Well.. I can't wait for warm weather! I miss Saturday afternoons at Midnight Sun & all the wonderful festivals in Jacksonville,Florida.
Click RIGHT HERE for a little slide show of my henna tent set up. You can see all kinds of incense, henna powders & kits, wonderful little gift bags and other jewels we sell when vending out.
If you would like Spirit Vision Henna at your North East Florida festival, Art Walk or Artists Weekend, just give us a call at (904) 993-7466.
Here is an original henna tattoo pattern based on traditional concepts of course! Amy & I were sititng lake side on a breezy morning when we did this art. I tried to create a pattern that fit here hand, her mood, and the day.
We were able to take this photo of the henna paste still on the skin. Her hand is resting in an old orchard bird bath! I really like this photo.
Of course we are now drawing to the close of henna season here, although if you call ahead & make an appointment, we can still do great art!
Thanks so much to all who visited Midnight Sun & made donations for henna tattoo. Your support of my art helped make it possible for me to support this great project. May all beings benefit.
Here is a photo of a simple henna pattern from my work at Midnight Sun. If you want to see more photos please visit the slide show at Spirit Vision Henna.
We are almost at the end of henna season, so please be sure to give a call if you want some body art before winter time. You can reach the studio at (904)993-7466.
I had a wonderful time at Midnight Sun today, and met many wonderful people. I wish I could have taken photos of all the henna, but I was busy.. and we are all happy.
I did maange to take this photo of sisters, who were twins and chose similar, almost identical tattoos. Ok. They chose the same basic design, but henna has a way of negotiating with a human canvas. Here are the results.
I will not be working on Saturday, September first, but will be back on the 8th. See you soon.
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I must thank Cindy for the "loan" of her hand. She made it possible for me to practice a new design, as fast as I could.
The tip of the cone was cut very small, which made it easy to do her fingers, and all the fine lines on the back of her hand. To get the heavier lines I had to double some of the fine lines, which took a bit longer than I wanted it to.
I started at the fingertips and worked backward from there. I wanted to be sure that the ribbon that "draped" the back of the hand was in the proper place & the easiest was was backwards.
Of course I now have my super portable, very comfortable, ne,w drum chairs which make the henna process so much easier.
I got them at Midnight Sun of course! They are little round bamboo stools that look like djembes colorful, water-proof and very steady to sit on.
Cindy's hand is resting on the top of the stool (they make great photo backdrops as well.)
Mehndi, or henna tattoo, is a natural form of temporary body decoration. Henna Tattoo will always be some shade of reddish brown. The finished color depends on your skin type & how long you let the paste stay on your skin. The longer the paste remains the deeper the finished color. Your design will darken over the first 48 hours.
To prepare your skin for Mehndi, please wash the skin surface to remove any oils, lotions and dry skin. Mehndi works best on the palm of the hands, the feet & the tender skin of the inner arm. Designs on the back of the hands, arms, or other parts of the body do not last as long, nor does the color take as well. After your design is completed, a glaze of lemon-sugar may be applied at regular intervals to secure the paste to the skin and enhance the final color.
Please try to leave the paste in place for at least three hours. For best results leave the paste in place for 6 hours, or overnight. To remove, scrape the hardened paste off the skin. Use a vegetable oil to remove any remaining paste before washing the design.
Aftercare: If possible, avoid wetting the design area for at least 12 hours. Moisturizing the design twice daily with a vegetable oil will help make the design last. The design can remain visible on the skin for one to 3 weeks. This is a photo of henna paste On the skin. The finished color will be a shade of red to reddish brown.
Here is a fun little Om arm band tattoo. Traditionally, henna is applied to the palms of the hands, back of the hands, forearms, feet and ankles. The deep red to brown color of premium henna is best in these places.
Most drop-in customers choose patterns for the back of the hands, belly and the lower back.... similar to where one might put ink.
If you choose to put your henna in one of these locations, please remember to leave the paste on as long as possible & to get as warm as you can. You will get the best finished color if you Do Not wear moisturizer, sun block or other body lotions on henna day.
These are photos of henna paste on the skin. The natural dye in the henna is staining the skin UNDER the black paste you see in the photo. When the paste is removed, the stain is visible and will darken over the next 48 hours. The quality of finished color depends in part on how you care for your design.
