without dots) or kolam with dots for starters or learners.  It may include free hand rangoli designs involving two or more steps and some may not be as simple.

 Some of the designs are based on central designs of rangolis shared in previous posts.     This  is a collection of small rangoli designs or small muggulu designs with images showing steps. Though rangoli can be practised with pencil, sketch pen chalk piece etc traditional rangoli is a class by itself.

           

The first simple  rangoli  is a part of the central design of a rangoli shared elsewhere in Rangoli-sans-dots  Draw the central floral pattern (drawing the petals with curve lines will enhance the attractiveness). Between the petals draw creeper (or climber plant ) designs.

Finally add some curved patterns to complete the design. The third stage can also be used as a separate simple rangoli design.

Simple rangoli with lines for home decor for Chhath Puja 

      

The second  image shows a simple design having four .parallel and perpendicular lines intersecting each other.  Three floral petals are drawn at the edges as shown. At the centre curved lines are drawn diagonally (?) to complete the design.

 Lines with rangoli powder can be drawn as straight and parallel as is possible practically.  However the rangoli when completed gives a very good appearance. 

                                                       
Continuing with simple designs using lines , is the next image below.  It is a very easy method of drawing a butterfly rangoli design with a few intersecting lines.

 The rangoli is shown in two stages and the they are self-explanatory.  Instead of butterfly like designs we can have flowers or any other design that we can think of of.  Butterflies inspire us to draw very colourful rangoli. There is a lot of similarity between the two rangoli designs above.

While the central pattern is the same, in the first case leaf like patterns are formed at the edges while in the second rangoli they have been converted into butterflies.
    
Though the name is Rangoli sans dots , simple rangoli with dots are also  to be posted because rangoli with dots is quite popular in many parts of India.  The simplest dot grid may be 2 by 2 for a rangoli ( or kolam ).  

The rangoli below uses a dot grid of three by three. 
 The four steps in the photo shows how the rangoli proceeds from the dot pattern to the final design.  The final image shows that even with such a small dot grid rangoli can be attractive and beautiful. The next rangoli also uses a 3 by3 dot grid

The title of the blog post translates roughly into 

 सोपी रांगोळी कशी  काढावी | दिवाळी रांगोळी  - in Marathi 

   

The next rangoli also uses a 3 by3 dot grid.  The steps shown in the image are self-explanatory.  What is important is the final image shows that a simple yet cute rangoli can be obtained with this dot grid and using some imagination to add some patterns around the rangoli.    


  The design below   is with a four by four dot grid shown in three stages.  The first and second stage show how the rangoli is drawn (Since this is post on rangoli for beginners showing the steps will be helpful to many and the main purpose to show the steps for as many rangoli designs as possible through images) .   

A basic white rangoli through few steps

                                

    

 This design on the top  is a  a plain version of a rangoli usually used for Pooja.  Two triangles opposite to each other are drawn and a hexagonal pattern is formed around it.  The edges are decorated with floral patterns and spiral designs.  

I always felt that most simple kolam designs that are drawn free hand can be drawn with a dot grid the vice versa also being probable .  The rangoli above with colours added.   I have not tried whether it fits into a dot pattern.  Please try, I think it may not be easy.                                                

                                   

This is the latest addition to the simple rangoli for beginners or kids collection .  This post is a competitor for my post on easy rangoli for beginners !.

 Now coming to the rangoli, this is a star design drawn with two inverted triangles ( that many of us are familar with, we have been doing this even during our child hood ).

Now that the star is ready, connect the edges with a floral petal design using rangoli powder, one more floral petal can be added to improve the design.

                                                         

A basic double line rangoli or kolam

The image below shows a double line or parallel line rangoli in a few steps - to get a floral design from a basic geometric ( triangle ) shape at the centre.

The rangoli below is a free hand version of a basic lotus design that can be drawn free hand and of course we can add a few colours as shown in the final image.
                                           

Free hand rangoli birds designs

This rangoli design, is a simple one that can be drawn in three or four steps.  First draw two inverted triangles ( as usual ) to get the star pattern.  From each edge curlicues.

Add curved lines to form the head and body of the bird.  Add a beak, three feathers to denote the tail and a crown.  ( Quite a simple way of drawing birds ! ).

Now some simple chukki rangoli / chuki rangoli 

Another simple rangoli type ( that has been already been discussed in Rangoli-sans-dots ) is the maavilai kolam or mango leaves design.  I have drawn one with 7 dots and one design with 5 dots.  This one is quite common and is frequently seen at the entrance of many houses.

The dot pattern is 5-4-3 interlaced dots.  Draw the straight lines at the centre and connect the remaining dots to get the mango leaves. Draw the midrib as a free hand design. The three images below show the steps from the dot pattern to the final design.

These designs can also form the basis for an idea for summer camp arts and crafts activities for kids.

Rangoli can be one of the classes in these camps 

  A very small floral rangoli design with three dots !                                 

It is possible to draw a floral rangoli design with just a 3 by 3 dot pattern. How - the image below shows how to draw it.  I have used a 3 by 3 dot grid.  Around each dot on the four corners draw petal like patterns and at the centre draw a pattern of your choice.

 It may be a floral design or any other pattern. Add colours.  So even through a basic rangoli design we can have beautiful and cute designs.

                                   

The next design is a small rangoli with dots.  The dot pattern is used in four by four.  The first image shows the dot grid with the central pattern.  The second stage shows the four petal designs drawn on the four corners and then below the final rangoli. 

Quite an easy rangoli design with 4 dots and this one below is with dot pattern 5 by 5.  The rangoli is shown in two stages.  The rangoli consists of many simple leaf  or petal like patterns with a floral design at the centre.

                              

New and special rangoli designs for Republic Day / Independence Day rangoli theme

This is the latest addition in this theme for Republic Day  and Independence Day for 2014.  It is some what like a Sanskar Bharati rangoli where you have the background filled with rangoli powder of different colours.  I have chosen orange white and green.  I have added a pair of birds in blue.

The birds are flying and so they denote or represent freedom.  A simple rangoli that symbolically represents Independence Day and Republic Day. Birds rangoli designs can also be used for Women's day to represent freedom and liberty for women.

  This rangoli design is also on the theme nature.  Sprinkle rangoli powder of a suitable colour to get a background suitable for the birds designs drawn on the top.

 Draw a number of birds free hand (birds designs can be drawn as shown in this rangoli. There are a few more ways of drawing birds using rangoli powder and I will use them depending upon the theme and occasion.

I have used a combination of white for the birds, orange for the beaks and green for the branches.  The message conveyed is peace and freedom and the combination is colours is for Independence Day and Republic Day - depicting freedom and peace.

Now if one is searching for beautiful rangoli designs all rangoli designs are beautiful to see , draw and admire.  Sundar rangoli designs as my elder sister says which translates into azhagu kolam in Tamil.

                                  Though this post was originally meant for Republic Day in India I have added rangoli for Independence Day also in this post because the theme is the same.

                                                                       

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The image on the top,  a mandala (circular type) rangoli.  . This one with the white, green and orange combination because celebration of Republic Day is only a few days away.  It is different from other designs I have drawn for this special day.  All other designs have been drawn with white powder and decorated with green and orange colours.  Hence this one is a little different.

In these rangoli designs  the colours I have used are suitable for celebrations of Independence Day or Republic Day. Any design can be drawn and this border can be drawn around it to signify the celebrations of these two most important days.

                                 

In our series on Independence Day / Republic Day the next design above.  The star at the centre is drawn using two triangles inverted with respect to each other.  Floral petals are drawn at the centre for the six edges of the two triangles.

 The decorations outside and the simple rangoli border in white is according to our imagination.  I have added just two colours so that this rangoli with orange white and green colour combination can be used for Independence Day.

  

Butterfly rangoli design dots for Sankranti muggulu designs

The next rangoli is a butterfly design with six dots.  This has already been shared in Rangoli-sans-dots in another post.  I have drawn it again with different colours and added here as it is also relevant here.  The first step with white rangoli shows the intial stages of the rangoli.

        

As it is said, we read we forget, when we see we remember and when we do we understand and understand quite well.  For rangolis, for everyone in general and beginners in particular videos  or rangoli in steps would of great help to see, observe and to do. 
So to view  videos please go to my YouTube Channel.

How to make a kolam - floral patterns in few steps

In rangoli kolam designs flowers play an important part - in fact nature plays an important role.  It is easy for us to take designs and colours from nature - patterns, designs and colours are there everywhere around us.  There are many methods through which floral designs can be represented in a rangoli. 

 I would like to show some of them in Rangoli-sans-dots. Invariably I start with free hand designs true to the nature of name - Rangolisansdots.  I will update with some simple floral designs with dots - basic designs 

This is the first type where we have two layers of petals - this can be used to represent the petals or corolla that are lobed and have multiple layers of petals.  I have shown two layers .  We can add more.  The two images show the step by step procedure.

This Flower kolam without dots  has been drawn using the method shown above.   The design below, a simple floral design that can be drawn for festivals like Varalakshmi Vratham and Navratri.  It shows layers of petals one above the other.  We can add any number of layers.  

However, I have restricted it to three to make the design simple and also to save time.   Add some leaf patterns around the petals.  Adding alternate white and pink colour gives a beautiful effect.  The two smaller images below show two stages in this rangoli design.

This is another version of flower rangoli design with the central portion more pronounced with a single layer of petals ( or corolla ) that are arranged beautifully and symmetrically around the - shall we call it stamen !

Nature is really awesome , isn't it ?  These hand drawn patterns are a humble attempt by us ( humans ) to imitate nature. The two images below show the steps for this rangoli

Making a floral pattern in a rangoli or kolam with dots is also an important element in drawing rangoli / kolam.  One of the simplest methods through which a six petal flower is drawn as shown in the image below.

