How I Started and Improved My Henna Rapidly
I started Henna a little over 3 years ago. After my high school exams, I went on a holiday to Singapore, where I bought some henna cones. I wanted to get more in touch with my roots, since my ancestors came from India, and one way I thought of how to do that was through henna. When I was younger, I always loved getting my henna done at weddings, and as I grew up, I always marveled on the designs I saw on brides.
Once I got home, I immediately started looking for henna designs and trying to copy them.
When I started, I did not know what to do. My lines were always scribbly and I was never fully satisfied with the results.
The first time I was actually satisfied with my results was 2 years after I started. I still copied another artists’ design, but the way I practiced before doing this piece was completely different.
Instead of just blatantly copying other artists’ designs, I started looking at the separate components of a design. I started taking designs apart and practicing each individual element until I was satisfied with how they looked. This truly helped me advance as an artist, as I now did not rely on a ready-made design in order to create something. I now possess over the skill to create any design myself.
So how did I do this?
Take a look at some of your favorite henna designs. They most likely consist of some elements that are repeated throughout the design. Some elements that are often used are swirls, leaves, vines, dots, lines, and all kinds of variations of these. See the picture below to see exactly what I’m talking about.
Practicing these elements and the variations of those time after time again will help you get familiar with them, and will eventually help you to get neater lines and better designs overall. After all, it’s the small details that make the design.
So, start practicing with these, and soon you will see your results improve.
Follow me on Instagram at @abovehenna, and show me your results!
