One of the most incredible things you will ever see are the henna tattoos placed on a woman’s hands and feet before her wedding in the Hindu culture. This ritual is part of a ceremony called Nelangu, as well as part of the wedding ceremony itself. These intricate designs are normally tattooed in dark brown henna through various means. One way that it is often done is through an applicator not unlike those used for icing. A small incision is made at the end of a bag full of henna paste and it is applied to the hands and feet in beautiful, swirling patterns. When henna is used to temporarily tattoo the hands and feet, it is referred to as Mehndi. This is not solely used to decorate brides-to be but is a common practice at many religious festivals and celebrations.

Although it is seen as a declaration of an exotic and vibrant culture, it has also slowly begun filtering its way into the western world. So transfixed are most women by this incredible practice, that more and more people are starting to do it themselves. Henna is extremely cheap and one packet is enough to do both the hands and the feet. Let’s look at how to be a henna tattoo artist within a week. There are no accreditations necessary. Only you will know if you are ready or not.

Practice

Spend a lot of time practicing your designs on paper before you attempt to do someone else’s hand. The truth is that henna is a long-lasting ink that stains the skin and it can take weeks before it even fades so you want to be as accurate as possible. With that said, you should practice as regularly as possible when you are ready to move onto skin. Ask for volunteers and start out with simple designs until you feel more confident. If you aren’t ready to tattoo others try it all over your body. Places like the thighs are easy for you to tattoo yourself and are generally covered at work. If you are like me, this will give you plenty of space to work!

Generating a Pattern

While many Indian women are taught the art of mehndi growing up, the western world is not so privileged. If you are particularly artistic and have been exposed to many different mehndi designs, you may be able to free hand a pattern. Most of you however, will want a pattern to start off with. Some common design elements in mehndi are things like the wibble leaf, the hump and the fishbone. These are all very easy to draw. If you are looking for different combinations try to mix these shapes with short swirls.
There are also a number of examples on sites like hennapage.com where you can see how they are all put together. You will need to draw on your pattern with charcoal or a similar, removable substance and then simply henna over your original design. This will allow you to make changes where necessary. Now you know how to be a henna tattoo artist so you’ll know that the first step is getting out the sheet of paper. Good luck!