Connect the dots through three straight lines intersecting at a point as shown.  Three dots are connected at a time to get a small floral design.  Connect the ends of the lines through petal like shapes as shown in the photo.

Drawing curved lines to make the petal appear as lobed makes the design appear more naturalistic and more beautiful.

Floral petals through steps in kolam

The image at the top shows in four steps how a floral design can be drawn.  The first three steps have floral petals representing flowers. The final image shows four patterns with leaves added to get a simple leaves and petals design. 

Of course this can be further expanded as we wish. .   This post will invariably have free hand rangoli designs in this theme on floral or (near floral !) designs.                               

On the top a floral rangoli design - in three ( simple) steps.   It starts from a series of lines radiating from a small circle.  Around these are drawn the floral petal designs ( in step 2 ) .  The rangoli is finished as shown in the colourful rangoli at the bottom.

Here our imagination comes into play and the patterns and designs can be added according to our imagination but the same time matching the basic designs.  Add colours to complete the colourful design.

Floral patterns or motifs in rangoli for Sankranti or Pongal

Next some rangoli designs that are not completely flower rangoli designs but using some motifs representing flowers   

The rangoli in the photo below is a truly flower rangoli.  Draw a small circle.  Around it draw petals as shown in  the figure.  Draw as many as possible to get a beautiful flower like marigold .  Decorate the edges of the petals as shown above.

Around the flower use pink colour floral designs and other motifs of your choice to get the final  image.    

                                     

How this rangoli is made -   Two images showing the steps.
                                           

Now for some colourful free hand kolam or rangoli for Pongal and New Year

Diwali free hand rangoli in a few steps

                                                           

The image above shows how the basic floral design is formed in the free hand rangoli at the top.  This initial stage can be used as a rangoli by itself, however the final image after completion and addition of colours gives a totally different appearance to this design. 

White rangoli for colouring - kids activity

The next one is a white rangoli of what is a colourful rangoli after completion. s. It is one of the most popular rangoli designs in this collection.  The central floral design radiating from the petal edges into more floral petals and borders.

The design can be filled with colours while the gaps between the lines in the border can be filled with colourful lines with one or more colours. . Compare the rangoli with colours and the white rangoli to get an idea on how to fill the rangoli with colours

Colourful free hand rangoli with steps for Diwali.

This is a rangoli that has been shared earlier in Rangoli-sans-dots.  I have added images to show the steps.  Though it appears to be simple the number of repeated steps involved are many and I show many pictures to make drawing this rangoli easy.

This is a simple colourful rangoli for Diwali festival.  At the centre as usual  we  have a floral design that is surrounded by a circular pattern so that we can expand the design radially to maintain the circular design ( all patterns in this rangoli including circles are hand drawn and hence any imperfection may please be excused).

Around the circle draw floral patterns in many layers - in this case purple, brown, blue, red, white and green colours are used to expand the rangoli radially.  The colours are added as shown and where possible two shades are used.  The outermost portion is decorated with a simple border to get the image as shown above.

These two designs are colourful and beautiful and so suitable for  - Sankranti muggulu or Pongal kolam

colourful  rangoli designs on Diwali ( ( दिवाली रंगोली डिजाइन )

 This rangoli (above) is also a type of flower design at the centre and along the edge of each flower motifs are drawn to get a free hand rangoli in the image above.  Then finally the gaps are filled with white, brown, red, light pink  and blue lines to match the colours filled in the basic rangoli.

 The remaining gaps are filled with colourful dots of different colours instead of filling up the entire area with colour rangoli

A Diwali special rangoli design theme mandala

                             

The  rangoli at thebottom  is a (black ) and white  versions of the colourful design on the left.

This free hand rangoli  design above that is a mandala.  A rangoli is erased and the mixture of all the colours form a purple hue. I have used  that to form an annular pattern with some patterns on it made with the index finger.

( I have stated many times and have also shared my opinion on various websites that I find it very painful to erase a rangoli because of the time and effort we have to put in - but we have no choice given the ephemeral nature of this art.).

These two designs are also suitable for those looking for some new kolam designs for Margazhi.

The area inside the purple ring is filled with patterns, curved lines and petals and filled with green white and orange colours so it can be drawn for Independence Day also.

 The outside is decorated as shown and finally the star shaped patterns with white colour are formed to complete the mandala, a circular design. A beautiful idea for a Diwali rangoli design

New and special designs for Diwali with stencil rangoli combination

How to combine rangoli stencil and free hand rangoli design a Diwali decoration ideas

Sprinkle colour rangoli  to one half of the stencil and then white or  any other matching colour to the other half.  It can  be done horizontally or vertically.  Then the stencil is removed and the outer design should be drawn using the two colours used for the central rangoli to get symmetry in  colouring. The result, the rangoli in the photo or pic below

The next rangoli shown above has also been drawn using the same method as that of the second one.  Apply two different rangoli powders to each half.  Draw a free hand patterns around it and finally fill them with the same colours applied to the stencil at the centre.

As far as possible choose the free hand designs to match those in the stencil so that there is congruity in the resulting rangoli design.  The first photo shows how to different colours are applied to two halves of the stencil.

The second photo shows the stencil being removed to get the rangoli stencil below.  The third and fourth pictures show the free hand designs being drawn around the stencil to get the final output at the top.

 Using a rangoli stencil to draw some designs with a single or different colour combinations is one method of drawing rangolis.  From the images above what I have tried to convey is to try something different and so have done a combination of  free hand rangoli and stencil. 

 It is possible to have more variations also and that will be tried in Rangoli-sans-dots.

                              

This rangoli is a combination of three types.  First the previous rangoli of the previous post  was erased and the powder rearranged to form the central design with purple hue. Then  using a rangoli stencil a design is got using only white rangoli powder. Only the centre of the stencil is used.

The pattern is clearly visible against the purple colour. Then rangoli powder is used to draw borders outside the design.  First a line along the circumference then with small spiral patterns.  The gap between these two has a number of dots.  A new type of special rangoli design indeed! We can also add some patterns in the background using a cotton bud. I have drawn some lines along the border.

Simple rangoli with stencil combinations - Diwali special more ideas

                     

It is common to see entire rangoli  with a rangoli stencil.  I wanted to try something different. So the first design above the central floral design is drawn with a stencil.  Place the stencil on the floor and using colourful powder draw only the pattern at the centre.  Remove the stencil.  Now the rangoli depends upon your imagination. 

 In the next layer along the periphery of the leaves in green I have added many flower designs with three petals - eight to be exact - Then a border with two lines drawn separately - not the two parallel lines I usually draw simultaneously - is drawn.  

Decorate the border with circles and numerous straight lines as shown.  The base of the eight floral designs is also filled with a pattern from the stencil (the one in dark pink colour). 

 Here it is a combination of a stencil and free hand design.The designs chosen for free hand should match the central design with rangoli stencil.In the this image instead of using the complete stencil, only the central portion has been used and  the rangoli  expanded as  usual. on the periphery of the central stencil design with floral motifis and later with some borders..

 The designs chosen for free hand should match the central design with rangoli stencil. 
                                                             

While rangoli can be drawn with a stencil and that is quite usual, it is also possible to combine a rangoli stencil with a free hand rangoli design as in the earlier design.. The photo above shows one of the simplest methods of doing it. 

 From the rangoli stencil get the design at the centre.  Around it draw free hand designs as shown.  This is a white rangoli and stencil combination.  It is possible to have more colourful combination, with the stencil and the rangoli design with same or different colours.  Also it possible to have stencil designs around a rangoli.    

                      

                           

This rangoli image has been drawn differently,  with the stencil  at the centre coloured using two different  colours.  Then the central rangoli  has been expanded to get the final freehand  rangoli  as seen in the picture.

 This is  just a different method of drawing using  a rangoli  stencil that I tried.

These are some of the innovative rangoli designs using rangoli stencil

Simple floral rangoli 

The next rangoli with circles or circular patterns.  The design below obviously has circle at the centre and circles around it.    It will  be quite attractive in black and white and even more attractive when filled with a few colours.

The first image shows the rangoli in three stages for the benefit of those who need it.

                                                    

Another version of a floral rangoli design some what similar to the rangoli above
                         

  Rangoli-sans-dots literally means, rangoli without dots ( I have been posting designs with dots and without dots in various categories like free hand designs, designs with 4 to 15 dots and also arts , crafts festival celebrations and decoration ideas ).  

This special collection of rangoli designs for learning. . Hence the design below , the first two steps are some what easy.  The third step grows from the second and is the case with most free hand designs it is drawn spontaneously without much preparation and so watching the third image and drawing it may be helpful.     
             
The image above is yet another floral rangoli design , a simple one for learning for the ensuing festival season in India including the English New Year, the Tamil harvest festival Pongal and Makara Sankranti.  It can also be stopped at an intermediate stage.       

simple kolam with deepam designs for karthigai

                     

                    

The  rangoli in the image above is a very simple swastik and diya (or deepam) combination.  Draw the four lines at the centre so that they intersect as shown.  Expand the arms to get two swastik patterns the second one inclined to  the first.  Draw simple diyas at the end of each arm.  Fill the gaps with simple patterns as shown. Two photos showing stages in the rangoli - above

Swastik and diya are widely used in rangoli design.  This one can be categorised as a simple rangoli and hence has been included here also.  Draw the the pair of swastiks, extend the arms further, add simple diya (or deepam) designs to get the final rangoli.  The rangoli can be decorated between the diyas or between the arms with simple motifs.

