Page 25 - Spider Magazine for Kids (January 2020)

A grid of dots helps kolam artists turn lines and curves into amazing artwork.
Some patterns are traditional, and some are made up by the artists.

design can be small to fit a compact powder made from a crushed white

space or huge and striking to fill stone. The kolam artist takes a pinch

up a large area. When kolams are of powder between the thumb and

drawn with rice flour, they are food index finger. When the artist rubs her

for ants, birds, and small insects. fingers together, a sprinkle of powder

So drawing a kolam every morning falls to the ground. In this way, she

begins the day with kindness and can make dots, lines, or curves.

generosity. She begins with making a pattern

For the contest, kolams are drawn of dots on which she will make her

with either ground rice or kolam design. This technique takes weeks of

powder. Kolam powder is a special practice to learn and years to perfect.

These are blockades— Eight tickets, please.
What now? the things set up to block

the road. Pay him, Sam.

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