The peacock pattern is very popular, and is one that works great with flip flops! Of course, it's best to leave your shoe on when getting your henna so we can be sure the flip won't flop into your paste.
The second design is great for henna parties where you are free to wander barefoot in your home or other party venue. Bare feet enable the artist to get creative, make henna sandal designs, and all sorts of wonderful art.
There are more photos of henna designs for the feet in this blog, and on my new henna website. I am sure I have a good link to some bridal henna on myspace!
Here are a few tips for good color and a successful henna design on the feet:
If you are feeling really relaxed & indulgent, you can always have henna on the soles of your feet. I will have a few photos of this fabulous art online in my new galleries soon.
Of course there are lots of wonderful artists publishing all kinds of pattern books. Some are available online at Amazon.com, but be sure to visit Tap Dancing Lizard for more great ideas.
I love red henna. It's my favorite color. I know many people love the super dark, almost black/red henna, but I love the ruby red.
Here is a color sample of the 2007 harvest of Jamila henna. The paste stains very quickly, which is great for festivals, but it also gives this lovely color.
Please forgive the pattern. It is not my best work (I was trying a new style a little later in the evening than I usually do) but I had to see the color.
This is color only 12 hours after the paste was removed! More photos coming soon.
As promised here are photos of the 2oo7 Jamila Henna Powder harvest. I am very pleased with the dark, rich color, consistent to the knee.
Inspired by Neeta's book, "Sangeet". I am thinking differently. It's great fun.
I have started working with a more liquid paste mix. I use Jamila henna, the 2007 harvest now, which is very gummy and stringy and workable. I am very pleased with my quick color test results, and will have full hand color on line soon.
In the mean time, please enjoy a photo of Shannon's gilded peacock design. I am still inspired by Neeta's book "Sangeet" as you will see from this photo. The gilding colors are purple glitter & jade green matte gels.
The more liquid texture of the paste made it possible for me to work more quickly than I have in the past, as the paste just flows right out of the henna cone. I am still using my "plastic bag cone" with rubber band closure. It has a carrot bag look, but is soft & easy to use so my hand doesn't get tired at all.
I am convinced that the little bit of pomegranate juice concentrate I am adding at the start of the mix (lemon juice, spiced tea, henna powder, pomegranate juice) really helps keep the henna on the skin, and makes it easier to work.
Here is another wonderful henna tattoo pattern from Sangeet (applied by Ann George of Spirit Vision Henna in Jacksonville, Flordia).
My client said she got very good color with her last henna tattoo. Although the back is not usually a place to get the best color, she took great care of her henna tattoo. She left the paste on a good while, and got the design area warm for the first day and applied olive oil regularly after the paste was removed. I hope to post a photo of the finished color.
If you have had a henna tattoo & would like to send your photo of the finished color, please mail it to me.
I remain thankful to Kimberlee, a henna artist in Jupiter Florida for recommending Sangeet's design book. Click the title of this post to visit Kimberlee's "space".
This fine line henna tattoo was made possible in part by mixing the paste to be rather liquid, sticky and stringy.
The addition of fenugreek seeds in the tea mix which I add when first mixing the paste helps create a stringy mix. Adding a bit of pomegranate juice just before putting the paste in the cone ensured the paste would be sticky and liquid. To get the fine line, I cut just a bit off the tip of a plain old plastic cone... and voila!
Here is another great henna pattern from Sangeet. Of course I modified it a bit so that there would be enough paste to give good color on the lower back. I like the way elements in the henna pattern compliment the design elements in the woman's belt.
If you come for a lower back tattoo, be sure to wear a low cut pant & a midriff top. It's best to come early for a lower back tattoo so you can browse all the great Five Points shops, sun your henna & get the best color possible.
(Click the photo for the full sized image.)
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Here is a pattern from the wonderful pattern book by Sangeet. This book has designs that people really like, as well, the patterns are good for all parts of the body. You may purchase the book from Tap Dancing Lizard.
Henna tattoo will be available today, 7/14/07 at Midnight Sun. I should be at the shop no later than 2:00 pm. See you there?
Well, I am sure it's just silly to post a photo of my first attempt at left handed henna, but here it is.
What is interesting to me is that the henna paste I used to do my right hand was 24 hours older than the henna I used to do my left hand. I mention this because it seems as if the color on my right hand is a bit darker than the left.
