I have tried a freehand kolam after a break. I thought of doing a dot kolam, but had problem in placing dots with perfect spacing. Hope I should draw kolams frequently.
I have tried a freehand kolam after a break.. I thought of doing a dot kolam, but had problem in placing dots with perfect spacing. Hope I should draw kolams frequently..
Alpona style kolam with paisleys.. Now a days I am obsessed with Paisleys.. Now a days Paisleys find a place in my kolams.
Bowling Pins
As I had said earlier, the first line or dot decide the genre of the kolam..
I thought to draw a flower so started with cross lines. Then drew a four petaled flower outlining with line and swirls around the flower. The swirls got transformed to paisleys with a wavy line connecting the swirls.. Then I filled the alternate paisleys with white kolapowder. Then added circular pattern dots in the empty paisleys.. The tear drop shapes are always a part of the Alpona so for the touch I added and with some dots above to it..
I wanted to extend and again the twirls converted to paisleys with crimped back. Now outlined the paisley and added tear drops to complete the design.. The final tear drop design and the dots had a special mention in my friend's comment, she said it looks like exclamatory marks and also bowling pins. So it started to look the same way to my eyes too..
Alpona
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Similar geometries, symmetry types, and festive floor art styles
Follow these 4 authentic steps to draw Alpona - 2 on your floor or paper.
Freehand Rangoli Flow
1
CANVAS & FOCAL OUTLINE
Sketch the Central Focal Contour
Clean and dampen the floor. With light chalk or a thin stream of white rice flour, sketch the primary central motif (such as a blooming lotus, royal peacock, or sacred oil lamp).
2
RADIAL FLOURISHES
Sweep Concentric Petals Outward
Radiate curving petals, mango paisleys, or flowing floral flourishes outwards from the center, maintaining uniform distance across all quadrants.
3
COLOR INFILL & GRADIENTS
Blend Vibrant Natural Powders
Fill the petals and interior sections with rich festive colored powders or dyed rice grains, blending smoothly from deep shades at the base to bright tones at the tips.
4
WHITE HIGHLIGHTS & LAMPS
Define Crisp Edges & Corner Lamps
Outline all boundaries with a bold, steady line of pure white rice flour to give the colors radiant contrast. Place brass or earthen oil lamps at the perimeter points.
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Freehand Symmetry Guide:Before scattering colored powders, lightly trace guide axis lines (a simple crosshair + or circle) with faint chalk to ensure all petals stay perfectly balanced.
Vinns is a traditional South Indian Kolam artist and researcher passionate about preserving the mathematical elegance of Pulli matrices, Brahma Mudi continuous knots, and festival threshold traditions. Every pattern on this blog is drawn by hand.
