Henna Tattoo Friday 6/10 at The Midnight Sun

Experience the true beauty of henna. Have a lovely design on the palm of your hand.

The deepest, reddest, darkest stains are possible on the palm. Henna is more magical, as it is seldom that people see our palms.. so henna is a little surprise!

Of course you may choose to have henna on the foot, wrist or ankle..... and Westerners want henna all sorts of other places as well.

Visit the FAQ page on my site for up to date info on how to get the best henna tattoo.

This season I am using organic Rajhisthani henna, the 2010 crop with some lovely new essential oils to give you both a relaxing body art experience...... and great color.

(Nope.. no needles are used..... it doesn't hurt, and the design can last one week or longer.)

Spirit Vision Henna artists will be at the Sun from Noon til 4 PM. Designs start at $15. Call 993-7455 FMI.

Arm Jewelry - a henna tattoo pattern for the inner arm

Here is a henna tattoo pattern for the inner arm. It is a free hand design which took about ten minutes from start to finish. The pattern flows with the muscle structure of the client, as well ... the energy flow of this particular goddess who was just open to what ever art seemed right for the day.

One of the blessings of doing henna in Five Points is that more & more clients are choosing henna as living art - thus art for art's sake, or as a means of self-expression. Sometimes just as a treat, a bit of pampering that takes one on the evolutionary journey of Mehandi, or henna tattoo.

If you have never had henna before, then you see in this photo what appears to be a black tattoo. What you are really seeing is a photo of henna paste still on the skin. Under the paste, the henna mixture is interacting with the skin. Henna is a heat activated body dye that penetrates the skin.

The hotter the skin is, the more the pores open, and the deeper the final color. Also, in warm weather, we may sweat a bit, and this helps to keep the paste moist on the skin. When the paste is moist, it can easily stain the skin. This is why lemon sugar is applied after the paste is a bit dry... to keep it moist & active. Also, the sugar in the glaze helps keep the henna from falling off the skin.

At present, henna tattoo is offer only on Saturdays on a walk-in basis at 1055 Park Street, The Midnight Sun, in Five Points, Riverside, Jacksonville, Florida. Please feel welcome to call (904) 993-7466 for more information.

Henna Tattoo Pattern Booklets from India

Here is a lovely little henna pattern booklet that is for sale at Spirit Vision Henna. Click the title of this post to purchase this book, or others like it. I have learned so much about traditional henna design by studying these little collections.

When I first saw many of the patterns in booklets like this one, I was overwhelmed! Henna presented a new way of thinking about line, movement, pattern & space... it was dazzling. As well, it was hard for me to know where to start a pattern, how to lay it out and of course how to create all that intricate detail without making a smudgy mess of it all.

Over the past six years, I have come to know that the quality & thickness of the paste makes all the difference... not only in easy of application, the ability to draw fine lines, but also in the final color. Thus, the quality and freshness of the henna powder are essential to a good outcome. I still use Jamila Henna mixed with lemon juice, essential oils & my spiced henna tea to make a fragrant paste that goes on quickly.

I am please to have been able to import a good collection of henna pattern books. If you don't like this one, stop by my site to see the others. Namaste!

Henna Tattoo in Jacksonville Florida - 8/30

Com on down to the Midnight Sun import store this Saturday August 30, 3008 and fill your hands with the latest in Arabic henna fashion.

Ann George will bring a collection of the latest heena patterns as well as a big collection of tribal henna tattoo designs and traditional Indian henna tattoos. This is a sample image from the little henna tattoo pattern booklet available for sale at Spirit Vision Henna Tattoo. We will try something different this Saturday and start vending henna about 11:00 AM!

If you are new to henna tattoo, please be sure to visit the FAQ PAGE! so you have the best experience possible.

For more information about how to purchase this and other fine little booklets, visit her HENNA TATTOO BOOK STORE. If you are just hoping to find more designs, no worries.. the site is full of photo galleries of henna tattoos!

No Henna Today - 8/23/08 - at Midnight Sun

It is just tooo wet to come out & do henna tattoo today!

Henna works best when it's warm, sunny, and dry as we are able to let the paste stay on the skin, undisturbed, for along time. During a tropical storm, or the remnants of one.. it is often too wet to be sure that your henna paste won't get wet as well.

For those new to henna, the reason this is important is that henna works by penetrating layers of the skin to stain it some shade of reddish brown. If water gets on the paste ( the photo shows henna paste still on the skin) then the paste can run, thus smearing the pattern a bit.

For best results you want to have the henna paste on the skin at least 6 hours, some leave the henna overnight. Let's hope next weekend will be brighter!

Dark Red Color in Arabic Henna Tattoo - Jamila Henna 2008

Here is a bold Arabic style henna tattoo for the palm and inner wrist. The wonderful dark color is a sample of the fine red that is available when using the 2008 harvest of Jamila henna powder.

Of course, to get the best finished color, one should leave the paste on as long as possible. In this case, I applied the henna at 10:30 PM. I was able to apply several treatments with lemon sugar glaze to keep the paste wet, and therefore active for about half an hour.

Afterwards, I gently wrapped the henna tattoo in tissue and then wore a plastic glove ( the soft food service kind ) over the pattern for the rest of the night. This process of wrapping in tissue and plastic really helps to get the darkest color possible because henna is a heat activated body dye.