Another simple  rangoli in this series of basic rangoli designs for learning.  Draw the three intersecting lines meeting at a point ( geometry ! ) and draw the floral petals as shown in the first image.  The lines as a result look like mid-ribs of the leaf ( botany ! ).  It is better to add some patterns between the leaves to improve the rangoli.  So I have added some common motifs that are usually used in free hand rangoli designs as shown in the second part of the photo.

The second rangoli in this seris - Draw the triangle and three segments around the three edges. The gaps between the circular patterns are further decorated as shown and the area inside the circular segments decorated with lines and dots.

A simple rangoli but beautiful.  Inside the triangle we can add any pattern should further improve the appearance of the rangoli

Rangoli and nature and from nature

I  think  that we have to imitate nature for our rangoli designs.  Colourful flowers are definitely the most sought for the patterns in free hand.  The flower above is a free hand design.  The basic design has seven petals.  The flower is expanded by another three layers to make it a four layered flower.  Of course, layers of petals or any other motif can be added to this rangoli.  I have used different colours for each layer of petal. 

 This is usually not found in nature but when we draw rangolis we should be given the liberty of deviating from the norm.  The same rangoli has white dots placed along the periphery of each layer of petals and the outermost petals have white lines and dots placed to give the design a totally different look.  One needs some patience to do it but at the end we will get a beautiful (!) rangoli. A  multi-colour (!) flower with multiple layers(!). Rangoli is kolam in Tamil, muggu in Telugu,  rangoli in Kannada,  rangavalli in Telugu .......There may have been differences in the method of drawing these designs in different  parts of India. 

What matters is they are all  a feast to the eyes. Flower rangoli designs are used a lot in free hand and rangoli with dots.  Usually a floral  rangoli is  divided into eight parts with eight petals, some how this turned up with seven!

                                                  

 

A similar rangoli I drew at the entrance during Sankranti muggulu season , of course before Sankranti

Rangoli with circular design  a simple design for Sankranti

            

 

The next rangoli is a beautiful design inspired by circular or wheel patterns.  Draw the long triangles around the circles.

 At the base of the triangle add the patterns as shown.  Finally draw the curved lines in the opposite direction. .  Adding white lines after filling the colours gives a totally different effect to the rangoli.


The  same rangoli  in the previous stage.. A beautiful and symmetrical rangoli that resembles a wheel.  Draw the central triangular patterns coloured in pink and grey.  On the arms draw floral patterns and leaf designs above them.  It is as if the leaf is protecting the floral designs. 

 Add some simple curved lines with white rangoli powder.  While the leaves appear to be anti-clockwise the white patterns are clockwise to give a unique effect to the rangoli. Suitable as a simple rangoli for Diwali.  

Many simple and colourful rangoli for Diwali Navratri festivals

Such colourful rangoli can also be drawn for New Year kolam or Pongal kolam

                                                            

This rangoli - can be made simpler by stopping it at an intermediate stage.

The rangoli above is another floral design with a circular pattern at the centre surrounded by petals as shown.  Around the rangoli a simple border is drawn upon which more flower petals are drawn.  The rangoli is filled with colours - all patterns and gaps are filled.  Some patterns are added at the centre in red to get the final image. 

It is  an augmented version of the previous rangoli shown in the photo above.  Consequently, the gamut of  possibilities is infinite for rangoli designs. This colourful design can be drawn for Sankranti rangoli design.

  The rangoli below is a beautiful floral design. First draw the a circle at the centre.Decorate with floral designs of three petals each on eight sides.  Then add a simple rangoli border along the periphery of the flowers.

Again above this border draw eight more floral patterns with three petals.  Draw another simple single line rangoli border around this rangoli.  Colour the rangoli with bright orange and other colours as shown.  I have tried different colours for the flower designs in the inner circle and the outer circle.
Fill the remaining gaps with green colour.  Fill the centre of the rangoli with grey or any other hue.  Draw some simple designs inside as shown to complete the rangoli. In case you want to draw this rangoli two images showing the intermediate steps before filling up the colours is shown above

This simple and colourful design suitable if you are looking for simple and easy New Year Kolam or Sankranti muggulu without dots

How to draw the rangoli shown above?   This is a floral free hand rangoli with a flower at the centre and flowers decorating the eight petals of the flower and completing it with some creeper or leaf like patterns.  The image above shows the completed rangoli after colours are applied.

In this the basic floral pattern at the centre is drawn and along the petal edges the design is expanded with more petals and floral designs to get the rangoli.  Further decorations are done with creeper like borders and the rangoli after filling with colours is as in the image shown above.

Another very simple free hand rangoli with very few colours (on the right  in this rangoli  the central square pattern drawn first and obviously, decorate the four sides of the squares with designs of our choice.  Then the gaps are filled with plain floral patterns.  Finally the central square filled with green rangoli powder is decorated with white rangoli powder by drawing some free hand designs.  Simple but attractive.
Two steps of the rangoli have been added - they show some intermediate steps

Colourful designs are sought after for some festivals and so these can be useful if you are looking for colourful kolam for Margazhi , colourful muggulu for Pongal or Diwali rangoli 

The rangoli has a geometric pattern at the base i.e hexagon surrounded on the six sides by patterns of our choice and the gaps filled with some simple spiral patterns resulting in the in the second image.  After filling with colours it looks more attractive.

Two images showing the intermediate stages of the rangoli

The  rangoli above has a pink floral design at the centre with many thin petals surrounded by a border along the contour of the flower filled with green colour.  

On four sides purple petals representing a part of a flower are drawn and they are surrounded by a pair of simple patterns as shown.  After filling with colours the rangoli is further decorated with  white rangoli powder as shown.

     The two images below show how the free hand rangoli drawn in the above design progresses.  The first image shows the circle at the centre with floral petal patterns on all four sides.  The second image shows the rangoli nearing completion.

Thamarai kolam basic design for learning 

It also possible to draw simple lotus designs in kolam.  One such version is shown below. Draw a star design at the centre using two inverted triangles.  Draw six lotus patterns around the star as shown.  Though it is simple it would be quite beautiful when completed.

More rangoli designs using straight lines

It is possible to draw rangoli designs with some straight lines, circles and other geometric patters like triangles.  One such design is shown above.  The step by step method for drawing the rangoli drawn above has not been added because this quite a simple and easy rangoli.

 However two versions of this design are shown above. this rangoli has been decorated with colours and some patterns inside and outside to get the final design.  First draw four parallel lines and then draw four parallel lines perpendicular to those drawn first.  Then join them as shown to get our rangoli.  Simple geometry and symmetry.

However viewing the video will give an idea as to how this free hand rangoli can be drawn and it is available on my YouTube channel.

The rangoli can be left plain as shown in design below.  The final rangoli results from addition of colourful lines parallel to the existing straight lines and the curved border designs as shown.  One more difference between the black and white design below and the colourful one above is the addition of dots around the spiral patterns. The combinations that can be got from a basic design are infinite. You can also choose your own combination of designs at the centre - it could be circles or small stars or floral petals.

                                                 
 

This is another stage of the plain rangoli and can also be used as a simple rangoli design with straight lines parallel and intersecting.  Quite an easy rangoli. Here again after drawing the lines one can choose any pattern in the centre ( remember playing tic tac toe !). We can choose any pattern on the outside too.
                           

  The scene outside the window of a fast moving train is very familiar to all of us.  We have seen different types of colourful birds sitting on the electric lines or flying around above the fields.  The rangoli above is an inspiration drawn from the birds.  

Since this is a rangoli design I have chosen some symmetric pattern - a number of pink colour petals and have drawn a bird sitting on each petal !.  Of course the three stages of the rangoli are also given for the benefit of those who want to practise.

While a bird rangoli with is a rangoli in the actual sense when it is colourful this rangoli represents a bird flying.  However I have stopped before filling the colours after adding some patterns in the wings and tail.

 Comparing both these designs will give us an idea on the effect of colours.  Plain and white rangoli designs are also beautiful in their own way. As in the case of many design two intermediate steps are also shown.

                             

                           

The next kolam is a simple bird design drawn free hand.  I have emphasised many times in the past that rangoli or kolam gives a lot of scope for imagination and the beauty of this art is the simplicity and hence exact depiction of birds or flowers is not the rule.  

Just have poets have licence to err grammatically and there is also what is called historical licence so also there has be an artistic licence in the case of kolam! (says my family ! ). So here is it is representation of a bird through a simple kolam.  

Start with the tail first drawing the two spirals .  Add curlicues to improve the beauty of the tail.  Add the third spiral and corresponding curlicues.  Draw the body of the bird, add the beak and crown. If required a few colours can be added. 

Though birds need addition of colours I have left this kolam plain for a change. The two images below are taken from my video and show two stages of this simple design.

                                                     

                          

Different  birds rangoli or kolam for Diwali

Probably one of the most beautiful and colourful birds is the bird of paradise.  ( My husband says he discovered(?) it when reading a Willard Price adventure book as a school going boy.  Without internet access children reading books were left to imagine how beautiful a bird is and relied solely on the description given by the author.  

This rangoli below is inspired by the Wilson's bird of paradise, particularly the tail but honestly it is a poor imitation of the bird's beauty or colour. Two intermediate stages in black and white.  This rangoli has been drawn free hand for Diwali 

                                            

Holidays ( summer or Navaratri or Christmas holidays - these are times when school going children have their holidays in Tamil Nadu ) are a wonderful time for kids to learn a new art and kolam should be accorded importance.  So another set of kolam designs for beginners and children .  

The videos for some of these kolam are available in my YouTube channel Rangolisansdots under the category - Basic rangoli for learning. 

