Kolam by Sudha Balaji

The first rangoli appears to be simple. Appearances can be deceptive. The step shown in the second image can be a bit tricky for some of us. Many sikku kolam are. A few decades back, when I was young, it was not the era of plastic or stainless steel, yet.  So, we stored kola podi in coconut shells.  Firstly, it was an ecofriendly idea, since coconut shell is biodegradable. Also, it was ergonomic because we got the right grip on the shell while drawing the kolam i.e the size and shape was perfect.   We kept on recess on the wall near the entrance door, where oil lamps were placed. So, it was easy to pick it up in the morning and go to the courtyard to draw the rangoli of the day. Also, kavi border was drawn with the coconut husk, nowadays we use a brush.   We kept our lives simple and did not have to worry about plastic waste etc. Having said that I have to accept that change is permanent.  9 by 9 chukki rangoli  9 * 9 dots rangoli simple   ...

The first two rangoli designs in this collection are images from some of the most popular videos of free hand kolam I shared on YouTube. White kolam versions posted here for our daily vasal kolangal. The first set of 10 rangoli designs Two more sets of kolam images to complete 30 ideas are available at 2nd set of 10 rangoli and 3rd set of ten kolam  Now, this is a post alone offers a big collection of various designs that can be bookmarked for reference.  My request is that we have to draw kolam daily and preserve this tradition Drawing small and intricate patterns with kola podi can increase the combinations we can try in daily kolangal.  Fridays are reserved for double stroke rangolis or padi kolam .  Of course there will be exceptions to the rule. Choosing the right colours is also important.  Most viewers agree with my choice of colours.  Few agree to disagree :)   1) A very beautiful kolam    The first two rangoli designs in this collec...

This kolam can also be drawn free hand.  I have used 7 into 1 dot pattern to make it little easy.  When we are looking for small and beautiful rangolis for Dhanurmasam or New Year . I think such designs fit the bill.  Of course, we can add colours instead of shading with white kola podi.    As a plain white rangoli it can be used for our daily purpose kolangal. Five, seven and nine chukki rangoli designs are among the most popular because invariably grid size is directly proportional to time taken and complexity. Invariably because there are exceptions to the rule and those exceptions are quite a few. Elsewhere, I have shared the image of the completed white muggu.  This post is meant for those who may want to learn the steps for drawing this design 7 dots muggulu images step by step 7 to 1 chukkala muggulu variety - step by step images. If I remember accurately, I created this design during the early days of this rangoli blog when readers and viewers on Y...

Sankranthi muggulu | Pongal kolam designs 13 to 7 chukkala rangoli.  We can term this as a medium-size rangoli based on the size of the dot grid.  Again, medium is a relative term.  I consider up to 15 dots as medium-size dot pattern. The two sets of illustrations for examples for rama chilakkamma muggulu for all festivals including Bhogi, Ugadi and New Year are old model chukkala muggulu, one is white colour rangoli and the other is a green parrot kolam. These two are common kolangal that were practised by our family during Margazhi season.  In the courtyard we drew one big rangoli, something like the examples given below and a small rangoli for the side entrance i.e. one for the main entrance and one for the side entrance.  It was really fun.   Some families on our street drew borders on four sides of the courtyard and then proceeded to draw a special design chosen for the purpose in the space among the borders.   We had a jolly time, chitc...

The dot grid is placed vertically.  It also comes under the category of sangu kolam or star kolams.   In case you have missed it in the title the dot pattern is 13 by 7  Rangoli tip: If you see the second image you will notice that I have joined all the dots with a single straight line with no joints.  If we practice thus, the kolam looks more beautiful.  I have not added colours but patterns with white kola podi.  We can try will colours too for Margali or New Year  For those visiting this blog for the first time, I have rangoli videos channels on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Using the search terms "Sudha Balaji rangoli " or "Rangoli sans dots " should give relevant results on search engines.  Be it freehand designs or pulli kolam art, star-based patterns are quite popular. The first pic shows how to connect the dots after drawing the star template.  This is an important concept of the rangoli. From the star usually the lines are d...