Wow! This was a while back and I never published it!
This design was first created in my sketch book while I was sharing my vacation with my family at the Azov Sea in Ukraine. I shared the sketch in my Instagram feed and my good friend Grace reached out to me to have it done on her arm.
Beautiful Grace at West Pecan Coffee and Beer with her gorgeous Bushy Tail Fox
Henna is an amazing way to connect and reconnect. We had so much fun watching the fox emerge out of faint lines and getting framed in the juicy leafy diamond shape frame.
Juicy leaves
What is your spirit animal? Would you wear body art with it?
I created this design to help me teach the concept of combining ornamental elements, such as acorns here with a traditional mandala.
I had so much fun working with my model! She was my inspiration and as you can see below, the design came out crisp and very gothic. Gosh, I just love it and can’t get enough of it!
I think dark colored nails and purple glittery background totally helps with all the gothic impression!
The acorns are so cute and lovely! I have the acorns element repeat itself three time throughout the sleeve design.
The fingers were a bit tricky. I used parallel thin lines which got filled in later and since we were two hours in already and it was a bit dark, the fingers took a bit more work. The leaves on the top had finished them nicely, don’t you think?
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a real strong anxiety attack. I can track it down to my previous business attempts. Businesses I tried before I started doing henna.
There was nothing wrong with those business ideas. They were simply not meant for me.
Two years ago I decided to let go. I remember it so well. I remember a call I had with my business coach for the time. She was certain I was doing great and had a great future in the area. I felt repelled by the whole idea. I realized that just because some people, highly respectable people in the area, think I have all I need to be successful doesn’t really mean it is my way to go.
I cancelled a workshop that had more than 115 people signed up for. I was supposed to teach them how to be unstoppable. That day I cut off my hair and cut off all ties with that business. I do not recommend you do the same. It was something I needed to do. I needed to hear my own voice through all this noise that was seeping through every crack.
Two months later I picked up my very first henna cone and never looked back.
Henna requires top notch concentration.
I have a lot going on. Just like any mom I have a lot to worry about. Have you ever seen this meme about what’s required from a mother in the 21st century?
“How To Be A Mom in 2017: Make sure your children’s academic, emotional, psychological, mental, spiritual, physical, nutritional, and social needs are met while being careful not to overstimulate, understimulate, improperly medicate, helicopter, or neglect them in a screen-free, processed foods-free, GMO-free, negative energy-free, plastic-free, body positive, socially conscious, egalitarian but also authoritative, nurturing but fostering of independence, gentle but not overly permissive, pesticide-free two-story, multilingual home preferably in a cul-de-sac with a backyard and 1.5 siblings spaced at least two year apart for proper development also don’t forget the coconut oil.
How To Be A Mom In Literally Every Generation Before Ours: Feed them sometimes.
(This is why we’re crazy.)” – Bunmi Laditan
pretty floral henna hand
When I have a cone of henna on my hand, all of this HAS TO go away. If I break my concentration, my lines become crooked and my designs start to show what’s on my mind. It brings so much satisfaction to see the lines build and create a cohesive, and sometimes not so much, haha, designs!
Henna is monochromatic
henna shins at the Azov Sea
Being a perfectionist and artistically inclined creates one big problem for me. Whenever it comes to color, I can spend hours, if not days, deciding which color combinations would work best together. Painting my house, or, rather, choosing the colors for my house, was agonizing. I still have to paint the master bedroom. We’ve lived here for eight years and I can’t decide on a color combo for my own bedroom!
This is why the monochromatic aspect of henna is so relaxing to me. I can focus on thick and thin lines, spots and contrast and not worry about all of that coloring. My favorite benefit to that? If I do that with a black marker, it automatically becomes a coloring sheet for someone who prefers to color to relax.
Never ever had I thought that my love for henna would inspire my own kids! I couldn’t imagine my boys would like the flowery designs I am so fond of. And they don’t.
They always ask for something manly.
Manly henna… Hmm…
I had no idea there really was a market for henna for men. And then I find all these beautiful and very inspirational images.
So, when my 8-year-old to-be asked for Solar System henna for his birthday, I jumped right in.
Oh my, was this boy happy!
His little brother would ask for little things, like a dandelion or a little pickup truck. Once he requested a “pretty swirly design, just like the one on your hand, mama!” I did my best for the four-year-old who can stay still for exactly 45 seconds.
This compass henna was done when the big boy said, I need a compass so I will always find my way home.
Melted my heart! SO I dropped everything and gave him a henna compass.
