Rangoli Designs for Beginners: 5 Easy Patterns for Diwali

A rangoli is the pattern you make on the ground at your entrance to welcome guests and, on Diwali, to welcome Lakshmi into the home. You do not need to be an artist to make one look lovely. The secret that experienced rangoli-makers rely on is a grid of dots: place the dots first, connect them with simple curves and lines, then fill with colour. Get the dots even and almost anything you draw over them will look balanced. Here is how to do it in an Australian home, whatever your surface, plus five patterns you can actually finish.

What to use (and what works here)

Traditional rangoli uses fine, loose powder pinched between finger and thumb. It gives the crispest lines but takes practice and blows around outdoors. If you are starting out, these are your options, easiest first:

• Chalk or chalk pastels are the most forgiving choice for a beginner on a hard surface. They stay put, wash off with water, and you can rub out mistakes as you go. Ideal for a driveway, path or balcony tile.
• Coloured rice or coloured flour gives you the classic powder look with more control than fine rangoli powder. Make coloured rice at home by shaking uncooked rice with a few drops of food colouring in a zip-lock bag and letting it dry on a tray.
• Flower petals (marigold, rose, chrysanthemum) make a pookalam-style floral rangoli that is completely mess-free, safe around small children and pets, and looks stunning for a party. This is the one to choose for an apartment doorway.
• Rangoli powder or stencils from an Indian grocer or online shop are worth it once you have the basics, and a stencil lets you make an intricate design in minutes.

The dot-grid method

Almost every beginner pattern starts the same way. Mark a grid of evenly spaced dots, either a square grid or a diamond, using chalk or by tapping powder through your fingers. Keep the spacing equal. Then join the dots with curves and straight lines to form the shape, and fill the sections with colour last. If your dots are even, your rangoli will look even.

Five patterns, easiest to hardest

1. The single diya (5 minutes)

The simplest possible rangoli, and a perfect first one for children. Draw one large diya lamp: a half-oval bowl at the bottom, a small flame shape on top, and a few short lines around the flame to show it glowing. Fill the bowl in warm orange or maroon and the flame in yellow. Add a border of dots around the whole thing. Done.

2. The four-petal flower on a 3×3 grid (10 minutes)

Lay a three-by-three grid of nine dots. Around the centre dot, draw four curved petals, each looping out to touch the four side dots (top, bottom, left, right), then back in. Connect the four corner dots with small curves to make a diamond frame. Colour the petals one shade and the frame another. This is the pattern that teaches you how dots become petals.

3. The eight-petal lotus (15–20 minutes)

The lotus is the classic Diwali motif and easier than it looks. Start with a centre dot and a small circle around it. Draw eight identical petals radiating outward, evenly spaced, like the sketch below. Draw a second, slightly separated outline just inside each petal to give it depth. Fill the centre in gold or pink and the petals in alternating colours. Finish with a ring of dots around the outside.

4. The flower-petal pookalam (20 minutes, no drawing)

If drawing is not your thing, build the pattern from flowers instead. Chalk a large circle and divide it into rings. Fill the centre with one colour of loose petals, then work outward ring by ring, alternating marigold, rose and green leaves. Press the petals down gently so they stay put. It is forgiving, fast, and the most party-proof rangoli you can make.

5. The peacock (30 minutes, once you are confident)

A step up worth trying in your second or third year. Draw a simple S-curve for the peacock's neck and body, add a small head and beak at the top of the S, then fan out a semicircle of long feather shapes behind it. Put an eye shape at the tip of each feather. Colour the body in blue and green and the feather eyes in gold. Keep the body simple and let the fanned tail do the work.

A few tips that make it look finished

• Outline everything in a strong colour first, then fill. Clean outlines hide wobbly fills.
• Work from the centre outwards so you are never leaning across finished sections.
• Set a lit or LED diya at each corner in the evening. The rangoli is made to be seen by lamplight.
• Take the photo at dusk with the lamps on. This is the shot that goes in the family group.

When you have the doorstep sorted, the rest of the house comes together quickly. See where to buy Diwali decorations and puja items for diyas, colours and lights, and the Diwali party hosting guide if guests are coming.