While hands make for stunning drawings, they are notoriously difficult to draw due to the amount of bones, muscle, and tendons in each hand. But don’t let that intimidate you. Simplify the process and break hand drawing down into basic shapes and manageable steps, and you’ll be on your way to drawing a lifelike hand. Always use a reference. Mehndi is a form of body art and temporary skin decoration usually drawn on hands or legs, common in the Indian Subcontinent, in which decorative designs are created on a person's body, using a paste, created from the powdered dry leaves of the henna plant (Lawsonia inermis). Honing your drawing skills is an ongoing process that requires a lot of practice. From tracing a hand-drawn sketch to drawing from scratch in Illustrator, let’s look at some of the most common tools and workflows for illustrating. Start by tracing. You can easily base a new drawing on an existing piece of artwork by tracing it. The best way to improve drawing anything is to practice it over & over. Some of the toughest things to draw are human features, hands being the most frustrating (and most rewarding) to practice. But you may not know how to begin your hand studies if you’ve never done them before.
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Drawing On Hand With Pen
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Mehndi applied on both hands; back view.
Henna applied on the back of both hands.
Video of mehndi application.
Mehndi is a form of body art and temporary skin decoration usually drawn on hands or legs, common in the Indian Subcontinent, in which decorative designs are created on a person's body, using a paste, created from the powdered dry leaves of the henna plant (Lawsonia inermis). It is a popular form of body art among the women of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, and the Maldives, and resembles similar practices found in North Africa and the Middle East.This kind of body art is called Mehndi Design in South Asia. Whereas, in West it is called Henna Designs.[1]
According to A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English Mehndi also refers to 'the marriage-feast on the occasion of the bride's hands and feet being stained with henna (ḥinā)' or 'an ark, or tabernacle, carried in solemn procession by some Muslims on the eve of the anniversary of the death of a person who died just as he was about to marry:—meṅhdī bāṅdhnā (-meṅ).'[2] It was originally used for only women's palms and sometimes for men, but as time progressed, it was more common for women to wear it[citation needed].
Drawing On Hand Ideas
There are many variations and designs. Women usually apply mehndi designs to their hands and feet, though some, including cancer patients and women with alopecia occasionally decorate their scalps.[3] The standard color of henna is brown, but other design colors such as white, red, black and gold are sometimes employed.[3]
Mehndi in Indian tradition is typically applied during Hindu weddings and festivals like Karva Chauth, Vat Purnima, Diwali, Bhai Dooj, Navraathri, Durga Pooja and Teej. Muslims in South Asia also apply mehndi during Muslim weddings, festivals such as Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.
In Hindu festivals, many women have Henna applied to their hands and feet and sometimes on the back of their shoulders too, as men have it applied on their arms, legs, back, and chest. For women, it is usually drawn on the palm, back of the hand and on feet, where the design will be clearest due to contrast with the lighter skin on these surfaces, which naturally contain less of the pigment melanin.
Drawing On Hand
Alta, Alata, or Mahur is a red dye used similarly to henna to paint the feet of the brides in some regions of the South Asia, for instance in Bangladesh and Indian States of West Bengal.
Likely due to the desire for a 'tattoo-black' appearance, some people add the synthetic dyep-Phenylenediamine (PPD) to henna to give it a black colour. PPD may cause severe allergic reactions and was voted Allergen of the Year in 2006 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.
Etymology[edit]
Origin of the word is from Sanskrit word Mendhika.[4]
Origins[edit]
The use of mehendi is first documented in Ancient Egypt as a decorative purpose for mummies.[citation needed] The use of mehendi as decorative art was prevalent in fourth century India, which is evident from cave art in the Deccan, specifically in the Ajanta Caves.[5]
Tradition[edit]
Mehndi decoration of palms and feet
Mehndi decoration of palms and feet of a bride
Mehndi is a ceremonial art form common in the Indian subcontinent. It is typically applied during weddings - for Sikh, Muslim and Hindu brides. In Rajasthan, the grooms are given designs that are often as elaborate as those for brides. In Assam, apart from marriage, it is broadly used by unmarried women during Rongali bihu.
Muslims in Afghanistan also use it.
Process[edit]
Henna paste is usually applied to the skin using a plastic cone, a paintbrush or a stick. After about 15–20 minutes, the mud will dry and begin to crack, and during this time, a mixture of lemon juice and white sugar can be applied over the henna design to remoisten the henna mud so that the henna will stain darker. The painted area is then wrapped with tissue, plastic, or medical tape to lock in body heat, creating a more intense colour on the skin. The wrap (not a traditional method), is worn for two to six hours, or sometimes overnight, and then removed. When first removed, the henna design is pale to dark orange in colour and gradually darkens through oxidation, over the course of 24 to 72 hours. The final color is reddish brown and can last anywhere from one to three weeks depending on the quality and type of henna paste applied, as well as where it was applied on the body (thicker skin stains darker and longer than thin skin). Moisturizing with natural oils, such as olive, sesame seed, or coconut, will also help extend the lifetime of the stain. Skin exfoliation causes the henna tattoo to fade.
In weddings[edit]
Example of a wedding tradition[edit]
The henna, a dye produced from a henna plant, would be delivered by the groom's relatives on a silver tray containing two burning candles.[6][7] Before the application of the henna, the guests would throw coins over the bride's head as a symbol of fertility. Then, the bride's soon to be mother-in-law would then bring out a piece of silk cloth as a gift to the bride. The bride would then walk along the unrolled piece of silk cloth in the direction of her future mother-in-law and kiss her hand. Once this is done, fruits, nuts, and pastries would be brought out and songs would be sung in hopes of making the bride cry. This was done because it was thought that the bride's crying would bring good luck. The bride would then sit on a cushion while her mother-in-law placed a gold coin in her hand as another sign of good luck. Once the bride was given the gold coin, the henna would be applied.
The person who applied the henna was always someone who was already known to be happily married; that person would apply the henna onto the bride's palms, fingers, and toes. The henna was made from dried henna leaves, and the process of application took a long time. For this reason, it was suggested that it be applied between thirty-two and forty-eight hours before the wedding so that it may have enough time to stain the skin. In addition to the bride, most women at the mehndi ceremony also apply the henna to their hands for aesthetics. Drupal document management.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mehndi.
^'mehndi-designs'. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
^A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. Dsal.uchicago.edu. Retrieved on 2011-09-26.
^ ab'The next big thing on Eid is white mehndi, and I tried it - Style - Images'. Images.dawn.com. Retrieved 2019-04-30.