Further, the henna on my left hand had been on the skin for 72 hours, while the henna on the right had been on only 48. So.. the henna on the left hand should be darker?
Of course I also realized that I can't take a good photo of both my palms with my camera phone.. so thanks Chels for the photo shoot.
Excellent red color by Jamila henna of course! (the 2006 harvest no less)
Click Right Here to purchase.
As promised, here is a photo of the finished color, 24 hours after the paste is removed. This color will continue to darken over the next 24 to 48 hours. While it may appear that this is black henna, I assure you, no black henna was used.
I use only fresh Jamila Henna powder, which gives very good, dark color very quickly. This paste was made with lemon juice, lime juice, my henna tea blend and henna powder. After allowing the paste to rest for 12 hours, I added tea tree oil, lavender oil, neroil oil, geranium bourbon oil & a bit of eucalyptus oil.
To futher thin the paste, I added a bit of pomegranate juice. After the henna paste had dried on the skin, I sprayed it with a mixture of lemon juice, sugar & lavender oils all mixed together in a fine mist sprayer. I waited for the paste to be pretty dry on the skin before spraying with the lemon juice. I was able to spray the finished design serveral times.
To be sure I got the best color possible, I wrapped the design with tissue, and wore a plastice glove (the kind you might get for food service use) for several hours. Come back to visit again for more tips as I "discover" them.
Here is a photo of a traditonal henna pattern from a little design book I picked up at a local Indian market.
Of course, the pattern was far more intricate than this design as my model had small hands! None the less, I still practice full bridal every chance I get. I will post a photo of the finished color in the next few days. (Click the photo for a close-up view.)
I have just made up 6 Quick & Easy Henna Kits.
I am still able to sell them for only $6.50 which includes shipping by First Class Mail in the USA.Although it may be hard to see from the photo, you get a plastic henna cone filled with super sift Jamila henna, a pre-measure vial of essential oils, a toothpick to straighten lines if need be, and a Q-Tip to apply the lemon sugar glaze.
You also get complete instructions, helpful hints, 8 easy patterns & online tech support!
Clicking the title of this post will take you to more info, color samples & of course..... the shopping cart button.
I am practicing my bridal henna and am lucky to have a willing model.
Of course I am inspired by the great henna art of SJ Henna in Singapore... as you can see by this design.
Click the HERE for a little music & "movie".
Spirit Vision Henna is available for Bridal Showers, Wedding Parties, and other events.
Visit my site for more information.
Here is a quick little henna 'glove" style. It has that lacy sort of feeling that many people like.
This photo of course is not the big news. The BIG News is that I I just "met" a very talented henna artist from Singapore, and she sent me a link to her blog.
To see some fabulous bridal henna just visit SJ Henna Designs. I hope to be able to do more of this kind of henna... so if you want to come on by Midnight Sun & get glamourous, or adventurous.. please do.
On Saturday, henna is by dontation. That means you give what you can afford, although the preferred minimum is $10... give what you can.
Here's a Sprit Tribe pattern. The pupose was to facilitate healing, balance, a return to ground.
Archtypal energies from Spain & Scotland came to play in the creation of this tattoo.
Of course I have just finished printing up new books full of traditional henna tattoo as well as some nice "Anywhere Designs" if you are not having a tribal moment when you stop by Midnight Sun
Be sure to visit Spirit Vision Henna to see the updated "henna movie"
Here is a "Spirit Tribe" tattoo. It happens when henna sort of finds the tribal nature of a client. In this case the client's nature was powerful, bold & passionate.
Done in the "Chef's Choice" tradition of seeing what the artist gives you, this design was created for the inner forearm.
Next post will be another Spirit Tribe pattern, this one with a healing intent.
This is a Taureg pattern for the soles of the feet from the Joyous Art of Henna by Catherine Cartwright-Jones. Henna by Ann George of Spirit Vision Henna, foto by Chelsie.
If you would like a tattoo like this, it's best done at late in the afternoon or in the early evening. Or you could chose to have a henna party. (Nope... it doesn't tickle.)
I had the good luck to be able to do this lovely full palm henna tattoo today. I hope you enjoy it.
I suppose it took about 45 minutes from start to finish. I hope to have a foto of the finished color on line soon.
Just stop by Midnight Sun to look thru lots of pattern books... maybe you will find something you like. (Click the image for a larger view).
