Kolam by Sudha Balaji

This is a beautiful traditional kolam , a bigger version of what is called Parijatha Poo kolam.  Can be drawn for important festivals like Pongal, New Year and Deepavali.  Adding colours will make it really awesome to look at.  Draw the curved lines connecting the relevant dots in a single stretch. T his will enhance the beauty. (rangoli tips to make this kolam beautiful) If we join the dots separately joints will be visible and the lines may also be of different thicknesses. The background I use for drawing the designs is a granite slab of size 3 plus feet by 3 plus feet.   After 10 years it has become quite heavy for both of us (my husband and me) so we have cut it to 2 feet by 2 feet so that it is easy for us to handle.  The flip side is drawing big kolam designs is difficult.  So, rarely I draw big rangoli designs.   Still using 19 dot grid is quite difficult.  This big kolam for Pongal festival competition belongs to the category of old ...

The images below show the difference in the size of the dots depending upon the quantity of kola podi we use. If we take minimum quantity of kola maavu, dots look like this If we take more rangoli powder dots are thick and sometimes look like small lines.  When we join them with lines, they are not covered entirely by the lines The gap between 2 dots should be uniform to the extent possible  When we place a dot grid, for example for 7 to 4 dot grids, place the 7 dots first and then the remaining dots above and below for better symmetry. Also, if your question is how to keep pulli or how to keep chukkala , please read this post. We also use dots to decorate the periphery, around spirals and sometimes inside the kolam too ( to represent feathers for example inside birds' patterns). I follow the same techniques described above while placing the dots.   When placed around spirals the effect results in a magnificent enhancement of the beauty.  I am surprised to know ...

 Rangoli making tips and tricks How do we get thin lines in rangoli.  It is a simple trick. For drawing thin lines, we have have to take minimum kolam powder.  This way we can draw thin lines.  The more kola podi you take the thicker the lines will become. Also, lines should be drawn in a single stretch without joints.  If there are joints, we try to hide them with kolam maavu and the lines will become thicker.  Thin lines in kolam are called ezhai .  An ezhai is a single strand in a thread.  Two images as examples If you observe the pictures, the curved lines are also drawn without joints.  This technique of drawing straight and curved lines continuously without any joints is the hallmark of a beautiful kolam.  The more we practise the better we get at this technique.  Kolam art as it is called in Tamil Nadu, has a unique selling proposition, symmetry and thin lines and such lines reveal the dexterity one possesses.  Thick lin...

This rangoli has become popular on social media.  I do not share the same design on all social media profiles simultaneously.  This kolam , I created long back for the website.   When I shared it as a video on Facebook, Instagram it became quite popular.   Invariably, I create a lot of small and simple rangoli. Occasionally, I go for 11 and 15 dots.  This is one of them. I have shared only the white kolam.  Add colours if you feel like or you can make this rangoli directly with various combinations of colourful lines, if the quality of powder is good. chukki rangoli with 11 to 6 dots, made easy through these images, Firstly, I have adding more than usual pics showing the steps, because I feel one can get lost in the maze of lines.  I think it may be easy for some of us and difficult for a few. Chukki rangoli for festival  Taking into consideration of beginners and learners, this chukki rangoli easy method through images has been shared....

The images below show how we can create a simple rangoli with just 5 dots.  The more the decorations we add the more beautiful the rangoli looks. One more design for drawing at the entrance.  We should make it a habit of drawing rangoli daily at the entrance, many of us may be doing it already.' I have shared a step-by-step procedure for what may be considered to be peacocks.  That is the beauty of this art.   Through simple ideas we can represent an awesomely colourful bird like peacock in rangoli art.  So, all of us who draw kolam daily are artists! Rangoli tips for this example - except the birds all other elements of this rangoli are simple and easy to draw.   Only for drawing birds, we should aim for perfect shape of the pakshi and they should all be of the same size.  Once this is achieved, we can decorate the rangoli with joy. chukki rangoli small size pic 1 One of the many chukki rangoli designs simple I have shared on this rangoli we...

Two chukki rangoli designs simple yet beautiful.  Having shared hundreds or probably thousands of designs (I have lost count of) I still have the motivation to continue. This is due to the feedback I receive on social media i.e  Facebook , Instagram. First rangoli tips - Many viewers ask me whether I mix rice flour (akki hittu) probably because the images appear bright.   Though I have shared this information in many places in this rangoli blog let me share again for those who visit the first time or for those who have not yet read posts that contain this information. I use a mixture of white rangoli and rice flour, the ratio is for 3 parts white rangoli I mix one part rice flour.   White rangoli powder is sieved first and then both are mixed thoroughly. This proportion I find gives the best result with the combination of desired characteristics i.e. texture and brightness.  Depending upon the quality of white kolamaavu we may vary the ratio slightly. ...

Traditional rangoli designs with lines are preferred for the celebration of this festival in Tamil Nadu.  It is similar to Vata Savitri Vrata Married women pray Goddess Sakthi for the welfare of their husbands.   As with any festival decorate the kolam  with kaavi the padi kolam. Kaavi (ochre) brick powder gives a beautiful effect to the kolam, enhances the ambience of the house, positive vibes rule.  The first illustration shown below is traditional padi kolam drawn with 2 lines but the lines from the square are extended on all sides.  The design at the centre is the standard pair of inclined lines with four dots that we invariably draw.  At least, in our family i.e maternal side this is the standard decoration. Anyone reading please comment if there is any other method you follow according to the rules followed in your family. Coming back to the old style rangoli with lines we are discussing, paisleys are drawn all around.   Care should be taken...