The rangoli image on the top I have drawn in Rangoli-sans-dots for Varalakshmi Vratham.    A simple free hand design with similar motifs on four sides with four more between  them.  

Start with a spiral pattern at the centre surrounded by four more on four sides.  Expand the rangoli from here with three curved lines and around them draw the wing like design!      

More small floral rangoli designs for simple Sankranti rangoli

Two intermediate steps for the simple kolam in the image above.

The next kolam as the picture shows is a very simple rangoli with star design.  Star, swastik and floral designs are used to start a rangoli and we usually proceed from there according to our imagination.  First draw a star using two inverted triangles.

Then from the edges of the triangles draw six curved extensions connecting one edge to the other to obtain the final image.  A design that is regularly drawn at entrances and in puja mantaps because it is very simple.  The central pattern can be anything, a spiral, another small star.

Though it appears to be a very simple design the curved lines make the rangoli design very beautiful.

The kolam above, is also a simple kolam.  As usual as in most free hand rangolis, draw the central pattern and then draw the curved arms of different lengths between the petals and then add the finishing touches.

 In this rangoli I have added three arms but it will be al right to have even two.  The more the number of arms the more intricate it becomes.  

I have left it plain as in the image above.  Colours can also be added. Two pictures showing the intermediate stages are below the kolam.

As discussed already  for free hand kolam or rangoli designs sky is the limit for our imagination.  So we can expand the rangoli so long as there is space for drawing the design.

The  rangoli shows one more  step to expand the  previous rangoli by decorating with floral petals or leaf patterns.

A white and  plain kolam

This plain and white rangoli is the latest addition to this category.

 A (beautiful ) free hand floral design with five petal (instead of the usual four or eight petal designs ) with creepers or tendrils growing between the petals with more motifs or patterns on the periphery for decoration. Two intermediate stages are shown from a similar rangoli design.

Some portions of the border can also be decorated as shown in the kolam below

The kolamabove is a simple floral design with motifs of my choice.  The central floral design is drawn and petals of different shapes are used in red, green and pink colours to expand the kolam The gaps between the petals are filled with free hand designs as shown.

The entire kolam is filled with colours and further decorated with simple straight lines, white in colour and dots to get an entirely different effect on the rangoli and as usual two images with steps.

How to make easy rangoli designs for Diwali

Rangolisansdots has quite a few rangoli with dots and sans dots designs from the simple to the difficult that can be drawn for festivals like Diwali (Deepavali as we call it here ),

However for those who wish to learn and display a rangoli and find it difficult to make a rangoli with lines the rangoli shown in the following steps may be useful.

Place a pinch of rangoli and gently tap it to get a circle as shown in the first image.   Then place rangoli ( powder ) around this circle. I have chosen two colours pink and yellow is such a way as to get circles of decreasing diameter and gently tap to get the circles as shown in the image two.

Around this design and in the gaps obtain smaller circlesof yellow and indigo to complete the design.  We can add dots or points on the circles with white or any other colour to enhance the rangoli.  The result a quick and simple rangoli in a few minutes is ready.

An example of drawing or making a free hand rangoli for Diwali

This is a free hand rangoli , a simple design shown through a few steps

                                                            

 This stage ( the third one ) shows the double line being drawn around the central floral design                                

   The first and second stage of the rangoli                                                  

Now for some basic free hand rangoli ideas ( white rangoli ) without steps

The rangoli design on the right has eight floral petals drawn around a central point.  Curved line rangoli borders  to match the contour of the floral designs are drawn around the petal edges to get the rangoli.

The next one is a different type of floral or leaf design.  Between the leaves an arm with legs is extended to get a spiral effect. It is a part of a bigger design but has been added here due to the relevance

The rangoli design on the right - The steps are, first draw a star and decorate it with floral patterns.  Then add parallel lines to the original single line rangoli to get this pattern. ( It is also possible to draw rangolis with parallel lines drawn simultaneously).

The kolam image below   shows the basic double line or parallel line kolam design for drawing four petals.  It can be used on thresholds or entrances and for practising the basic double line designs. Rangoli-sans-dots   has some information on how to draw lines with rangoli powder (kolam podi as it is called in Tamil )   

                                                  

  How can we learn kolam or rangoli designs

We can draw them by referring to books that are available or websites like Rangoli-sans-dots ! First we should try simple designs  and slowly develop our skills.  It should noted that drawing in a note book is easier than drawing the design with rangoli ( powder ) because co-ordination among the index, middle fingers and thumb is needed in the case of the latter, while in the former the pen takes care of every thing.

However for practising any method can be followed

The design above is a very simple single line free hand rangoli and hence can be used on the doorways. It is evident from the image that a flower like pattern decorated with petals inside and curved lines outside.

   The kolam below, another simple design using lines, resulting in some simple geometric shapes, with some simple patterns around - the result a simple kolam that can be drawn at the entrance of our house.                                                

  These designs are usually a part of a bigger rangoli.  I have limited these to at this stage and categorised them as simple rangolis.  

Such designs are available elsewhere in Rangoli-sans-dots.

Of course all the rangolis above ( we all know rang in rangoli means colour) can be made more attractive with colours added.

                              

The rangoli design above is one of central designs of a larger free hand version.  I have limited it at this stage so that it can used as an apartment kolam design.  As is evident from the image it has four motifs on the four sides and it left white and plain. Drawing curved lines comes with practice.

Colourful rangoli or vanna kolangal some simple designs for ideas for central designs for Pongal kolam 

     This part of this article on rangoli designs initially had only two rangoli.  Over the weeks new designs have been added or others drawn elsewhere in rangoli-sans-dots brought under this category to make it more user friendly.

The first rangoli below is a simple free hand type with spiral patterns as the main theme.  Draw the central design with four sides and above the edges draw spiral patterns.  Spiral designs are also drawn in the gaps on the periphery. A simple flower with four petals is drawn at the centre.  Colour the rangoli with various hues as shown.  With white rangoli powder added some simple patterns or lines to get the final design.

Though the images above show a simple plain design the image with colours added gives an attractive appearance to the rangoli. These rangoli can be useful if you are looking for  small easy free hand rangoli designs and  medium size easy free hand rangoli designs. They can also be categorised as kolam without dots  as there are many free hand kolam designs !                                              

The rangoli above is very simple free hand design with a floral centre expanded along the petals with some patterns. The flower is drawn by drawing elliptical shaped patterns around a centre ( similar to an atom ! ).   Fill the gaps with designs of your choice.  In this case I haved added some v shaped lines with a petal or leaf at the top because I thought that it would match with the central pattern. 

 Adding colours to the rangoli makes it more attractive.  The second rangoli on the top left is also a simple free hand type with spiral patterns as the main theme.  Draw the central design with four sides and above the edges draw spiral patterns.  Spiral designs are also drawn in the gaps on the periphery. 

A simple flower with four petals is drawn at the centre.  Colour the rangoli with various hues as shown.  With white rangoli powder added some simple patterns or lines to get the final design. Though the images above show a simple plain design the image with colours added gives an attractive appearance to the rangoli. The two images in black and white show the steps to draw this very simple rangoli without dots

Rangoli is also called kolam or muggulu or rangavalli .....

Muggulu for Navratri 

Free hand simple colourful muggu for Sankranti

The rangoli design below has a central spiral design surrounded by spiral patterns. This is expanded with floral petals and leaves on the edges of the petals.

  After applying colours inside and outside the result we get is the simple but beautiful rangoli as in the image below. This design can also be left without colour)  plain rangoli as designs for practising colouring i or as an activity to fill up colours.

Comparing one with other will help us realise what difference colours can make to a rangoli.  For those who may wonder why one should leave a muggu plain without colours, in Tamil Nadu there is a tradition of drawing rangoli ( kolam as it is called here ) daily in the morning, usually at day break.  Many draw them in the evening too.

This is quite a simple mugguli design, the addition of so many colours have made it unique and beautiful.  ( This is the view of some of the viewers in social media ).  Two steps for this rather quick and easy design are in the images below.  I think they are self explanatory

The colourful muggu above in the plain and white muggu stage that may be useful for colouring activity for kids. Compare both the images for adding colours or add them according to (y)our imagination.

The plain muggu without colours for drawing  for adding colours after comparing with  the colourful image.

Colourful  rangoli stickers in various sizes and designs are now available.

However, the  satisfaction one gets by drawing rangolis routinely or for special occasions like festivals, marriages...It is painful when I notice only stickers being  used at the entrance and in all rooms instead of  the customary rangoli / kolam.

Stickers should supplement this art but should not replace it. If time is a constraint  simplest designs at the entrance should suffice. That is the primary reason for providing hundreds of simple designs in Rangolisansdots .

simple colourful muggu without dots for Sankranti

A simple muggu with floral motifs and other designs.  The effect of filling up the rangoli design with (used) rangoli powder gives it a more attractive look. 

How to draw it? First draw the flower design at the centre.  Arount the flower add patterns as shown in the image.  Expand the muggu further with petals of various sizes.  Finally enclose the design in a simple border with straight lines with some patterns added on it.  Add colours  the petals and other designs with colours of your choice.  Fill the remaining gaps with rangoli powder. 

 If this is not enough, decorate the design with white rangoli  on the outside and in the central floral design and around it on the green back ground. What we get is a really attractive muggu

colourful chukkala leni muggulu / rangoli for Diwali - a simple idea

The white rangoli on the left can be compared to get an idea how just adding a few colours totally changes the outlook of the muggu.  Having said this white rangoli have their own beauty ( Hope my statements are not contradictory or confusing ! ).  I have also added it here so that it can be useful for colouring activity.

The design in the image above is a spontaneous design.  All free hand rangoli are usually drawn spontaneously and may change as one draws it. 

