I am completely inept when it comes to art.  I would like to be artistic, but…I’m just spastic when it comes to transferring ideas to paper visually.  So I was super-excited when I heard about this book!  Rangoli: An Indian Art Activity Book is all about (duh) the Indian art of Rangoli.  Now, if you’re like me, that description didn’t help you any. 😉

Rangoli is built on grids of dots.  Sort of like freehand dot-to-dot pictures.  The dot grids provide the structure that some of us less-abstract thinkers need.  To start with, you can literally just connect dots with straight lines.  Even I can do that!  As you improve, you can learn other techniques, like looping around the dots, connecting the dots with arched lines, varying the size and shape of the grids, or even venturing away from the dots for parts of the picture.

At its most basic, it’s very simple, but there is huge room for flexibility.  Just search Google images for “rangoli,” and you’ll see some amazing examples!

This is a great book for anyone interested in art/creativity (or India, for that matter), kids or adults.  But it’s especially geared toward children, and there are some nice educational benefits to the book, as well.  There are introductions to math – geometric shapes and symmetry – and there’s a bit of an introduction to Indian culture (for obvious reasons!).

So if you’re looking for a gift to inspire or encourage creativity in the recipient, give this a look.