Product Description

The magical art of mehndi, or henna painting, has been practiced for centuries in India, Africa, and the Middle East, and now it has finally arrived in the West. Packed with inspirational photographs of traditional andcontemporary mehndi, this complete resource offers everything you need to create your own beautiful hennadesigns, including:
dozens of practice exercises and sample illustrations
a foolproof recipe for mixing the henna paste
step-by-step instructions on how to apply your mehndi design
insider's tips from professional mehndi artists and more!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87238 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-01
• Released on: 1998-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

From School Library Journal
YA-Mehndi, or body painting with henna, was first practiced in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, and is gaining widespread popularity in the United States. This book is a how-to manual for novices and covers almost every aspect of the art from its origins, to how to make your own henna dye, to what tools are needed to draw traditional designs, to protecting the pattern once it is applied. Fabius closes with tips on the best way to paint the henna on the soles of the feet, the palms of the hand, the neck, the stomach, and the back. This book will have great appeal to many teens.
Robert Burnham, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap
The magical art of mehndi, or henna painting, has been practiced for centuries in India, Africa, and the Middle East, and now it has finally arrived in the West. Packed with inspirational photographs of traditional andcontemporary mehndi, this complete resource offers everything you need to create your own beautiful hennadesigns, including:
dozens of practice exercises and sample illustrations
a foolproof recipe for mixing the henna paste
step-by-step instructions on how to apply your mehndi design
insider's tips from professional mehndi artists and more!

Customer Reviews

Very nice overall mehndi book, great for beginners!
This is a very nice little book, quite primitive but very sweet in its style and explaination of the process and design. There are some interesting photos of different designs and larger skin applications, and the finished work was quite lovely. My only grievance was that the hand-drawn illustrations and designs are somewhat childish looking and skewed, but then again, I'm more of a perfectionist. In the spirit of free-hand artistic expression, I can overlook that factor.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and believe many others would find it interesting as well.

Information ranges from out of date to plain wrong.
I was extremely disappointed with this book. The information about historical origins and traditions is sometimes correct, but only sometimes. The art is awful. I would expect this sort of design work from someone who was trying henna for the first time, not a self-proclaimed expert. The worst part for me, however, is the recipe given. For most of the world, the ingredients listed will actually hinder the dye's ability to stain. At first I wondered why someone would print something designed to fail- then I remembered that the author also sells pre-measured henna kits for those that can't mix their own successfully. Coincidence?
You can get better information, recipes, art pictures, and supplies for free on the Internet. Why pay for bad advice?

Excellent Buy for a beginner!
This book is a friendly, easy read. For the beginner with no experience, it will make you feel comfortable. It offers advice on the history of a design, the meaning, and gives a step by step instruction on some of the more complicated looking designs. The book also offers practice exercises for those who feel they can't draw mehndi designs.
All in all, it's a good book for a beginner.