My Maharashtra: Rangoli Patterns Designs Materials Requirements

All What You Need to Make a Rangoli Pattern Design

1. Buy a few Rangoli Design Books first. Choose those which have smaller designs requiring less than 15 dots before venturing into making larger designs.

Rangoli Designs Books

2. Gheru: This is basically dark brown or red clay, which you get in the form of a stone (see picture below). Put a little water in a bowl and dip the gheru in it to wet it. Then apply it on the surface where you will be making your rangoli design. When applying, make sure you spread it in one even direction (horizontally or vertically) so that it does not become an uneven patch.


Gheru

3. Rangoli Colours: Make sure that you have all the colours you need before starting the design! If you want sky blue colour, adding white rangoli powder to a dark blue rangoli colour will not get you the exact shade of sky blue. It will more likely be just another shade of dark blue. So buy light blue colour too. In a traditional Indian market, rangoli powders are sold loose, by the spoonful (Rs.2/- per spoon) so you can buy 3 spoons or more of each colour. You can also buy packets of Rangoli powders (this year the price is Rs.5/- per packet).

Loose rangoli colours

Rangoli colours in packets

4. White Rangoli Powder: This is an absolute must! All colours must be mixed with white rangoli powder before use as the coloured powders are rough and create thickness when put directly, thereby making the design ugly. The white rangoli is sold by the glassful, with one packet costing Rs.5/-

White rangoli powder

5. Ruler of paper with punched holes: If you are unable to make a straight line of dots, use a ruler to align them properly. Better still, puch holes in a large sheet of paper at even intervals and use that, putting white rangoli powder through each hole on to the required surface (see image below).

6. Rangoli Accessories: You can use readymade rangoli chhaaps (see images below) to make smaller designs around your main rangoli design. New in the market are also rangoli rollers, in which you put the rangoli powder and create powders. The plastic rollers look very much like the water pitchkaris used during the Holi Festival!