How to draw it, step by step

Sweep the floor and wipe it with a damp cloth so the powder grips. Mark the centre with chalk. Then follow the pictures. Each one adds one part.

Draw the thread: one curved red line to the left of the centre and one to the right, leaving the middle empty.
Make a small filled circle in yellow. This is the centre of the whole design, so place it carefully.
Draw ten short pointed petals around the centre, filled in red. Mark the ten tips with dots first so the petals come out even.
Place ten white dots in a ring, one in each gap. Drop a pinch of powder and press lightly for each dot.
Add two green beads on the thread on each side of the medallion.

Tip: Draw the thread as one gentle curve from end to end first, then build the medallion over its middle.

Where it works best

Draw it at the door or in the room where the rakhi will be tied, so that it is the first thing the brothers and sisters see. It is a good one for children to make as a surprise for a brother or sister who is arriving from another city.

What usually goes wrong, and the fix

The thread looks stiff if it is drawn as a straight line. Give it one soft curve, like a thread lying on a table. Keep the beads the same size by using the same spoon or bottle cap for each, and make the medallion clearly larger than the beads. More fixes are on rangoli problems and fixes.

Make it your own

Change the colours to what you have at home. Any two strong colours and white are enough.
Make it smaller for a puja thali or a table, or repeat it three times in a row along a wall.
Print the outline and let children colour it first. It is good practice before the powder comes out.

New to rangoli? Read how to make rangoli and colours and materials first.

Rakhi rangoli

Colours you need

How to draw it, step by step

Where it works best

What usually goes wrong, and the fix

Make it your own

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