It always makes me smile how his peers think he’s so cool with his henna tats!
When I learned that a very good friend of mine wanted her teenage son to have one, my mind exploded! I started brainstorming the designs I could offer to be placed on his biceps.
Designing and sketching are probably my favorite things to do. All the possibilities and options!!!
This Tribal Sun makes a great statement without being fussy. I found it on Google somewhere, no artist name attached. If you know whose work this is I would love to give a credit where credit’s due.
This design was also found on Google.
I did a bit of adjusting, but this one was his choice.
Don’t you think it looks great in henna???
When this image was shared on Social Media I got another request.
And this is what happened! I’m looking forward to creating many more!
One of the things I really enjoy about henna business is the fact that clients literally drop into my lap from nowhere!
For instance, this lady wanted me to come to her 15 years old daughter’s birthday party. It only took us a couple of messages to exchange and the date was set.
The way she had it done was that each guest paid for their henna. Although there is nothing wrong with this approach, I think in the future I will be charging for the time I spend at the party instead of per design. The party was great, though!
As soon as I got settled at my table, everybody gathered around me. Their eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement. The young ladies were looking forward to getting their tattoos.
henna back of a hand – birthday girl
this one got smudged and had to be fixed
So I gave them the scoop on what henna is. The all natural dye. It lasts 7 to 14 days depending on the part of the body and the skin type. It doesn’t like to be washed with soap or scrubbed.
I will never get tired of the puzzled look people have when they hear my accent! This is something I try to explain right away, just to avoid having to answer the “so… where you’re from?” everytime new client sits at the table.
when all she wants is the moon and the flowers and some dangles
The birthday girl went first. One of the things that I find very cool about henna is how easy it is to scale it to each person. You see, I am six feet tall and my hand is fairly good size. The hand of a 15-year-old girl is way different. The fingers are slim and the wrist is tiny.
moved the hand design up the arm so the girl could cover it up with a sleeve at school
This was my first experience and I did let the girls tell me what design elements they liked and pretty much did freestyling on the fly. The good thing about it is that the client got to choose their design and participate in the creation of one. They were very involved and loved it! On the downside, it takes longer and if I just replicated the designs I already had, I’d be done much faster.
This one was the last. She wanted to incorporate elements from several designs I had done that day.
I have been working on creating my design book and I’m certain it will help to streamline the process and make the parties even more fun!
If you would like to book me for a party, please fill out the form on Contact Me page.
I am an artist. These words are so strange and so exciting! You see, growing up, I never took any art classes. I never thought I was gifted.
My friends were a lot more skilled when it came to doodling in notebooks at boring classes. I, myself, grew frustrated while trying to mimic their pretty dainty designs.
Drawing a rose was always the top level of the artistry to me. I started and stopped so many times, it seemed very complicated at the time. I admired the people who could do it.
I admired the people who could create, from their heart.
While drawing mandalas and flowers, there still was that rose. The rose that always reminded me I was nothing special, I couldn’t draw it.
I was always attracted to vines and paisleys.
My free-spirited self never liked coloring sheets that someone else would create. Sometimes I would just buckle in and color one but they were never as satisfying as the ones I created myself.
Discovering the art of mehndi, also known as Mehandi or henna art, has literally changed my life.
It so satisfying to see the pretty designs appearing on person’s skin through the magic of what seems to be just a simple cone.
Yes, I picked up a cone. I mixed my own henna from leftover henna I used for my hair way back when it was long. I made my very first foot design and I was hooked!
My very first designs were messy and shaky, my lines were fat and unappealing, but I still loved it!
The baby elephant design has taught me a lot about the importance of practice and cone control!
Now it was up to me to practice and not give up. Practice for progress, not perfection. To say I don’t strive for perfection would be a lie. I want my paisleys to be symmetrical and my lines to be thin and consistent. But this comes with practice. It’s not going to happen overnight. It took me three months to get from the first ever foot design to my first ever event! I will share the customer work in a different post because today I want to share the rose!
My first ever rose, my own rose! I used the Eskimo Rose design created by @kimbrennaarts shared by @mehndikajoeyhenna on Instagram as an example. I will work on my own and will create one that is mine. But for now, I just want to bask in the glory of the fact that I can draw a rose with henna!
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Never ever had I thought that my love for henna would inspire my own kids! I couldn’t imagine my boys would like the flowery designs I am so fond of. And they don’t.
This compass henna was done when the big boy said, I need a compass so I will always find my way home.
Discovering the art of mehndi, also known as Mehandi or henna art, has literally changed my life.
