Saris & Salwar Kameez from Exotic India

I love this shop! I hope you do as well. Namaste!

Henna Tattoo - Back & Shoulder Henna Pattern

The goddess of henna muses came by for a back piece yesterday. In the spirit of all great patrons of artists everywhere, Miss Nancy gave me a general description of what she wanted in general and the complete freedom to henna as I pleased.

We talked about styles & energy.. paisley and peacocks, and the wonderful ideas of someday doing full body henna. I hope to create a unique design/ pattern/ moment of art in the near future.

However, as we were in a shop window, we opted for a henna pattern for her upper back. The first photos is of her henna design seen from the back. I was very happy to be able to use negative space in this design, as well as the "drops" effect to enhance the natural beauty of her neck & shoulders.

The pattern began on her right shoulder, moving across the upper back and then down the left arm. At some point, we thought to try for the half sleeve tattoo effect that is so popular for ink...
but this pattern flowed so well, and "dripped" into a graceful modern tribal sort of style that she likes & wears so well, that we opted to let the henna end as you see it here.

If you are interested in this type of henna tattoo, it is critical that you wear an outfit that will accommodate the paste. For those new to henna, please visit the FAQ page of my site for answers to most of the frequently asked questions.

It can take anywhere from ten minutes to apply a simple henna tattoo, and up to 45 minutes for a more complex henna pattern. If you are in a hurry, please add about five or six minutes of drying time to your schedule, as it is best to sit and allow the paste to dry a bit on the skin before you return to shopping at The Midnight Sun.

Henna paste is applied to the skin to stain the skin... and the longer the henna stays on the skin, the longer the natural vegetable dye can interact with the skin, creating a darker stain when the final color is revealed. Therefore, wearing clothing that will allow the paste to rest undisturbed on the skin is necessary for an successful finished pattern.

Now that it is indeed henna season, it is best to call ahead and make an appointment for a complex henna design!

Death Metal Tattoos: part 2

I wish I knew what this was, I really do. It looks like a totem pole of demons? With some kind of weird scarred-out blob in the middle. Is it a tribal-mutant batman logo? AND DO YOU SEE THE SCRATCHED UP FETUS ON HIS ELBOW? I mean really, how could you miss that? I don't even know what the stuff on his forearm is. If anyone can help decipher this, please let me know! I was staring at this guy for ages trying to figure it out.



I wish I knew what was on his back, too. You can see a bit of it poking out. I bet it's incredible.

Death Metal Tattoos: part 1

I went to the Maryland Deathfest this past weekend and OH BOY did I see so many amazing metal tattoos! One million distorted zombies! Ten thousand blurry black and white messes of somethingorother! A good handful of band logos! I have a LOT to share with you guys, but let me start with this gem (perhaps the best of the bunch):



THAT GIRL IS TRUE. EVIL. I love the fancy flourishes added to each word, it really rubs in the brutality of her tattoo.

Tune in soon for more!

Full Palm Henna Tattoo

Here is a quick pattern for a full palm henna tattoo with a floral feel.

My customer wanted a traditional henna look without bridal pricing... which is when the use of negative space makes a henna tattoo come alive, seem very full & traditional, without requiring more than 15 minutes or so.

This pattern starts at the wrist & then uses two double paisley patterns to contain the bulk of the design. Henna rings were used on the fingers, with little ring jewels on the tips.

Henna will naturally flake off over time, and of course with movement, so the rings were placed between the finger joints. Placing the henna paste away from the joints of the fingers made this an easy to wear henna pattern for a busy shopping day. The henna tattoo was sprayed several times with a a lemon sugar glaze to help it stay in place.

As it is now henna season, it's best to call ahead to schedule your henna tattoo at The Midnight Sun. Visit Spirit Vision Henna for more information. This month's special is one full palm tattoo, similar to the one you see here, for $25.00. If you want both palms done, then it is best to have a driver.. or to choose a pattern similar to this second pattern.

This client had to drive for the little party that stopped by the shop. As you can see the henna design makes use of "negative space" to enhance the peacock pattern and to leave plenty of room to handle the steering wheel while driving a stick shift car.

If you have another style of henna tattoo in mind, no worries. There are lots of pattern books to look through, however the special pricing is for "Chef's Choice" henna. This means that your artist will create a custom design based on your preference for tribal, floral, Arabic or Indian styles.

Jamila Henna - finished color after 18 hours

Here is a photo of the almost finished color of the henna tattoo pattern from 5/21/09. To get this deep red color on the palm Cat let the henna paste wear off naturally. As several coatings of lemon sugar glaze were applied, this took awhile. Also, she did not wash the tattoo for at least 12 hours after the henna paste was applied.

You will notice that the darkest color is on the palm of the hand, and that the henna becomes lighter as the pattern moves up the arm. This change in color is due to the change in the skin. The skin on the palm is usually more fleshy, and of course more porous than the thinner skin of the inner arm.

This pattern took about 45 minutes to complete. The paste was made using the 2008 crop of Jamila Henna Powder. I have about a dozen boxes left for sale, and then it's time to wait for the next harvest! Please visit my site if you would like to have a 100 gram box of this excellent henna powder on the way to you while supplies left.

Need a bit of inspiration? I have a good selection of henna pattern booklets from India. You might add one to your henna powder order? The shipping is free.

With best wishes,

Ann George

Bridal Henna - Free Hand Design

One of the great joys of the web is that it enables me to see the great skills of other mehndi artists.

This photo is inspired by the work of the fine artist at Hasina Mehnd. AFter seeing one of her more recent henna designs, I knew I had to work a bit harder to be able to offer my customers the best of traditional henna.

I was lucky to have a willing volunteer, and about an hour of to do this design. The design went along rather quickly until I got to the middle of the palm of the hand. This is traditional henna, and I hope to be able to offer more photos, more often.

If you would like to have a henna like this, it is best to make an appointment. This kind of henna takes a plenty of paste, space & free time.

I hope you will be inspired to enjoy this lovely body art.

Ann George
Spirit Vision Henna Tattoo