Mehndi is a tattoo like decoration often worn by young women at weddings and festivals. The design is created with henna paste, made from ground henna leaves and oil. The design can either be applied freehand through a cone or more intricate patterns can be achieved by pressing the henna paste through a stencil, which then needs to be kept in place for a while until it dries. When the paste is dry, the excess paste is brushed off, leaving a deep reddish pattern on the skin. In time this colour will wash off.

• We like the idea that you get your hands painted when you are the bride, so that you are not allowed to do any housework for about four days.

 

Daniel	Stephanie

 

Ben

• We then made plaster casts of hands (using rubber gloves).
• We tried to create the effect of mehndi by using commercial tattoos.
• Some of us had a go with a tube of henna paste.
• At one stage some of us had a go at following the contours of our plaster hand in a dot pattern. It started to look very aboriginal!
• In the end, using textas was the best solution for a finer pattern on the plaster.