How to Make a Simple Diwali Rangoli Pattern Design with Dots

It is not at all difficult to create a simple rangoli design on the floor or any type of usable surface. You also need not worry if you don't have colours to fill it up. A plain white rangoli has its own inherent beauty. You can try out the simple rangoli pattern in this blog post - it is really easy!  A Step by Step Guide to Make A Rangoli Pattern

Check out what all you need for the Rangoli Design 

Some tips for what to do if you do not have white or coloured rangoli powders: make with grains! 

Step 1: Select the Diwali Rangoli Design

Count how many dots are needed horizonatlly and how many dots are needed vertically
(this design is 9 dots vertically and 9 dots horizontally)
[Design by Snehal S. Kharkhanis from Rang Rangavali rangoli design book]

Step2: Apply gheru (brown earthy clay) on the surface (either on the ground directly or on any flat surface). I have done the rangoli on a wooden plank left over after carpentry work!

Flat surface on which to make the rangoli design

Step 3: If, like me, you cannot make dots in a straight line freehand, use a ruler or a paper already punched with holes. It is always best to use white rangoli powder to make the dots as these are more clearly visible than coloured rangoli dots. Colours should be used to fill in the rangoli design.

Step 4: Carefully lift the punched-holes paper by raising it and quickly tilting it off to the side on a paper, so that the rangoli powder on the paper does not spill on to the flat surface of your design.

Step 5: Start the design by taking a small pinch of the white rangoli powder. Many people make the mistake of picking up the powder the way they do salt or masala powder, with the thumb and forefinger tightly holding the powder and dropping it straight on the surface to make the lines of the design. What you should do is hold the rangoli powder in such a way that it sort of trickles off from the side very gently. This creates a much thinner line than if you simply dropped it directly on the surface.

Note the gentle sideways-movement of sprinkling the white rangoli powder

Step 6: Start the design from one corner and move on to the other corners, as it is then easier to do the center pattern of the rangoli design.

Do one corner first 

Step 7: After doing the 4 corners, do the center diamond pattern

Corners and center completed

Step 8 and 9: Complete the full design little by little

Step 10: Never put coloured rangoli powder directly as filling for the rangoli design. You must always mix it first with a little white powder. However, remember that the more white powder you use, the lighter the shade you will get. So put little at a time till you get the desired colour shade.

Mixing colured golden powder with a little white rangoli powder

Step 11 onwards till final completed design: Now, fill up each section of the rangoli design with other colours. Do not overdo it and make it over-the-top colourful!

I have put a small diya design in the blank space next to the main design

The completed design placed in front of my home

Two clay diyas with oil and wicks placed on either side of the Rangoli in the evening

You can also put small designs around the main rangoli design (see images below) and even put readymade rangoli sticker-type designs as shown in the photo above (the red strip below the rangoli design).
Check out readymade rangoli patterned stickers

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