Traditional Tattoo

Henna Tattoo - Back & Shoulder Henna Pattern The goddess of henna muses came by for a back piece yesterday. In the spirit of all great patrons of artists everywhere, Miss Nancy gave me a general description of what she wanted in general and the complete freedom to henna as I pleased. We talked about styles & energy.. paisley and peacocks, and the wonderful ideas of someday doing full body henna. I hope to create a unique design/ pattern/ moment of art in the near future. However, as we were in a shop window, we opted for a henna pattern for her upper back . The first photos is of her henna design seen from the back. I was very happy to be able to use negative space in this design, as well as the "drops" effect to enhance the natural beauty of her neck & shoulders. The pattern began on her right shoulder, moving across the upper back and then down the left arm. At some point, we thought to try for the half sleeve tattoo effect that is so popular fo

Full Palm Henna Tattoo Here is a quick pattern for a full palm henna tattoo with a floral feel. My customer wanted a traditional henna look without bridal pricing... which is when the use of negative space makes a henna tattoo come alive, seem very full & traditional, without requiring more than 15 minutes or so. This pattern starts at the wrist & then uses two double paisley patterns to contain the bulk of the design. Henna rings were used on the fingers, with little ring jewels on the tips. Henna will naturally flake off over time, and of course with movement, so the rings were placed between the finger joints. Placing the henna paste away from the joints of the fingers made this an easy to wear henna pattern for a busy shopping day. The henna tattoo was sprayed several times with a a lemon sugar glaze to help it stay in place. As it is now henna season, it's best to call ahead to schedule your henna tattoo at The Midnight Sun. Visit Spirit Vision Henna for

Jamila Henna - finished color after 18 hours Here is a photo of the almost finished color of the henna tattoo pattern from 5/21/09. To get this deep red color on the palm Cat let the henna paste wear off naturally. As several coatings of lemon sugar glaze were applied, this took awhile. Also, she did not wash the tattoo for at least 12 hours after the henna paste was applied. You will notice that the darkest color is on the palm of the hand, and that the henna becomes lighter as the pattern moves up the arm. This change in color is due to the change in the skin. The skin on the palm is usually more fleshy, and of course more porous than the thinner skin of the inner arm. This pattern took about 45 minutes to complete. The paste was made using the 2008 crop of Jamila Henna Powder. I have about a dozen boxes left for sale, and then it's time to wait for the next harvest! Please visit my site if you would like to have a 100 gram box of this excellent henna powder on the way

But for Angy learning to be a tatuadora was a natural extension. She already held a degree in fine arts from a university in Chihuahua, and had participated in several collective traditional art exhibits. "But it's easier to make a living doing tattoos than as an artist," Angy concedes. As distinct from Angy and Kai, most tatuadores in Mexico do not have advanced training for other career paths options. Bridal Henna - Free Hand Design One of the great joys of the web is that it enables me to see the great skills of other mehndi artists. This photo is inspired by the work of the fine artist at Hasina Mehnd. AFter seeing one of her more recent henna designs, I knew I had to work a bit harder to be able to offer my customers the best of traditional henna. I was lucky to have a willing volunteer, and about an hour of to do this design. The design went along rather quickly until I got to the middle of the palm of the hand. This is traditional henna , and I hope to

Tuna and Angy had come to Oaxaca to participate in the twelfth annual Tattoo Fest, held on August 21 & 22, 2010, a couple of days earlier. Kai is one of three festival organizers, and was on the ground floor of the concept when the first fest was held back in 1998. "Until this year the event was called Expo Tatuaje," Kai clarifies. "We decided to change the name with a view to attracting more foreigners. But back in the early years we held the exposition so that we could meet to exchange ideas, improve access to modern equipment and supplies, and raise the level of consciousness of the Oaxacan community, so that hopefully there would be a greater acceptance of what we were doing. Now the purposes and functions of the event are much broader, since we are well on our way to achieving our earlier goals." Wedding Henna - Full Palms Bridal Henna Tattoo It is always an honor to be included in wedding day celebrations. I am pleased to publish a photo of the brides

The success of Oaxaca's Tattoo Fest 2010 was evident from the crowds (hundreds by all estimates) and sales. Tuna and Angy between them did 11 tattoos over the two-day period. "I've been coming to the fair for the past four or five years," Tuna explains, "but this is the first year I can actually say that it was worth my while, profit-wise, to come to Oaxaca. You know I had to close my shop in Mexico City to come here. I think this show has finally turned a corner." Before and After Henna Tattoo Photos This first photo show the first part of the henna tattoo process after the paste has been applied to the skin. This tattoo was done rather late at night, so the modl left the henna paste on her skin, wearing white cotton socks to bed so that she could get the darkest stain possible. For good color, that being deep rich color, the longer the paste can interact with the skin, the darker the finished color should be. In this photo you are able to see

This year there were approximately thirty booths, about a dozen of which were dedicated to doing tattoos. In the course of a one-hour visit on the Sunday, during that entire time each and every tatuador was kept busy working - and in many cases there were onlookers in queue awaiting their turn. 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, th