Here is a gilded mum tattoo for a young woman who stopped into Midnight Sun last Saturday. She was very patient with me as I did my first ever chrysanthemum henna.
The design is gilded with a lovely pearly white paste touched with a bit of rose glitter to make the flower... the leaves are done in a peridot gilding paste.
I have four henna kits ready to ship by First Class Mail if you are in the mood to try your hand at the fine art of henna tattoo. The herbal tea blend is super fresh! and a great addition to your henna recipes.
Just click HERE and scroll down the page a bit, for complete information on the Artists kits that include a 35 bm package (foil sealed) of super fine Jamila henna.
Want to see all the images of this henna pattern? Just CLICK HERE for the slide show.
This is a Sunday afternoon henna moment for a friend. It was a very peaceful time, and a great help to me to be able to practice bridal style Indian henna.
Come back.. I hope to have photos in color soon.
Here is a wrist tattoo that became a wrap around dragon. We weren't sure quite how the dragon would go... but as always seems to happen, henna has a way of finding the natural patterns in a person.This tattoo is one example. Click the image for a full sized photo.
If you want henna, remember, Spirit Vision Henna is avilable Saturday afternoons, or by appoitment for parties of all kinds.
Here is a pretty geometirc henna pattern for toes. It is done with Jamila Henna using the recipe methods posted earlier in the blog.
There is a sweet little embellishment for one heel that is not picutred today, I will have to put it online soon.
Of course, if you are coming to Midnight Sun for henna toes.. it may be best to go barefoot for the rest of the day, or to wear the tiniest flip flops possible.
Don't you love gilding? I think it is great fun!
Here is an abstract lotus pattern that a favorite here in Jax.
If you know the author of this design, please send that info along so I may give credit where credit is due.
Henna by donation (folding money please) at Midnight Sun on most Saturday afternoons.
This design features glitter as gidling in ruby, turquoise & "diamond" (which is hard to see in the foto). The photo shows paste on the skin.
I have a new tip, which is probably not news to more expericenced artists, but you may find it helpful.
I have some henna powder, that while still good, is not super fresh... so I decided to put it in a mortar & pestle & grind it a bit more. (This powder is already super fine, so the pulverizing was not to improve the texture, rather to see if the grinding would help the powder release it's dye.)
The result (which surprised me) was that the newly ground henna (from Pakistan) suddenly behaved like Yemini henna I had purchased in the past in that the henna had that gummy, yeasty quality when mixed as a paste.
Here is a quick henna tattoo for the palm. It is possible to get henna on your palm & do all sorts of daily activities.. you just have to stay away from water for a while.
My new henna recipe seems to be the best yet. The recipe creates a paste that easily stays on the skin. Instead of adding fructose, (apparently I can't measure that correcty) I add a bit of pomegranet juice concentrate to the finished paste. This little bit of natural sugar seems to keep the henna on the skin nicely.
I also decided to put my lemon sugar glaze in a little spray bottle this year. This works great! Instead of dabbing little bits of lemon glaze on a design with a Q-Tip, I just give the finished pattern a qucik spritz. My clients love it!
Here is a new sample of traditional henna tattoo. Designs on the palms of the hands always yield the deepest color. (This is a photo of the paste still on the skin.)
Spirit Vision Henna thanks our hostess for the opportunity to do tradtional mehandi - and a bit of gilding - at her wonderful party. The pattern is original, but based on traditional componenets. I call it "Chef's Choice" henna. This means you tell me what you like (floral, tribal, African, Indian, geometric) and I create design to suite your style, your budget.. and of course your body.
Here is a little henna butterfly... on a very tiny wrist! Lucky that I finally figured out how to roll a mylar (or cellophane) henna cone. These cones make a very small tip possible.. and they keep their shape quite well.
For large designs, I still love my plastic cones, sealed with a rubber band that easily rolls down as paste is expressed. They make doing a full back or a large tribal design go much more quickly than using a smaller tip.
The little dots & flowers ensure the design compliments the wrist.
Here are a few answers to FAQs that come up on Saturdays. First, all henna tattoo is freehand, meaning I don't use stencils or transfers. The photos in the little albums I put out on talbes are all photos of henna I have done. Most of those photos reflect traditional henna patterns, but I also do "original" designs.
Here is one such example. It is a tree. I am sure there are patterns for trees, but I didn't have one on hand. Winter trees, or fall trees are one of the few things I feel I can actually draw with pencil & paper, so my client was lucky to order this design. I hope you enjoy it.
