Ever since I went to Saudi Night at Oregon State University last spring, I've been in love with henna. I got to know that henna is also a cultural art in India, where my father is from. Henna has been practiced by people in North Africa, Middle East and India for many centuries, especially for weddings. It is a body painting made of flowering plants.
I enjoy the smell of it as well as the beauty of designs. I choose to use henna because it lasts only about a week unlike permanent tattoos. Besides, I don't need to have professional drawing skills. I can be my own artist!
I bought a couple of henna tube at the Middle Eastern restaurant Al Jabal located on south 3rd street in Corvallis, and the price was only $2.99 per tube. Tube has quite a bit of paste that I didn't have to use all of it at once.
Before I applied the paste on my arm, I looked at images of design so that I could have an idea of how to draw. Even if it didn't turn out to be like the image, I created my own design as I went along. After completing the drawing, I led it dry for about thirty minutes. Once the paste got dried, I started peeling all off. My drawing may not seem like professional, but I did enjoy another cultural legacy of the world! :)
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| I pictured flowers in my head and this is what I ended up with |
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Henna Paste I used |