It is also clear in this photo that henna gives the darkest color on the palms of the hands. The henna stain is lighter as it moves up the arm although the same paste was applied to both areas. Some people get darker color on the arm than I do. It is really a matter of skin type, body chemistry and some times, the color of the skin.

The nice thing about this palm tattoo is that it leaves much of the hand free for everyday tasks. So.. if you want a simple henna tattoo on your palm, this kind of pattern will work well for you. 2008 Jamila henna powder is still available for $8.50 each 100 gram box with free shipping in the USA.

Jamila Henna Powder • Rich Dark Color

Here is a bold pattern for the palm of the hand. This dark color is achieved with the last of the '07 Jamila Henna.
I used lemon juice, henna tea & jamila henna to start the paste.

After about 4 hours I added cajeput, neroli, lavendar and a bit of pomegranate juice to the mixture. I made a fairly liquid paste and used a medium tip mylar cone to achieve this design.

I did wrap the henna in tissue and wear a thin plastic glove overnight to get the darkest color possible. Of course, the color will be even darker tomorrow.. but I had a moment to put this photo up for you today.

I will have new photos online next week showing the finished color achieved with the 2008 harvest of Jamila henna which is just now for sale at Spirit Vision Henna.

The new henna pattern booklets from India are also for sale & make a great gift for the aspiring mehandi artist.

Henna Tattoo Video • Arabic Style How to Henna

Here is the work of a very talented traditional artist. I love her use of bold lines & white space while creating a very full look for the palm of the hand. I just wnat to do more of this kind of art. Don't you want to have some traditional henna ??? I love this pattern. What you you think?

Henna Pattern Booklets from India - Ready to Ship

I have received the balance of my order of henna tattoo pattern booklets from India. Here is one of my favorites: "Latest Mehadi - Arabic Henna Designs Booklet". I have posted a photo of the cover page as well as a sample pattern.

These booklets are for sale at Spirit Vision Henna for $4.50 each with free shipping in the USA. They are printed on a soft grey colored paper,are 31 pages long and at least 25 of them are henna patterns.

The booklet is printed in the language you see on the cover and contains a good balance of bold as well as traditional, or fine line henna tattoo patterns. The cover photo on this booklet alone really helps me introduce new clients to the art of mehndi.

If you click the title of this post, you will go to my website to see other new henna booklets. Secure online shopping provided by PayPal. Please feel welcome to email me any questions you might have. Limited quantities available!!

Moroccan henna in Morocco mehndi body art tattoos

I learned so much about mixing a good paste from this video. Now, my henna is much more liquid, is easier to apply quickly, and give a deeper color as it dries more slowly. Thanks to this fine artist, my work is much improved.

Henna Pattern Booklets from India - Ready to Ship

I have just uploaded the first five of the newly arrived henna tattoo pattern booklets from India! I have two of each style at the moment. If I sell out of a booklet you want, I will offer a selection of five more to choose from.

These henna design booklets contain traditional patterns for hands and feet. They are 4.5" x 6.75" with a colorful cover and contain 25 henna patterns. They are printed on a soft gray paper, and some offer recipes in English. Most are written in a language I can't read or speak, but the patterns are great.

I always take at least three traditional pattern books to events so that Western customers can get an idea of the art in its "pure" form.

To purchase, booklets are $4.95 USD each, click the title of this post to go to Spirit Vision Henna Tattoo. Secure shopping by PayPal. Free Shipping in the USA.

Bold Arabic Style Henna - Inner Arm Tattoo

Here is a new henna tattoo for one of my favorite clients. She loves bold decoration and chose to have an Arabic style design for her inner arm. This henna pattern uses dark, or thick lines to catch the eye, and just a few of the finer lines to give that wonderful intricate feeling.

This pattern took about 15 minutes to complete, and costs $15.00. It is a "Chef's Choice" design that is derived from the work of another very talented henna artist. It is often best to just point out the style of henna pattern you like & let your henna artist go from there. That way, you get a unique pattern that has the flavor you want, but fits your style and your budget.

It is important to know that this is a photo of the henna paste still on the arm. The final color will show up about 48 hours after the paste has been removed. Henna tattoo will always be some shade of red to reddish brown, depending in part on your skin type & how well you care for your design.

Women of color often get a wonderful black cherry red stain. I am hoping for a photo of the finished color... but you never know.

Inspiration! Arabic Henna Pattern for the Leg

I am so inspired by this fantastic (unknown) ARTIST on You Tube that I had to try a five minute design. To the left is the result.

Of course the advantage of free-style, anything I want to do henna - a.k.a. Chef's Choice - is that I can just draw. I used my regular plastic cone, but did tape the end to a finer, and more firm point. I like this improvement. I also notice that in many of the videos, the artists are working with a wetter paste than I bring to Midnight Sun. The advantage of the wet pastes is deeper penetration of color and finer lines. However, a wet paste makes for a longer dry time, and requires that a client be a bit more mindful of the artwork. Now always easy in our car culture.

I was inspired by some HOW TO ROLL HENNA CONES Videos from You Tube once again, and if you click the links, you can go get some inspiration as well.

Of course I also found more great art.. patterns I would really like to be able to do here in town. If you check out this VIDEO.. you will see that henna on the hands is a good thing! Of course you don't have to order the full bridal images you see, but I am looking for practice volunteers who have some free hours, and a driver, to polish up my bridal skills.