Here are photos of a henna peacock pattern that travels across the lower legs. II I were a better photographer, I would no doubt have a better photo series so that you could more easily copy the pattern.
Of course you are welcome to use this design, which was created from traditional components & influenced by the tattoo style of the most excellent artist at Winnipeg Henna in Canada.
If you would like a henna tattoo, I will be at Midnight Sun, Five Points, Jacksonville Florida this Saturday from 2 ish until 5:30pm. Midnight Sun now closes at 6:00 on Saturday, so be sure to come early if you want a design for the Memorial Day weekend.
Remember, if you want a lower back tattoo, it is important that you wear a low cut pant or skirt & a midriff blouse. This will give the henna paste lots of time to dry without rubbing off on your clothes.
What is fortunate about this freehand pattern is that the tail of the peacock seems to travel well from the inner right leg (the double photo) to the outer left ankle (the single photo ). I think the blessing dieties of henna tattoo were present at this session. I hope to have photos on line of finished color for some ot the tattoos you see in the May blog. All most all of them show the henna with the paste on the skin. The finished color will be a shade of reddish brown. The paste I am using this weekend is very fast, I tested it, and will leave good color on the hands after staying on the skin for two or three hours. As always, the farther from the tips of the fingers or toes we put the henna, the more pale the finished color.
Here is a new upper back tattoo. My client really like the tattoo pictured on my business card, and I started that design, but as always, henna seems to choose what it wants to do for everyone, and this was no exception.
You can see the updated Saturday Henna Slide Show by clicking the title of this post.
Of course you can also get a glimpse of the wonderful imports available at Midnight Sun. I you just want to wander in a colorful paradise .. stop in to visit.
Gilding is now available in jewel & matte colors.
Here is the Kanji symbol for honor, embellished with a tribal design. Do you see it hidden there?
This design was applied to the back of the upper arm, which is often a very difficult place to get a dark color.
Click the title of this post for helpful hints about things you can do to get the deepest henna stain from the "Goddess of Henna", Catherine Cartwright-Jones.
I follow many of her suggestions, and always try to make the best paste possible so that you will get the best henna tattoo every time.
When you come for your tattoo at Midnight Sun, I will give you a little paper to read & sign. Many helpful hints about how to get the best color are included on that paper.. so please have a read.
(Please note: this is a photo of the henna paste still on the skin! This raised black paste is scrapped of to reveal the finished tattoo).
Here is Terri's power symbol henna tattoo from Midnight Sun. She chose a design that we found online & customized it by adding her own symbol at the top.
She chose to have this design on her inner wrist, and we sealed it with a surgical paper tape so that she could get the longest wear & the darkest color.
So it's not necessary to have a full hand design to enjoy the beauty of henna tattoo. Stay "tuned" for the next design on line. Hope to see you soon.
Here are just two of the many fotos from this henna this weekend at Midnight Sun. There are so many more to publish!
I have some tribal henna, some power hennas, a kanji in disguise, and a lovely piece for the foot coming soon.
. As always, the longer the paste remains on the skin, and the hotter you get, the darker the finished color.
It is also important to remember that henna on the palms of the hands gives the best color!
Here's a foto from Saturdays henna at Midnight Sun. Apparently it was a busy weekend at the different beaches, so it was a quiet in town. (Fun for us!)
This is a foto of gilded Nile style lotus blossoms. They run together in a vine pattern because that's what the henna seemed to want to do.
The yellow gilding was done with a paste made from pulverized yellow glitter & yellow cosmetic powder. It seems combining glitter with a fine powder base in the same tonal group gives the best finished gilding to date.
The coral embellishement gilding was a very fine "gem" powder. I like these, although they are more expensive than glitter, because they are so fine.
Here is a photo with the henna paste still on the skin. I never use "black" henna, as there is no such thing! I use pure, safe, all natural Jamila henna powder for all my work this year.
For this design, you may be able to see that I experiemented with two shading techniques. One was to treat the henna cone not unlike a pencil, using it to do shading motions with the paste.
The other effort, which may or may not result in an effective shade this time, was to mix henna paste with lemon juice & sugar to create a "wash". I used this diluted henna to fill in some of the flower petals.
I will let you know how this turns out. Click the photo for a close-up.