 The ideas in the mind as they occur pan out into a design on the floor.  Coming to the rangoli / muggu above, draw the central simple pattern at the centre and on four sides at right angles draw the patterns as shown. 

 Between any two draw the pattern in green and yellow combination.  Finally decorate the design with floral petal like motifs to complete the rangoli. 

 Of course we can expand it further if required.  The yellow - green  and the blue -pink combinations enhance the appearance of the design. The black and white images give an idea about the steps involved in this simple yet awesome design.

Free hand rangoli  without steps with colours ideas for simple Sankranti rangoli

These rangoli designs may be useful if we are looking for small designs for Navratri ,  Diwali or New Year

The free hand  rangoli in the series of colourful simple free hand rangoli designs without .  An improved version of the same rangoli is also available below.  It is a free hand kolam design as like many rangolis in this post.  

The blue and yellow combination for the central diya pattern and the green and orange combination for the leaf/petal design on the top adds to the attractiveness of the rangoli.

.  This is also a very simple floral free hand rangoli and is an improvement of the previous one.  Draw the basic design with white rangoli powder.  Draw petals as shown, an eight petal flower.  Around this flower draw the outline twice.

 Fill the design with petals with two colours, blue and red in this case.  I think we can take the liberty of filling the colours we like without any restrictions.

Hence the petals are of different colours in this rangoli.  Fill the two outer borders with red and then pink.  I have drawn some arrow shaped designs along the border.  We can add leaves or any other designs on these arrows.  I have not done so, for a change.

 Finally decorate with simple patterns on the petals and on the border with white rangoli powder.  . ( Where do I draw these is the million  dollar question on the minds of my friends and relatives when they give their feedback.  I find that there are many clues in the images themselves.)

                                                  


The rangoli on the top is a simple free hand kolam or rangoli  with many petals.  It is quite simple and easy to draw this design.  Add a few colours along the lines of the rangoli without filling up the entire rangoli to finish it in no time.  

Such designs can be used regularly since they are not time consuming. Simple patterns can be added between the petals they may be just some patterns or leaves, tendrils or anything related to petals to improve the rangoli design.

The rangoli design next ( above this design ) is a simple but beautiful floral design that can be drawn in a very short time. 

 Draw the basic design with intersecting lines.  From there draw simple petals and draw bigger petals above these petals.  On the edge of the bigger petals draw some floral motifs. Also fill the gaps between with flower or any other design of your choice.  Apply colours to the muggu by drawing colourful lines parallel to the  design drawn with white rangoli  (powder ).  Add some simple white dots around  to decorate further.  

White rangoli can also be used to decorated the areas filled with colours.  The final result is the image shown above.

The  rangoli on the top  has a floral design at the centre with four petals.  The flower further decorated with a simple motif on the top each petal.  Then the gaps between the petals are filled with leaf patterns.

The rangoli is first drawn in white (using rangoli powder) then the colours are added to the flowers and to the motifs.  The entire design can be filled with colours or just the inside of the lines can be augmented with colourful lines.

The  rangoli is also a simple floral design with decorations on all four sides and between the petals with a simple border surrounding it. Fill up the gaps with any one colour of our choice.  This has to be done carefully and patiently to avoid colour spilling onto the already drawn design.  However the result will be very attractive.

Kolam or rangoli can also filled with very bright colours as shown in the free hand rangoli below.  Some may feel it is bright some may feel that it is too bright.  Any way the pink and blue combination at the centre, and the yellow and green combination outside makes it look different.

                                    

The next kolam design in this series above.  It has four blue floral buds.  First the rhombus at  the centre is drawn along the four edges the flower buds are drawn and between them the patterns shown in  the photo above.  The plain white design is then decorated by filling various colours. 

The rangoli below similar to a plain rangoli drawn earlier in Rangolisansdots  -  that was with parallel lines. while this design has been drawn with a single line. The central design is expanded with arms curved outwards to get the rangoli design.  The ends of the arms are decorated with motifs that are shaped like a bunch of grapes. 

Eight arms and eight bunches of fruits (not grapes because the colours added are different) or flowers  filled with suitable colours to get the rangoli in the image.  This is further enhanced with green colour lines drawn parallel  in white rangoli powder.  The entire design is covered with a simple border with white and pink lines along the grapes (or flowers) and the rangoli is complete.

                                                              

The  rangoli.   Draw curved designs between the arms at the centre.  Above these draw floral patterns on the top.  The area between the curved designs is filled with simple border like designs.  Finally fill with bright coloured lines to get the  the image above.  In both rangoli, the background can be filled with a bright colour to complete the rangoli.

   

The  rangoli below a simple lamp pattern.  A simple design is drawn at the centre and at the edges diyas are drawn free hand.  The rangoli is filled with pink and green partitions at the centre.  As usual yellow and red colours are used for the diyas.  The earthen lamp are coloured with purple colour for a change instead of the usual brown.  

The rangoli below obviously has a triangular pattern at the centre.  Floral designs were added at the edges but it seemed to be too simple. So I added three more designs at the centre of each side.  While the pattern at the edges have three lobes the one at the centre has two lobes.  Finally colours and a few leaf like designs are added to get this simple rangoli. Using just a triangle and making use of the edges of the triangle and sides we can get a simple but meaningful (!) rangoli.
                                         

                         

.The next rangoli design a free hand rangoli type with a simple pattern at the centre with four petal like formations.  Some floral motifs are drawn on the outside with curved lines between.  Colourful lines are added at the centre and on the floral designs and curved lines to complete this simple free hand design. This may be suitable for first timers or learners of rangoli who are looking for simple designs.

                                 

The design on the top jas four (isosceles right angled triangles ! ) drawn as shown in the image below.  Petals are drawn around these triangles, eight of them.  From the flower small flowers with three petals are drawn around the central  pattern.  A simple border with a couple of  dis-continuous curved lines are drawn.  I have used only pink colour for the design  The border are decorated with white and pink lines.

Another free hand rangoli with just two colours white and pink similar to the rangoli above   It is quite a simple design.  Draw the central flower and add more petals between the petals as shown in the image.  On the outside (periphery) add more three petal floral designs.  Only pink colour is added to the plain design.. 

This rangoli is  (as usual) free hand  with  colours. This called the  "mango" type (motifs used in designs - Paisley )  But my daughter disagrees.   She says that the the four smaller patterns in red look like sting rays!  This only proves that we have to imitate  nature.  We can never beat nature.  So better, we join  it. As they say if you can't beat them better to join them.  It is very true in the case of nature. To draw this muggu first the central floral portion should be drawn with four petals then the design is expanded above the petals with the pattern with curved lines.  The gaps between are filled with "sting rays".The flower the centre has been filled with green colour.  An additional pattern in brown has been added to each petal.  The outer pattern is filled with pink and blue lines to make it bright and attractive.  A simple rangoli.

simple cololourful kolam with simple designs that can be drawn for Navratri kolu or Dasara 

This rangoli /muggu image was taken at an odd angle by my daughter, probably that is why it looks different. It is a complete floral rangoli with a flower at the centre decorated with floral petals the whole design in a bigger flower.  The flowers are filled with colours and the outer flower design is filled with used rangoli powder saved by me.  Some decorations on the edge of petals and at the centre with white powder have been added after the colours were filled up.  The result is the image above. 

Draw a circle surrounded by petals that are pink and purple in colour.  Join the edges of the petals to form another circle.  On the circumference draw petals that are later filled with green orange and dark pink colours.  Finally draw the outermost floral pattern with number of petals matching those in the flower inside.  Fill the gaps with rangoli powder of your choice.  Add white patterns at the edges of the outer designs to complete the rangoli for the Navratri golu or kolu

The next rangoli design, a free hand type with a square centre, decorated with various designs on the four sides surrounded by a floral border and lines and dots.  Fill up the centre with different colours and add some patterns with white colour.  A simple but beautiful rangoli

Another simple rangoli design in the image below.  Adding a few colours enhances the appearance of the rangoli not that it is not attractive when it is left white and plain

simple rangoli with simple designs that can be drawn for Navratri kolu or Dasara                  

The rangoli is a simpe design with a floral design at the centre surrounded by six arms. Free hand decorations at the edge of each arm with spiral designs and leaves are drawn to make it more attractive. These are coloured with green, obviously.  Flower and leaf combination are used quite a lot in free hand designs.  The ends of the arms are decorated with lines and dots.  The colours are not actually filled but drawn parallel to the existing design The blue line is drawn on the outside parallel to the rangoli outer line.  This needs to be done carefully so that both the lines do not touch.  Finally spiral patterns with a few dots are drawn inside the rangoli near the outer edge as shown.  All these enhance the beauty to  what would have been an otherwise very basic design.

The muggu below, another free hand design.  The central multi-petal design forms the base for this.  Decorated with simple patterns between the petals, adding the right colours and method (either filling up or additional colourful lines ) results in this naturally symmetrical design.  This is a colourful rangoli of one drawn in one of the first posts showing how to make a rangoli ( or muggu)

The rangoli above is a very colourful rangoli using swastik as the base.  Draw a swastik first and another one overlapping the first one to get eight arms of two swastiks.  Expand along the arms with simple designs on each arm to draw the rangoli.  Colour all the arms brown ( any colour can be used.  The designs at the top of the arms are filled with bright colours like orange, yellow and green.  I have used each colour for opposite arms.  A single colour that matches with brown can also be used to get the final design.  Place some dots along the extended arms.  The design can be stopped here or can be further enhanced by filling the gaps with some motifs and drawing borders around the rangoli.  The options are infinite.  Also the entire background can be filled with a suitable bright colour.  Swastik is regularly used in rangolis.

