Floral designs are one of the most used in rangoli design. Obviously, we are heavily dependent on nature for our rangoli designs.The next important festivals are Holi and Ugadi in 2013. Holi is a festival of colours celebrating the arrival of spring among other things. There are also many legends associated with it. Probably colours are used abundantly during Holi because during spring we see the colourful flowers blooming every where (It is my opinion or guess!) (Colourful) rangoli will be congruous with colourful Holi. . The rangoli designs here will not have only flowers or floral designs in the literal sense, they may have flowers or parts of flowers like only petals, petal like motifs. However, let me start with a very simple design.
These designs can be used for festivals like Diwali and Margazhi too when there is a lot of emphasis on colourful rangoli designs
![rose-buds-kolam-1712.jpg]( "dot grid 6 by 6 and the kolam with floral patterns - rose buds")
![flower-rangoli-design-4a.jpg]( "initial floral designs")
![flower-rangoli-design-4b.jpg]( "drawing the rose buds")
The image above shows a simple 6 by 6 dots kolam with rose buds. As usual, place the dot grid, draw the stalks and leaves on all four sides and finally draw the rose buds using the remaining dots at the centre. This design with colours is in kolam designs
![festival-kolam-17ab.jpg]( "padikolam surrounded by lotus patterns and lotus border")
These designs can be used for festivals like Diwali and Margazhi too when there is a lot of emphasis on colourful rangoli designs
Flower rangoli designs with dots
lotus kolam for festivals
Since we live in Tamil Nadu we celebrate Ugadi or Gudi Padava (our New Year ) and Tamil New Years Day. Obviously more the festivals more the joy and fun. This rangoli , has a padi kolam at the centre expanded with free hand floral designs with pink lotuses at the periphery. Added to this design is a free hand rangoli border and blue lotuses. The central floral design is filled with rangoli on which simple designs in yellow have been added. I have added as many colours as possible to make the rangoli beautiful (!). I hope it has come out well.
lotus kolam without dots
Two images showing two steps in drawing the lotus rangoli ( or mandala )
Lotus is considered important in rangoli Above I have tried my version of a lotus kolam for Margazhi. The Hridaya kamalam is a lotus viewed from the top. This mandala (or rangoli) above has the side views of four lotuses at right angles to each other. The pattern at the centre can be drawn as shown in the image or we can draw any pattern suitable to draw four lotuses above and around it. First the three-petal motif is drawn and then four flowers are drawn on the four sides. Fill with pink and any other colour to complete the design. If required a circular border can be drawn around it . Since it is an auspicious symbol this design can be used for festivals like Varalakshmi Pooja, Raksha Bandhan and Navaratri.
Thamarai kolam design![white-kolam-for-activity-20a.jpg]( "thamarai kolam white design without colours")
![lotus-kolam-11a.jpg]( "lotus kolam with four lotuses and lotus buds")
The second design in our theme with lotus rangoli . Four lotuses and four smaller ones have been drawn. As usual draw the central free hand design. You can choose a convenient design of your choice. The only factor is to see to it that the number of petals or any other pattern will decide the number of flowers above them. I usually choose pink for lotus and so all are pink in colour. The four smaller lotuses are special additions to this rangoli to make it more pleasing.
![lotus-rangoli-0105b.jpg]( "another version of the lotus kolam without frills")
![lotus-rangoli-0105a.jpg]( "free hand lotus rangoli")
![lotus-rangoli-6.jpg]( "free hand four lotus rangoli")
![rangoli-lotus-4.jpg]( "rangoli free hand with four lotus and leaves patterns")
Two floral free hand rangolis,with lotus designs. The first rangoli has four leaves at the centre and hence the colour green. On each leaf is attached a lotus by the stalk. Four such lotuses have been drawn, two blue and two pink. The rangoli is surrounded by leaf borders, free hand type, for a change instead of the lines drawn with parallel or single lines. The leaves on the border have been coloured green. The remaining areas can also be filled with suitable bright colours. The second rangoli is also a lotus design with four flowers attached to the central pattern that is filled with blue and red colours. The rangoli is surrounded by a simple white border to match the outline of the lotuses. The gaps are filled with dark green colour. Lotus is very important in rangoli drawing. Actually nature is very important in rangoli design. Flowers like lotus and rose are used a lot. The liberty in free hand rangoli drawing is, as stated earlier, it is not necessary to depict the actual flower as in painting but to be as close as possible. After all we are drawing with commercial rangoli and hence it has its own limitations.
Lotus is one of my favourites in free hand rangolis along with rose and I presume that it is so for most women. Hence it is not surprising that lotuses have been used by me in the rangolis posted so far. Lotus has religous and philosophical connotations. (I am a novice in both areas). Lotus rangolis can be drawn for Lakshmi Pooja and Saraswathi Pooja. Lotus is associated with both Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswathi as also some other deities. The rangoli below is a free hand rangoli design. Draw the central free hand design. Add four lotuses on four sides with five petals as shown. Around the rangoli draw a single line border to match the shape of the design inside. Fill the area between the border and the flowers with light green. Colour the lotuses pink. The remaining areas are finished with red and blue colours. Decorate the rangoli further with white powder to get the final image. Two versions are shown in the two pictures.
Many a rangoli with a lotus design drawn with or without dots has been drawn in Rangoli-sans-dots. . No collection of lotus rangoli can be complete without the famous and auspicious Hridaya kamalam that is drawn on Fridays and festivals like Varalakshmi Vratham. An important point to be noted is that most lotus rangoli designs show the side view of the lotus whereas the Hridaya Kamlam is probably the only rangoli design with lotus that is drawn with the top view of the flower in the mind.
This is a simple but beautiful free hand rangoli. The central pattern is a simple plus. It is surrounded with four curved lines. Lotus like motifs, four numbers have been added on the four sides. Two petal flower designs have been added between the lotuses. The rangoli is covered with a border with straight lines bent at right angles to match the design inside. Lots of straight lines are drawn in the two parallel lines on the border. More simple designs and dots are added inside the rangoli to make it more attractive. The remaining gaps can also be filled with bright colours but we need fifteen to twenty minutes then to complete the entire rangoli. A simple lotus design.
Free hand rangoli with four lotus patterns
Two floral free hand rangolis,with lotus designs. The first rangoli has four leaves at the centre and hence the colour green. On each leaf is attached a lotus by the stalk. Four such lotuses have been drawn, two blue and two pink. The rangoli is surrounded by leaf borders, free hand type, for a change instead of the lines drawn with parallel or single lines. The leaves on the border have been coloured green. The remaining areas can also be filled with suitable bright colours. The second rangoli is also a lotus design with four flowers attached to the central pattern that is filled with blue and red colours. The rangoli is surrounded by a simple white border to match the outline of the lotuses. The gaps are filled with dark green colour. Lotus is very important in rangoli drawing. Actually nature is very important in rangoli design. Flowers like lotus and rose are used a lot. The liberty in free hand rangoli drawing is, as stated earlier, it is not necessary to depict the actual flower as in painting but to be as close as possible. After all we are drawing with commercial rangoli and hence it has its own limitations. Theme - Floral petals and leaves - patterns or motifs in rangoli
The white rangoli design is a combination of petals and leaves drawn free hand. Draw the central leaves on four sides. Expand the rangoli - two leaves on either side forming an arch with petals above and inside. Four such motifs on all sides help us complete it
The rangoli below is also a simple floral design with decorations on all four sides and between the petals with a simple border surrounding it. Fill up the gaps with any one colour of our choice. This has to be done carefully and patiently to avoid colour spilling onto the already drawn design. However the result will be very attractive.
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