4 sessions; 40 minutes per session

Students will use line, shape and pattern to create an interesting symmetrical rangoli inspired art.

1, Tan 12 x 12 paper
2. popsicle sticks
3. pencils
4. oil pastels
5. tempera cakes
6. chalk pastels
7. markers

Need these materials? Visit Blick!

1. We will watch and discuss Rangoli art and Diwali. Rangoli is the art of drawing images and designs on the floor with colored sand, rice, or flour. It is a form of folk art from India and stands as a sign of welcome and thought to bring good luck. The designs are geometric and proportioned. Patterns are made with fingers. They can be any size ranging from the size of a doormat to covering an entire room. Rangoli is designed with the help of dots, which are joined to form a pattern. The pattern is then filled with colors.
In India, this art is temporary. Each design stays only for a day or two, as it is often redone as part of a daily routine. One of the most popular arts among Indian women, rangoli is an age old custom. Designs are passed down through the generations, some of them being hundreds of years old.
-Diwali is called the festival of lights in India. On the third day of Diwali, the festival that marks the end of the Hindu year, Lakshmi is honored. Lakshmi represents good fortune and wealth.
-The Rangoli is a sign of welcome. These drawings may be geometric patterns, drawings of Diwa lights (single-flamed lamps), or pictures of symbols. For example, lotus flowers symbolize purity and perfection.

2. Students will be given a tan color sheet of paper in the shape of a square. Students will fold the paper in half, then in half again.
-We will talk about radial symmetry and how that will be used.

3. Students will begin drawing their pattern in pencil on the paper in the top right corner only of their paper.
-Students will trace over their pencil lines with white oil pastel to mimic the color of the rice.

4. Students will fold the paper in half and rub the paper with a popsicle stick to transfer the lines to the other side of the paper.

5. Students will open their paper and trace over the white lines to make them stronger.

6. Students will then fold the paper in half the other way and rub with the popsicle stick to transfer the design to the rest of the paper. They will repeat tracing the lines again once they open the paper.

7. Students will have a choice of which medium to use to color in their rangoli. Choices include, tempera cakes, oil pastels, chalk pastels, markers. Remind them that they are trying to replicate the rice powders used in India. Scraps of tan paper will be available so they can see how the different mediums look.

8. Once everything is colored, students may go back with a medium of their choice to emphasize details of their design.

Did the student create a design using radial symmetry?

Did the student use a variety of colors and details in their design?

Book, Rangoli by Anuradha Ananth

This was a great project for my students. My school has a large Asian Indian population and my students were able to share may personal experiences about Diwali and creating Rangoli. They were able to share and teach me along the way too.

[K-4] Students use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories

[K-4] Students use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner

[K-4] Students know the differences between materials, techniques, and processes

[K-4] Students describe how different materials, techniques, and processes cause different responses

[K-4] Students describe how different expressive features and organizational principles cause different responses

[K-4] Students select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning

[K-4] Students know that the visual arts have both a history and specific relationships to various cultures

[K-4] Students demonstrate how history, culture, and the visual arts can influence each other in making and studying works of art

[K-4] Students understand there are various purposes for creating works of visual art

[K-4] Students describe how people's experiences influence the development of specific artworks

[K-4] Students identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines in the curriculum

Symbolism, Asian Art

Line, Rhythm/Pattern

Colored Pencil, Crayon, Pastel, Chalk

Multicultural Studies