The Use of Line in Henna Tattoos

Mehendi is an ancient Indian Body Art Mehendi is an ancient Indian Body Art. It is used in creating intricate ethnic or contemporary designs and exotic patterns on various parts of the body, though traditionally applied to the hands and feet of women preparing for special ceremonies. Once thought only for women, men are finding it a nice alternative to permanent tattoos.

The process of applying henna in this manner is called 'Mehendi', an ancient ritual and art form dating back 5,000 years and is considered good luck in India, Middle East and North Africa. No Indian wedding is ever complete without the Mehendi, whichever part of the country the bride may be from, her hands are adorned with the lovely red hue of the Mehendi.

Henna is a natural product, a plant, growing in size from 3 to 5 feet and can vary slightly from region to region. Its leaves are then dried and ground to make the henna powder. The ingredient in henna that makes up the dye properties is called lawsome (lawsonia inermis). Since it is a natural product, there are no known side effects.

Henna's dye component, hennotannic acid, does not pass through into the skin, it only stains the dead cells in the top layer of the skin. Hennotannic acid naturally makes the brick/red/brown stains; it usually takes many hours to get a good henna stain on the skin, and that stain is quite harmless.

Pure, 100% henna, with the help of heat, moisture and time, leaves a reddish brown stain on skin, first light, and then darkening during the next 24 hours. The shade varies according to the quality of henna used, the ingredients of the paste and the methods used when applying, sometimes the color can darken to almost black, but basically the color is brown. (from:www.hennaweb.com)

America’s Foremost Tattoo Artist Tattoo History Sailor Jerry – America’s Foremost Tattoo Artist

Lydia the Tattooed Lady From the groucho Marx movie, “At the Circus”

Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia. Lydia The Tattooed Lady Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia? Lydia The Tattooed Lady. She has eyes that folks adore so, and a torso even more so. Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia. Oh Lydia The Queen of Tattoo. On her back is The Battle of Waterloo. Beside it, The Wreck of the Hesperus too. And proudly above waves the red, white, and blue. You can learn a lot from Lydia!  When her robe is unfurled she will show you the world, if you step up and tell her where. For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree, or Washington crossing The Delaware. 

Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia. Lydia The Tattooed Lady Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia? Lydia The Tattooed Lady. When her muscles start relaxin', up the hill comes Andrew Jackson. Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia. Oh Lydia The Queen of them all. For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz, with a view of Niagara that nobody has. And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz. You can learn a lot from Lydia!  Come along and see Buffalo Bill with his lasso. Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso. Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon. Here's Godiva, but with her pajamas on. 

Here is Grover Whelan unveilin' The Trilon Here is Grover Whelan unveilin' The Trilon. Over on the west coast we have Treasure Isle-on. Here's Nijinsky a-doin' the rhumba. Here's her social security numba.  Lydia, oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia. Oh Lydia The Champ of them all. She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet. The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat. And now the old boy's in command of the fleet, for he went and married Lydia!  I said Lydia... (He said Lydia...) They said Lydia... We said Lydia, la, la!

Lines should be drawn in lots of different thicknesses or line weights When cutting out your print, dark areas will be left and lighter areas are cut away. Any lines you would like to keep should have the areas around it cut out. Lines should be drawn in lots of different thicknesses or line weights Use geometric or organic shapes