For the Love of Dirt: Morgan's Henna Tattoos.....Part 1

"The Artist's world is limitless..." -Paul Strand (1880-1976)

HENNA. TATTOOS. It goes back something like 5000 years. All the way to Ancient Egypt. Eastern cultures and designs seem to follow along the lines of four different styles depending on the region. In Sumeria, beer was discovered at 3000 B.C. In Armenia, the oldest shoes were found at over 5000 years. SO Henna Tattoos is one of the oldest things to have survived.

DESIGNS: Floral designs in the Middle east. Geometric designs in North Africa. Tattoos cover the body in India and Pakistan. Blocks of colour on fingertips and toes seem to be favoured by Indonesia and Asia.

Nowadays there are many , many ideas. Anything goes. A lot of designs follow individual beliefs or styles. Artists can be as creative as they want.

Many times a good reference manual helps to bring inspiration. And many times it's just the artist who becomes inspired and lets the Henna paste be the inspiration.

The stain left behind by the paste works really well on skin, but can also be used on other mediums, such as wooden bracelets, boxes, leather. The skin tattoos will fade in about three weeks. It is really a very centred art form. The scent of the Tea Tree Oil in the paste is also very calming. I love the smell of it, as the henna paste is applied.

You can purchase Henna Tattoo paste cones from the internet ( they come all the way from India). Sometimes you may have to wait two months for the package to arrive. Or you can make your own. Morgan's made her own at times.I think you have to let homemade paste sit a while longer on the skin. Once we used it and it looked great but didn't let the ink dry enough. Henna Tattoo Paste is NOT the same as Henna Hair colour, by the way!

RECIPE FOR HENNA PASTE: ( This is the one Morgan makes )

6 oz brewed STRONG coffee, 1 tbsp peppercorns, 1 tbsp whole cloves, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, and 2 cinnamon sticks STEEPED in the coffee for about 4 minutes.

In a plastic container add 1.75 oz henna powder.

POUR the coffee mixture, a little it at a time, through a strainer into the dry henna powder, and mix till it looks like mashed potatoes. You are going to be a chef!

SQUEEZE juice of 1 lemon into the henna mixture.

ADD 2 tsp sugar to this. Mix well. The sugar helps the colour to stick.Let stand with lid on container for about 10-20 hours. I would go for the 20 hours to make sure it squishes all together. It should turn dark.

ADD 2 tsp of tea tree oil and stir. WONDERFUL smell. Should resemble cake frosting, or whipped shortbread batter.Make sure that no one is allergic to essential oils.

KEEP this in the freezer until ready to plop it into rolled cones. This way is a bit more labour intensive that you can always have it on hand. THE PASTE can stay in the freezer about 3 months.

Five of the most basic Henna designs are Circle, Petal, Leaf or Spire, Question Mark, and Straight Line. Begin by practising these on paper, or on skin. Find a starting point and off you go.Find a point and start exploring shapes and designs. It's uplifting and incredibly freeing.There is no right or wrong. Just art.

Morgan has become quite deft in doing intricate henna designs. SO talented. We can spend an entire afternoon just swirling henna here and there. It's peaceful and calming. She's so creative. Has a natural eye. Some of my favourite times are spent doing Henna with her.

After you've finished with one side of the hand, you need to let it dry about 20 minutes or so. Then you get to scuff off the black henna paste. Underneath you will find the stain is light coloured. That's normal at this stage.It darkens as time goes on.

After that, turn over the hand and do the other side. Repeating the drying process. If you have any dishes to wash in the near future you will have to wear dish gloves, to protect the tattoo stain. It wears off in about three weeks. Then you get to do a new tattoo.....and another one after that.....and then another one......you see where I'm going with this......Maybe try tattooing a foot or two...

Mehndi is a beautiful tattoo art form. I'm absolutely hooked. Morgan's unique ideas makes each time we spend at it more special as time goes on. I can't imagine a better day........