How to Make Small Henna Designs
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Straight lines – first practice making straight lines parallel to each other. This way you will get hold on the cone and the pressure exert on it.
Dot – it is the basic design. Practice making dots smaller and cleaner.
Comma - first make a dot without lifting the cone away but giving the curve and then lift it away.
Stamen – first make a dot then keep the pressure downwards and lift cone to make a pointed end.
Making heart – it can be used as a petal too. Make one Stamen first. Then make a dot beside it, joining the two ends as you finish it.
Step 3: Making Petals
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Petal 1 – Make a stamen. Again go to the starting point and make an S-shaped line. To highlight the petal, bold the outer part of the petal by again applying henna. Petal is completed now make some filaments with thin lines.
Petal 2 – Make a thick stamen. Make another just like it beside it and join at the end, not pointed but blunt.
Petal 3 – Make a curvy 7 first. Make another joining from the starting point just like a heart but do not close it. Highlight the petal by making outerline thick. Make filaments in the center with thin lines.
Petal 4 – First make a comma, then again from starting point make a stamen just like an invert U. Highlight its curve.
Step 4: Larger Abstract Designs
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Making a big circle – Start from the central point as a dot then keep applying henna spirally until you have made it big enough as per required.
More - You can make different designs by making curvy lines then joining them together, examples in the photos. You can let them empty, fill with different strokes or fill them up completely.
Step 5: Practice Without Tracing
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When you can see that designs you make with henna are no longer messy, and you have got control over the cone squeezing it and your hands are no longer shivering while making it, then you are ready for the next step.
Take an A4 sheet or a plain piece of paper. Place your left hand on it if you are right-handed and vice versa. With pencil draw an outline of your hand on paper.
After tracing, rotate the tracing so that fingers are towards you, place glass sheet on it as you did for printed design.
Put the printed design beside hand-tracing so they are parallel and near enough.
As a beginner it will be difficult for you to decide that from where you should start applying henna. So at this stage, start from the base of index finger. See the design from printed paper and trace it on the glass sheet just by looking it as you are making a sketch.
Now start making design from wrist to the thumb.
In this way, your design will get divided and you will know exactly what your design is and how you can make it on hand.
Now make the design which will come in the center of hand till the index finger.
After the palm is completed, come towards remaining fingers, starting from the middle one to the pinky.
Now practise this technique until you can judge the proportions of design on hand. Make another tracing of your hand but this time right one and practice on it too, so you can perfect both the hands.
When you see you are good at this, then…. its time for trying out on a real hand! Time to call your friends!
Step 6: Apply Henna on Hand
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Place a cushion under your friend’s hand. Now you can do this step while sitting on a sofa, ground or bed. Be easy, be comfortable and do not listen to nearby people’s teasing and do not get too much excited or you will end up doing everything wrong.
Till now, you must have learnt how to make a design just by seeing it, so start from the place farthest from you - the wrist and proceed towards the thumb.
Then center of the hand to the index finger.
Then from the middle finger to the pinky and finish the design!
Wait for henna to dry. It dries very quickly as you apply it but as it is a form of dye so you have to wait till it dyes completely on the hand – about 10 hours (maximum)- the best way to do this is to apply henna before going to bed and wash it off when you wake up in the morning. Wash it with tap water and see the result.