WHCC ON HENNA
Did you know that Henna has been used since the bronze age to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. In several parts of the world it is traditionally used in various festivals and celebrations. There is mention of henna as a hair dye in Indian court records around 400 CE, in Rome during the Roman Empire, in Spain around 711m, and Egypt 14th c
.
Use of henna for body art has enjoyed a recent renaissance due to improvements in cultivation, processing, and the emigration of people from traditional henna-using regions.
For skin dyeing, a paste of ground henna (either prepared from a dried powder or from fresh ground leaves) is placed in contact with the skin from a few hours to overnight. Henna stains can last a few days to a month depending on the quality of the paste, individual skin type, and how long the paste is allowed to stay on the skin.
Wanted to share this awesome website I found for designing henna! Although I totally skipped the practice section and went straight to the henna cone, my first design did not come out that bad.
Visit: http://www.hennapage.com for details on how to become a henna artist yourself.
Teach Yourself to Henna! ~Elements of Henna Patterns ~
This section will regularly have new pattern exercises designed to help beginners become proficient henna artists, and to help experienced henna artists increase speed and accuracy.
Once, when you were very young, you had difficulty writing. You practiced on lined paper until you could write easily, legibly, and quickly. Henna patterns can be created of simple elements just as words are created of letters. If you learn the elements, you can put them together to make complex patterns. Practice these exercises with lined paper and a pen until you can draw the figures quickly and smoothly, just as you practiced elementary school penmanship exercises. Then practice them with a henna cone. In time, you'll be able to build up complex henna patterns quickly and easily. Bookmark this page and come back often for more free patterns from The Henna Page!
Click on the images below for more pictures and free patterns!
The "Bridal Henna" Series
1: The Fooffy:
This looptyloop is
similar to the
cursive letter "f." Click
on
the Fooffy to see what you can do
with it!
2: The Hump:
This hump is the
most frequently
used element in contemporary Indian bridal henna. Learn to
love
your Hump, and practice humping for speed and accuracy! Click
on the Hump to learn more about humping!
3: The WibbleLeaf
This leaf is created
with a
wibble and a flick. Henna that is naturally stringy or which
has
had dextrose added makes these
WibbleLeaves go smooth and fast. Wibble up, Wibble down,
Wibble
around a spiral! Click
on
the WibbleLeaf to learn wibbling!
4: The ZiggyZoggy
The ZiggyZoggy is
most easily
done with naturally stringy henna, or henna with added dextrose. If you
have stringy paste, you only need to touch down at the apex and nadir
of each angle and drape between. North African patterns use
lots
of ZiggyZoggies! In India, repeating ZiggyZoggies symbolize
the
rainy season, water, fertility, and abundance. Learn your
ZiggyZoggy! Click
on
the ZiggyZoggy to learn how!
5: The Fishbone
The Fishbone is most
easily
done with naturally stringy henna, or henna with added dextrose, so you
can drape fine and straight fishbones . Fishbones are great
"filler" patterns between longer lines. Click
on
the Fishbone to learn how!
6: The Mummy
The Mummy, the
letter M, is
versatile and beautiful! Have fun with your Mummy! Click
on
the Mummy to learn how!
7: The Sprout
The Sprout looks
like a sprouting
seed or a comma with a long tail. Sprouts are a tasty
addition to
henna patterns! Click
on
the Sprout to learn how!
8) The Game
The Game is a
depiction of a game
board, symbol of merriment, leisure time, and games of strategy and
chance. This pattern has been a favorite in Indian
henna
for over 100 years, and continues to be popular in contemporary bridal
henna. Click
on
the Game to learn how!
9) The ?S?S?
This pattern is
variously
interpreted as a vine, meander, pot hook, or a scorpion. As a
scorpion, it may have either passionate or deadly associations ... or
both! Click
on
the ?S?S?S to get passionate and deadly
...
or to just hang your cooking pot over the fire!
10) The Bud
This tiny leaf or
flower bud
appears in henna designs all over the world as a metaphor for youth,
fertility and new life.
Click
on The Bud to learn to grow your own!
11) The Cursive S
12) Sloopy
13) Tribbles
14) Ripples
This pattern
represents
life-giving, purifying running water. Click
here or on the ripple to dive in!
15) The Kiss
This pattern is
useful for flower
petals, honeycomb fills, and other sweet things. Click
here or on the Kiss for a sweet treat!
16) The Knot
17) The Open Heart
When you spin open
hearts around
in a circle, you have lovely flowers. Click
here or on the Open Heart to make the flowers bloom!
18) Kitty Whiskers.
Got Tuna?
Click here
or on the whiskers to see whisker wonderfulness!
19) Pug Tails
Got
cookies? Click
here or on the Pug Tail to get Pug Love!
20) The Seed
The "North African" Series
Introduction to "North African" style henna
Triangles: Tanith, The Bride, and the Eye
Eight-Pointed Stars: Venus