                                     

 In this series of Kolam ( rangoli ) designs many are colourful ones and so another one  in black and white with its colourful companion so that we can compare the effect of adding colours on the kolam.  It is quite a simple one expanded from a few intersecting lines.  Of course it will look more attractive with colours and that is in .....    So what is the best kolam design for a festival or occasion.  Kolam means beauty so there is no design than can be termed as the best.  All kolam designs are equally good, one better than the other!     The basic design at the centre decorated with spiral borders and they in turn have mini petal or leaves as borders around.  Finally an encompassing border matching the contours formed due to the petals to add beauty to the kolam.

How to draw a double or two line rangoli / kolam designs  

Rangoli  flows between the index finger and middle finger, pushed by the thumb. - draw parallel lines and the design grows with patterns formed.   

Drawing rangoli / making double lines rangoli  

 This is the second example showing or teaching how a rangoli grows or expands from a basic design

 The first design above is probably the simplest free hand rangoli one can draw with parallel lines.  It consists of four petals at right angles to each other.

 The first rangoli has been expanded with two additional petals on all sides.  The top of each petal decorated with a simple double line pattern.  Definitely , a design that can be drawn at doorways or in puja rooms.

The third design below is formed by adding  parallel line designs connecting all  four sides of the previous rangoli to get this design.  Though it has more patterns than the previous one it is definitely not more attractive in my opinon.
 Hence the fourth rangoli with colours added with orange,yellow and green for the outer side and blue and pink colours for the petals to get a complete rangoli.   Notice the difference in appearance of the third and fourth rangolis after adding colours.  That is why colourful rangolis are more beautiful. 

This  is similar to the previous rangoli where I had drawn three rangolis starting from  the basic rangoli and expanded from  it.  It is easier to add colours to a parallel lines design. However care should be  taken that the colour lines do not interesect the white lines. ( I write with everybody in mind including beginners,  so I request  you not to take offense when I discuss the basics). The rangoli / kolam can be left plain or can be filled with a few colours to get a beautiful kolam but a simple one that we can try for festivals like Pongal

Double line kolam are special kolam designs because drawing two separate lines with kolapodi needs some practice, the method has been discussed here.  Such special rangoli can be drawn for special festivals that are associated with kolam like Navratri , Diwali.    A similar  kolam with same central design is shown below with a different colour combination.  The beauty of this type of kolam is that adding colours through colourful lines matching the contours of the lines gives a such an effect that the kolam becomes very attractive by spending a few minutes. This is definitely one for New Year kolam or Margazhi kolam designs.  Such colorful kolam can also be drawn for Pongal kolam or Sankranti muggulu

The  kolam above  is one those that was regularly drawn by my mother. A very simple kolam that can be drawn very quickly.  It has petals on four sides and also in the gaps between any two of them.  The outer edge of each petal has some simple designs, symmetrical.  Only two colours blue and brown have been added to get this beautiful kolam.

Rangoli | double line double colour | Navratri and Diwali special | Innovative rangoli designs

This different muggu or kolam can be tried for Pongal kolam or Sankranti muggulu.

This is a rather difficult type of kolam and is quite uncommon because it is not easy. 

While rangoli themselves are beautiful, rangoli drawn with parallel lines are even more beautiful.  Parallel lines in rangoli can be drawn in two ways - drawing them simultaneously or drawing them separately.  Drawing two lines separately so that they form parallel lines is simpler for smaller designs.  Drawing the rangoli lines in parallel - simultaneously can be used for smaller and bigger designs.  If you have been following Rangoli-sans-dots you would have observed that rangoli with parallel lines is my weakness.

I have already explained how this is done.  Just to have a recap - rangoli powder is taken between the index and middle fingers.  Using the thumb, the index and middle fingers allow the rangoli powder to flow between the middle and index fingers ( one line ) and on the outside of the thumb ( second parallel line ).  The distance between the middle and index fingers depends upon how comfortable we are with the process.

This post is based on a video in my YouTube Channel on how to draw parallel lines of two different colours.  The result is a rangoli with parallel lines of two different colours.  If drawing parallel lines in rangoli is (relatively) difficult, drawing two different colours is (relatively) more difficult.  There are a few rangoli designs that I have drawn using this method in Rangoli-sans-dots - some sikku kolam, Hridaya kamalam and free hand designs.

  Since the video on this subject is quite popular in my Channel - Rangolisansdots ( and I am pleasantly surprised ) I thought of adding the method through a series of photos here. 

For drawing double  lines ( in this case I have not used straight lines ) of two different colours, once we are comfortable with drawing double lines with a single colour and that is usually white, we can try this.  The most important factor is that we should not try to remember that we are drawing two colours i.e we should try not be conscious of this fact as we may falter because we will be worried whether the two colours will mix.  

Choose two convenient colours - contrast is usually good or white and any other colour.  I have used yellow and orange so that the visibility is better in the images.  Pick the first colour in this case yellow, with your middle finger.   Hold the rangoli powder with your thumb so that it does not fall.  Now with the other finger i.e the index finger pick the other colour i.e orange in this case in such a way that yellow is close to the gap between the fore finger and middle finger and orange is a little away from yellow.  This is shown in the third image.  Then hold both the colours with the thumb.  Push the rangoli powder as is done in the normal double line type - allow the yellow rangoli powder to flow between the index finger and middle finger and push the orange colour with the thumb so that it falls on the outside of the index or fore finger.  The result two lines as shown in the photo at the top.  

This method should be initially used for drawing simple designs with a few straight lines before we venture into other designs.  I have tried some rangoli using this method including the Hridaya kamalam and a simple sikku kolam.  Videos of these rangoli are on my channel Rangolisansdots.  Do try it and give your feed back in the form of comments. If you have difficulty please follow the video "how to draw parallel lines in rangoli " from my channel.  That may be helpful in trying this variety of rangoli designs too.
Anyway please give your feedback.

                                        

                                         

Highly creative rangoli designs using this special technique that is rare in rangoli making because it is some what difficult to use this method

This rangoli has been drawn using the above method i.e drawing parallel lines with two colours.  . Drawing a rangoli or kolam with parallel lines requires some practice.  Drawing parallel lines with two different colours requires more practice.  What is important is picking the colours and allowing the rangoli powder to flow through the fingers.  Once it is achieved the lines as shown in the thumbnail above can be drawn. The colour combination including yellow makes suitable for festivals like Basant Panchami for which yellow is an important colour.

Using this unique technique, a rangoli with blue and yellow lines - in the image below. The result a totally different type of rangoli. What I have tried is a very simple pattern.  We can draw more intricate patterns. What we need is patience and concentration so that we do not miss the order of picking up the colours depending upon the pattern to be drawn.

Sankranthi muggulu / Diwali rangoli

Festivals like Sankranthi ( Pongal ) and Diwali demand different and new ideas and sometimes difficult rangoli or muggu designs.  The rangoli below has been drawn using the two lines two colour method .  We can try this type for important festivals to show off !

After a break after Sankranti, I am back with a free hand rangoli for Republic Day.  I have chosen  three colours orange,  white and green.  The orange and green parallel  lines are drawn first.  They have to be drawn  simultaneously.  If it is difficult they may be drawn separately.

Through different methods or types of rangoli or possible for these two days I prefer to use the three colours white, orange and green to symbolically represent these very important days in India.  The rangoli below a free hand design with two parallel lines ( I have used them quite a lot ) drawn in white.  The design is as usual a floral design with layers of petals expanding the rangoli from the centre.  On the border some spiral patterns and petals are drawn.  Fill up the design with orange and green choosing the colours to get this  design.

The central star design is drawn with green and orange lines drawn parallel simultaneously.  Along the star design floral petals are drawn again with the two colours. Above the petals spiral patterns are drawn again with same colours.  Then the white colour is drawn between the green and orange colours.  The rangoli is also decorated with orange, white and green lines and dots as shown. This type of rangoli can be drawn for Independence Day also.

The image above shows an intermediate version of a parallel lines kolam design drawn with two different colours which though rare is now quite common in many posts of Rangoli-sans-dots.  Holding the rangoli powder and drawing the colours needs some practice.

Drawing two parallel lines of the same colour comes with practice.  Drawing two parallel lines of different colours is difficult.  We have to pick the two colours one by one carefully to see that they do not mix when they are picked or when they flow between the fingers for drawing the rangoli. The video showing how to pick two different colours to draw a rangoli has been added in my YouTube channel. The third line is added as shown in the image on the right.  It is easier to draw three parallel lines of the same colour when compared to drawing three lines of different colours - but for our theme on Independence Day or Republic Day we need three colours and so the constraint

On the top a simple freehand rangoli with parallel lines but of two different colours for Margazhi kolams. (Margazhi is still  not over!).  The lines have been drawn simultaneously, as we do in plain rangolis with parallel lines but we have to use rangoli powder of two colours.  It can be expanded with designs using white rangoli  powder also.  Two images showing the stages in drawing this rangoli

Drawing a circular design to perfection is difficult and so may use a piece of chalk and a thread to draw concentric circles of various radii  that are filled with colours and designs to get the beautiful designs that we see.  I understand that traditionally five fingers are used to draw the designs.  However I try these designs following the traditional method of drawing kolam i.e using the index finger and middle finger.

Smaller circles can be drawn by hand as shown in the images below and where we feel that circles are not perfect we can fill with rangoli to make up for our errors in drawing a perfect circle ! As a result the circle in image three ( in blue ) is better than the one in image one !

