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Activities / Kolam & Rangoli / Kolam Doodle Notebook

Kolam Doodle Notebook

Kolam-Inspired Notebook Cover: Dot-Grid Patterns for Journalling

Level
Beginner
Duration
45 - 90 mins
Budget
₹153 – ₹308
Age
10+
State
Tamil Nadu

Materials

  • Plain notebook with a light, matt cover (A5)
  • Pencil (HB) and eraser
  • 15 or 30 cm ruler
  • Gel pens in assorted colours
  • White gel pen

Steps

  1. Pick a light notebook and test your pens on scrap paper
    Choose an A5 notebook (about 15 x 21 cm) with a smooth, light-coloured cover. Matt covers hold gel ink better than glossy plastic ones. On a scrap sheet, draw a line with each gel pen, wait one minute and rub it with a dry finger. Common mistake: starting on a glossy cover where ink smudges. If a pen smears, use another or pick another notebook.
    Tip: Rub a test line on the back cover too, because that is the surface you will really draw on.
  2. Mark 7 rows of 7 dots, 1.5 cm apart, with tiny pencil dots
    With the notebook lying flat, make a light pencil dot on the front cover about 6 cm from the left edge and 6 cm from the top. Using the ruler, make 6 more dots to the right, each 1.5 cm apart. Repeat for 7 rows, with each new row 1.5 cm lower, so you get a square of 49 dots about 9 cm wide. Keep the dots small and light. Common mistake: uneven gaps, which make the pattern look wobbly.
    Tip: Mark all the tick marks along the top and left side first, then fill in the dots row by row.
  3. Learn the kolam rule: the line goes around dots, never through them
    In a kolam, the dots (called pulli) are like pegs, and one flowing line wraps around them. On a scrap sheet, draw 4 dots in a square and loop a pencil line around all four without lifting the pencil, so the line passes outside each dot and meets where it began. Try this twice. The line should look smooth and rounded, not pointed. Common mistake: cutting a line straight across a dot.
  4. Pencil the first outline: a rounded diamond around the middle dots
    Think of the grid as a diamond with its points at the middle dot of each edge. Start at the top middle dot and draw a smooth curve that bulges around the outside of every dot along the diamond's edge, down to the left middle dot, then the bottom, the right and back to the top. All dots inside the line stay inside. The corner dots of the grid stay outside the line. Keep the pencil pressure light.
    Tip: Turn the notebook as you draw so your hand always curves the same way.
  5. Pencil a second, smaller diamond inside the first
    Repeat the same wrapping idea around the inner dots: a smaller rounded diamond with its points at the dots one step in from each edge of the first diamond. You should see a clear gap of about one dot width between the two lines, like a ribbon. Common mistake: letting the two lines touch. If they do, erase the inner one and redraw it a little smaller.
  6. Add small petals around the four corner dots
    The four corner dots are still outside the pattern. Draw a small circle around each one, about 1 cm across. Then add a tiny half-circle petal on the side of each circle that faces the diamond, so the corners look like little flowers. Keep all four corners the same size. Pencil is still fine here, because you will trace over everything next.
  7. Trace the pencil lines with a gel pen in one colour
    Trace the outer diamond with your darkest gel pen, moving slowly so the line stays smooth and unbroken. Work from the top of the cover downwards so your hand never rests on wet ink. Use a second colour for the inner diamond and a third for the corner petals. Wait 5 minutes before erasing. Common mistake: erasing too soon, which smears the ink into grey streaks.
    Tip: Slip of the pen? Turn the mistake into a small dot or leaf instead of rubbing it out.
  8. Erase the pencil and colour the loops, then dot the border
    Gently erase every pencil dot and line you can see, using small strokes in one direction. Colour the ribbon between the two diamonds with a gel pen, or leave it plain. Use the white gel pen to add a small dot in the middle of each corner circle. Finish with a border of tiny dots about 1 cm from the cover edge, spaced 5 mm apart.
  9. Let the ink dry and keep the cover clean
    Leave the notebook flat for 15 minutes so the gel ink sets fully. Do not stack other books on top before that. Put the caps back on all your pens and sweep any eraser crumbs into the bin. If you want the cover to last, slip it into a clear book cover, because gel ink can rub off on a bag.

Sustainability

Medium - decorates an existing notebook; ink is plastic-based

Safety

Marker ink stains; eye strain from fine detail work