Skip to main content

Activities / Gond Art / Gond Animal Pattern Sketch

Gond Animal Pattern Sketch

Gond Animal Pattern Sketch: Dots, Dashes and Lines on a Pen Drawing

Level
Beginner
Duration
30 - 60 mins
Budget
₹97 – ₹157
Age
8+
State
Madhya Pradesh

Materials

  • Black waterproof fineliner, 0.5 mm
  • Colour markers or sketch pens (optional, for the background)
  • Plain white A4 or US Letter paper
  • Pencil and eraser
  • Scrap paper to rest your hand on

Steps

  1. Set up with plain paper, a pencil and a black pen
    Sit at a table with good light. Take one A4 sheet of plain white paper, a pencil, an eraser and a black fineliner. Put a scrap sheet under your drawing hand so your palm does not smudge the ink. Gond art comes from the Gond people of central India, and it fills every shape with patterns made of dots, dashes and lines. Common mistake: using a pen that smears, so draw a line on scrap paper and rub it with a finger to test.
    Tip: Pick a pen with waterproof ink if you plan to colour the background with markers later.
  2. Lightly draw one big animal shape
    Pick a simple animal such as a deer, a fish or a bird. With the pencil pressed lightly, draw it large enough to fill about two thirds of the page, around 20 cm long for a deer. Keep the body simple, with a rounded back, a neck, a head and 4 straight legs, and do not draw patterns yet. Common mistake: drawing it small, since a big animal gives you room for patterns.
    Tip: Draw each curve in one smooth movement instead of many short strokes.
  3. Divide the animal into 5 or 6 zones with curved lines
    Draw curved lines across the animal to make zones: for a deer, the head, the neck, the chest, the belly, the hind leg and the legs. Make the lines follow the curve of the body, as if wrapping around it. Each zone should be about the size of your palm or smaller. Each zone will get its own pattern. Common mistake: straight lines, which make the animal look stiff.
  4. Fill the first zone with rows of dots
    With the black pen, fill the head or neck zone with rows of dots about 3 mm apart. Touch the pen to the paper and lift, rather than dragging it. Keep the rows following the zone's curve. Dots are the heart of Gond art, so be patient: 40 to 60 dots will fill a zone. Common mistake: dots of uneven size, which happen when you press for different lengths of time.
  5. Fill the next zone with short parallel dashes
    In the next zone, draw short straight dashes about 5 mm long and 3 mm apart, all slanting the same way, like rain. Draw one row at a time and keep each row evenly spaced from the row above. If a dash goes wrong, make it a little longer, because the sketch is allowed to be slightly wobbly.
  6. Fill another zone with wavy lines or scales
    In the third zone, draw wavy lines about 4 mm apart that run along the body. In another zone, try scales: rows of small arcs, each about 1 cm wide, overlapping like roof tiles. For the leg zones, try a row of tiny circles or short lines like fur. Never make two zones that touch look alike.
    Tip: Turn the paper if a direction feels awkward for your hand.
  7. Keep changing the pattern until every zone is filled
    Continue until each zone has a pattern: dots, dashes, waves, scales, zigzags, tiny leaves, spirals. Check that touching zones look different. Fill all the way to the pencil lines, without leaving white gaps. When the pen runs light, press a little harder or use a fresh pen. Wait a few minutes before you touch the ink.
  8. Outline the animal and fill the page around it
    Go over the whole outline with the pen, twice if you want it bolder, so that it looks thicker than the inside lines. Add a big eye with a dark pupil. Then draw small leaves, dots, swirls and tiny birds around the animal so the page feels full. Gond artists avoid empty space. Wait 5 minutes, then erase the pencil lines gently.
  9. Colour the background and finish
    If you like, colour the background in one flat colour with markers, going around the animal and colouring in one direction so the colour looks even. Leave the animal white so the patterns stay clear. Let it dry for 5 minutes, put the caps back on the markers, and sign your name in a corner. Lay it flat or stick it on a wall with tape.

Sustainability

High - needs only paper and pens you may already have

Safety

Minimal; marker ink can stain clothes