          

                            

Rangoli designs - theme - mandala or circular patterns for Pongal kolam or Sankranti muggu

The word mandala or mandalam(in Tamil ) has many meanings - a circle, a halo, a cycle of  40 or 48 days or the circumference of a circle. (There may be other meanings also).   Since the theme is primarily rangoli, let us confine our discussion to rangoli patterns or designs.  I find that the terms mandala or rangoli are freely used for rangoli designs in many countries outside India just as we use rangoli or kolam in India.  Since the word mandala is related to circle, let us have some circular designs as theme in this post.

To draw a mandala type or circular designs - draw a small circle and around this circle draw a number of concentric circles.  Since these circles are hand drawn using three fingers and with rangoli ( powder ) our limitations in drawing a perfect circle will be seen.  Alternatively we can mark the circles using geometric aids or a piece of chalk tied to a thread by drawing a number of concentric circles after holding one end of the string at what will be the centre of the circles.  After drawing the circles the route along the circles marked with pieces of chalk can be over written with rangoli.  I prefer the former method usually because I feel it gives a more naturalistic appearance to the rangoli.

After drawing the circles fill the central circle and the annular portions around it with patterns of your choice.  Care should be taken that the repeated patterns are as evenly placed as possible so that the patterns appear to be spread out symmetrically.

Finally I have added four lotus patterns on the periphery on four sides and the result is the mandala type rangoli seen in the final figure.  We can add colours to the patterns if we want.  The final image some what resembles the Chakra type rangoli or kolam we use in some rangoli designs.

                                                 

For bigger designs where more circles are required we can use a piece of chalk tied to a thread or use circular objects of different diameters to get the concentric circles.  While it is easy to draw circles by both methods, care must be taken when using circular objects of different diameters to get concentric circles. In the circular rangoli design below, I have used circular objects of different diameters. After filling the colours draw the patterns.  The small circular patterns on pink colour are obtained by flattening the powder using the index finger.

 The completed rangoli after drawing some free hand patterns outside.

Drawing a circular shaped rangoli for Diwali

This example shows how a free hand rangoli evolves from a basic design.  

Another method of obtaining a circular shape in a rangoli is shown in the images below. Draw number of intersecting lines in even number the more the lines the closer they are and easier it is to get a circular shape.From these lines draw floral petals as shown in the second image.  Finally fill the gaps between the petals with simple patterns to get a near circular shape. Fill it with contrasting colours blue orange yellow and pink and the result is a totally different colourful and beautiful mandala or rangoli

circular type of rangoli using floral petals - different but simple for Diwali or Sankranti

Two intermediate stages of the rangoli one at the beginning and one when it is nearing completion.

The floral petal pattern at the centre can be drawn with 8 petals, 16 petals and 32 petals depending upon the surrounding patterns we use.  In this rangoli I have used thirty two petals at the centre.  This is done by drawing eight petals around a circle, then drawing eight more between any two petals resulting in sixteen petals.  Again draw 16 more petals between any two petals to get 32 petals. Such thin lines are drawn for ezhai kolam designs in which we have patterns formed with ezhai like ( strand of a thread of string ! ) lines.

An example of an ezhai kolam I drew at the entrance during Navratri 

                                    

After a circular rangoli design

Semi circular rangoli using mehndi patterns

The design on the left is a semi circular pattern.  Start from the centre with the spiral pattern.  Draw the leaf like designs.  Next add the border along the leaves so that it forms a floral pattern.  The small creeper like designs are added and finally finished with a semi circle adorned with what we call mango designs (something similar to Paisley design but very simple the degree of intricateness being very less).  Add some more lines and patterns to enhance the beauty.  We can develop it further if required. Two intermediate stages of this rangoli - below. This design can also be used if we are looking for a different kolam design for Margazhi.

and a part of a circle ( or sector of a circle ) in a corner rangoli design with sanskar bharthi style patterns

Corner rangoli designs can refer to sanskar bharti rangoli designs too that are drawn in the corner as also rangoli border designs.  In the image above, a sample of sanskar bharti rangoli that is part of a circle.  The advantage of these types is that once you fill the back ground with colours ( I do it the traditional way only and do not use filters  - so the difference may be seen ) we can fill the colourful background with beautiful free hand designs in white colour.  

Simple Sanskar Bharti rangoli for Diwali

A few ideas for simple Sanskar Bharathi rangoli designs for Diwali 

Simple Sanskar Bharti rangoli designs drawn with traditional method of drawing kolam

Sanskar Bharti rangoli is another famous type of rangoli that is quite popular in Maharastra.  In Tamil Nadu we draw the rangoli and fill it with colours, in this type we fill the colours to provide a background or carpet first.  One or more colours are used.  The rangoli is then drawn free hand with white rangoli powder. Though it was originally drawn only with fingers, now accessories like tea filter to spread the background and accessories to draw the white rangoli are used.  However I have tried with hand filling the colours in the background with fingers, the way we fill colours for kolam or rangoli.  First semi-circular or circular patterns are drawn. I have tried semi-circular patterns and later will venture into circular and square background patterns.

Draw a semi-circular lines with blue colours to delineate the colours.  Now fill the band between the blue lined with blue colour and the bottom with orange colour rangoli powder.  The back ground is ready and we are free to draw free hand designs according to our imagination.  In the first image I have drawn some simple patterns with the orange region and then expanded it to the blue region.


The second sanskar bharati design has a semi circular carpet with rangoli powder of red, pink and blue colours.  From the bottom start with a free hand lotus that is decorated with spiral designs and lines and dots to get an attractive rangoli
 The third rangoli sanskar bharti type is an improvement of the second as is evident from the image.  I have added some spiral, curved and straight lines outside the carpet to get an even more shall I say beautiful sanskar bharti rangoli. 

This series has semi-circular or half circle type Sanskar Bharti type rangoli designs
Instead of the usual method of filling the colours in the semi-circles using a tea filter ( the semi- circles or circles are drawn with a piece of chalk tied to a thread ) I have followed the method I usually follow for filling colours with fingers.  The picture below demonstrates it.

Mandala type free hand rangoli

A free hand rangoli with arms radiating from the centre resulting in a near circular shape and hence a mandala design !..  Draw a circle at the centre from that draw curved arms radiating from the circle.  I have drawn eight arms.  Enhance the image with more curved arms encircling the rangoli.  Fill the outside with grey rangoli  .  The inner arms are filled with red and light green colours as shown.  Four arms have a major portion filled with red and the other four have a major portion filled with green.  Finish the rangoli by adding more patterns with white kolam powder.  

                                                           

                                            

  

Square pattern at centre in rangoli 

After the simple geometric patterns including,  circule, semi circule square centre is also commonly used in rangoli.

The next two rangoli designs have a square pattern at the centre filled with colours.  Some free hand designs are added inside the square and the four sides are decorated with more free hand patterns. The difference between the two is that in the first rangoli only white has been used white in the other pink and green have been used but I feel the one with patterns in white is more attractive !

                                                         

A simple beautiful rangoli steps included

Flower kolam without dots with leaves for Pongal

   

Many kolam in Rangoli-sans-dots are drawn without any preparation. Very few finishing touches are given. All are of the 'no frills' type.  The idea is to get an image as one would when she/he draws on the floor.I felt that this method  would  ensure  that the images uploaded are congruous with or closer to to our real life. Above, one more rangoli for the upcoming festival season,  a combination of petals and leaves. As stated elsewhere, we have to borrow a lot from nature for our rangoli designs - flowers, leaves, birds are usually used for our designs. Draw the flower design at the centre with seven petal.  From each petal draw leaves extending outward with three smaller leaves extending inward.   All the leaves are interconnected with simple patterns in blue.  The flower is filled with pink colour and leaves, obviously, green.  Some simple patterns at the centre and circles around the circumference complete the rangoli.  The gaps that are seen can also be filled with a bright colour..  We can also decorate the periphery with designs using white rangoli powder. or with any other colour/colours to suit this design.  The options are many.

In this series of rangoli with petals and leaves in the theme - nature, yet another free hand rangoli designs joins this group.  The rangoli design below, I mean.  Draw the rhombus shape at the centre ( if start with some simple geometric patterns we should not have a starting problem !).  Decorate the four edges with three petal flowers.  Between the flowers the leaves grow out on either side.  The leaves are coloured green and all the pink designs are floral petals!.  Complete the design with a border in pink and white as shown with the lines matching the contours of the designs.  The gaps can also be filled up with a suitable colour to get a more awesome rangoli design.  Some patterns are added at the centre in orange.

                                     

  

Rangoli design free hand floral pattern for Sankranti

This rangoli design  a very colourful and hence beautiful free hand design that has been added for joyfully celebrated festivals like Navratri and Diwali.  It is a kolam design with flowers as a theme and obviously flowers have to be very colourful. However I have taken the liberty of adding different colours to the petals.  From the image, the central floral rangoli with pink and green petals is surrounded by another flower with orange petals.  The outer side is decorated with petal or leaf like designs decorated with spiral patterns and colourful lines on the top.  Between these two is a simple border with a mixture of orange , pink and purple colours to get the colour that is somewhat close to purple. A colourful free hand rangoli design with floral petals.    

                                   

The next rangoli that is simple, drawn free hand has a spiral centre to begin with.  I have drawn eight petals from this.  The edges of the petals are decorated as shown.  The area between the petals is also filled with various designs.  The final image after adding colours represents a simple floral pattern, I think.

      

  The  kolam design shown above is of course a free hand pattern drawn using many patterns and motifs combined using our imagination.  The final rangoli with decorated with colourful lines along the designs to get this simple design.

The kolam  above depicts a kumbha type lamp that is lighted in temples of Tamil Nadu when aarti is performed.  A free hand design with 15 jyoti shown on one side i.e the front view with some simple floral decorations at the base and simple borders outside.  The entire design is filled with brown, blue and green colours as shown.  Start drawing from the base and proceed to the top.

The free hand rangoli has a variation of curved patterns at the centre.  Around this two types of designs are drawn/. They are drawn from one's imagination and cannot be thought of represent anything particular in nature.  Four of each design or pattern are drawn around the centrral design.  The outermost pattern is drawn with simple curved lines.  They are filled with red and blue colours alternately.  Finally, the  design is decorated with white lines on the outermost patterns and also where ever possible in the rangoli. Deepavali is a season for colourful rangoli or kolam however the white kolam version has also been added.

Theme - Diya rangoli for Diwali

                       

An image showing the intermediate step of the rangoli

 The next rangoli design is a free hand type that can be used as a rangoli or one of the elements can be used as a rangoli border.  I have given a sample representation of what can be a much bigger rangoli if required.  Actually, it consists of diya and floral patterns that appear alternately. The flowers have suitable colours while the diya has orange and blue colours to indicate the lights.    

The next kolam / rangavalli below is a diya design.  First the central design is drawn and is then surrounded with four diyas on four sides.  Fill the outline of designs with blue, green and pink colours.  For the lamp use orange colour and white lines to give an enhanced effect.. Diya or lamp designs are used quite a lot for special occasions and festivals like Diwali.  Rangavalli or rangoli drawn the traditional way only give a representative image of what we are trying to draw -birds, lamps, flowers.

                                   

Some simple colourful kolam designs for Deepavali festival to Pongal through New Year

This kolam / muggu without dots is using a single line as the post suggests (instead of the many designs that I have drawn with parallel lines).  Draw the intersecting straight lines to start drawing.  Draw the petals symmetrical about these lines so that the lines form ribs.  Around the flower draw patterns or motifs as shown.  Surround the design with a simple double line border with simple decorations on the top.  fill with different bright colours yellow, orange and green to complete it. This combination may also be used for Republic Day or Independence Day also. The kolam on the left in white for practising white kolam if required.

This post may be useful as a guide for learning teaching rangoli / kolam .  

Colourful Diwali rangoli  - free hand

The free hand kolam,  in the image below.  At the centre has a designn from elliptical  patterns, three numbers.  At the top of each spiral designs surrounded by a simple border are drawn.  From these eight floral patterns with petals filled with two colours are drawn.  They appear to carry the deepam like designs on the top.  After filling up of the colours, the kolam becomes more attractive.  The white kolam is also shown below.

Rangoli designs for Women's day theme through birds

The first rangoli is a free hand rangoli design with four birds ( that look like swans swimming in water !).  The base is a square pattern and hence four birds.  Add petal motifs inside and outside.  I have just sprinkled a few colours ( actually sprinkled and not filled up ) to complete this rather simple design

.  The second design is also a free hand design with six birds drawn around a six petal flower.  The gaps between the birds ( drawn upto the neck ) are also filled with pink floral petals.  The centre of the pink flower at the centre has some representations of the stamen of a flower. Two very simple rangoli designs for 

all occasions including Women's Day.

As we are all aware Women's day is celebrated on 8th of March every year. Last year the theme ( of United Nations ) was " Time for action to end violence against women ".  In 2014 the theme is ( Equality for women is progress for all ).  Since I am focussing primarily on rangoli designs I would like to draw some to celebrate this occasion.  The theme I have chosen is birds ( there are already quite a few in Rangoli-sans-dots ). In my opinion birds represent freedom, liberty.  Since Women's Day and liberty have a lot in common, some free hand and rangoli with dots for this special occasion.  This is also a tribute to the thousands of women in India who patiently, draw rangoli designs every day at dawn or in the morning to celebrate events, festivals to welcome guests and to feed ants, insects and birds ( when they are drawn with rice flour )

Mother's day                                         

Just like Women's day ,Mothers day is important to me because it was my mother who taught me to draw or make rangoli.  So for this Mothers Day I would like to draw a few in memory of my mother.  This design ( white and in colour ) for Mothers Day and my mother.  Parallel line patterns were her favourite types and she invariably used some of these patterns.  A simple pattern suitable for a much bigger design.

She was an expert in free hand designs and also in drawing big  designs.  When she was young she lived in Vijaya nagaram a small town near Vishakapattinam. Sankranthi also called Pedda Pandaga in Telugu was an important festival for her for rangoli and celebrations.

 I have shared some of her free hand designs  earlier .  Rangolisansdots is popular in its niche and I remember her with pride, gratitude for all she taught me - a simple rangoli for Mothers Day and my mother. I have uploaded a few hundred designs most of them simple, some of them colourful, a few big ones.   Of course, I will continue to add more,   There may be separate posts for rangoli for festivals , themes, beginners in the future too !

My daughter's gift for Mother's Day - a quilling card . Nice idea isn't it.

Paisely motif in rangoli / kolam - theme butterflies              

      Paisley designs are one of the most sought after patterns.  Not surprising that I have used a few so far in Rangoli-sans-dots.  It is called mango design in Tamil as it resembles a mango hanging from a tree. Paisley patterns are used in sarees ,  curtains, jewellery ( mango necklace is quite popular in Tamil Nadu ) and of course rangoli or kolam designs.  It is called mango design in Tamil .  While rangoli or kolam themselves are considered auspicious (rangoli are drawn daily in some parts of India at the entrance to welcome guests, to improve the ambience, colourful rangoli decorate the house on special occasions ) certain patterns that are part of a rangoli are also considered  favourable or bright and paisley designs, mango leaf

lotus are among them.  So this series of rangoli will focus on the use of paisley designs in rangoli ( and not jewellery at least not at present because a post on how to make artificial jewellery is long over due ).

The first rangoli  (free hand design ) is a simple example of how butterflies can be drawn using paisley motifs.  (Please note that when you use rangoli powder with your fingers you can achieve perfection as possible by us humans ).  Draw the eight paisley designs on four sides with a pair of designs forming one set of wings.  Since the thorax is already there formed due to the intersection of the paisley patterns add the head and the antennae.  The area at the centre is filled with colour and some floral patterns (after all butterflies and flowers have a symbiotic relationship ).  Fill the colours of the wings as you wish.  Nature has taken the liberty of giving beautiful and variety of colours to butterflies with so many different patterns on the wings.  So we can also take some liberty and add colours to the butterfly design.  

 Why do we draw rangoli using just white rangoli (powder )

Rangoli use  colours to draw lines or patterns and for filling up .  But some in Rangoli-sans-dots are drawn with white rangoli powder only.  This is because, while we can use  those with colours (!) for special occasions, the white ones can be used as customary rangoli.

Obviously, the time taken for colourful  patterns to be drawn  in more and hence  invariably can be done on holidays for festivals.  Of course, our spirits are also high on these days and hence we are  willing  to strain  ourselves more. Also there is a tradition of drawing kolam in Tamil Nadu daily for which white or plain rangoli designs without colour are used.

What do you do use to decorate a plain  or white rangoli ?

Plain rangolis can be filled with colours like  a colourful rangoli, or decorated with just one additional  colour as in a rangoli for Diwali. Of course for Diwali season they can be decorated with diyas inside the rangoli, around it or decorated with flowers .. the options are many.  Only our imagination is the limit.

. How to draw rangoli with rice flour or commercial rangoli  (powder )

The powder or flour is taken in the right hand and using the thumb and index finger the powder is sprinkled gently to form lines. With practice, straight lines, curved lines, patterns and motifs can be drawn

.Though there are different ways of drawing a rangoli using kolam podi ( or rangoli powder) is the method followed now.  Also we can mix  rice flour with rangoli powder  Change the ratio according  to your convenience  Use the thumb, index finger  and allow the powder to  flow between the thumb and forefinger to get  a line.  It comes with practice.

Rangoli-sans-dots so far - round up and updates

Many topics have been covered so far, (some have been updated, re-organised)  the idea is to make Rangoli-sans-dots as user friendly as possible and to cater to different interests..

Initially, kolam with parallel lines ( my forte or weakness )  simple ones with white rangoli powder were drawn in a few posts.  Popular among them is Rangoli -parallel lines.  Kolam with parallel lines drawn using rangoli powder and making use of the thumb, fore finger and index finger while drawing the kolam, to get the double line design as it also called.

By what ever name it is called a rose smells sweet similarly rangoli goes under the names, kolam  muggulu, rangavalli, alpona and many other names. Some designs have been categorised under muggulu 

Mehndi rangoli design and Sanskar Bharti rangoli are two important types of rangoli.  Mehndi rangoli design involves drawing designs that are very similar to henna or mehndi designs however on a floor with rangoli .  Sanskar Bharti rangoli are drawn on the floor with free hand designs with white rangoli powder drawn on a background created by sprinking rangoli .  Some articles are devoted to them.

Kolam making is an important part of many a festival celebration.  Navratri and Diwali are among them.  Almost all designs drawn so far under various categories have been free hand designs with a few kolam with dots.  However more kolam with dots designs are planned for the future.

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Of the many posts for Navratri kolam and Deepavali kolam, Diwali rangoli - theme diya ( For Diwali and Karthigai, both being festivals of lights in their own way, importance is given to diya or deepam designs ) and Navratri festival are a few.

Apart from these there are many free hand designs, simple and colourful 

Where there is a tradition of drawing kolam daily, the need for newer and different designs is more.  So some have been placed under apartment kolam and daily rangoli.  They are all simple with or without dots and plain and white designs.

Apart from these there are many more designs and categories in Rangolis sans dots. They are simple sikku kolam designs, rangoli or kolam borders, small rangoli or easy rangoli for beginners and quite a few plain and white rangoli designs that can be used for colouring activities.