Whether you’re a beginner delving into the world of mehndi art for the first time, or are noted for your steady hands, dexterity and beautiful designs by family and clients alike, there’s nothing like a little direction to help understand and improve your craft and take your skill up a level.
And whether you’re looking for heavy and intricate henna work, or something more contemporary in its sensibilities, or even if you’re looking to try your hand at a completely new style that you find intriguing, here are the most value-for-your-money books on mehndi design that all feature exemplary designs.
More importantly, our picks will also show you how to achieve results akin to the gorgeous patterns contained within. Here are the top 15 mehndi designs books your money can buy.
1. Mehndi Designs by Marty Noble
Marty Noble’s book not only contains over 160 gorgeous and royalty-free (mostly Indian) mehndi designs, it also details how mehndi has come to be widely used not only in India, but also Africa and the Middle East. The book features easy-to-follow exercises showing how to combine dots, swirls, ripples, and other patterns into original versions of the traditional mehndi designs. It also includes suggestions for combining simple shapes that form the basic elements of mehndi to help boost creativity, as well as a selection of motifs and practice pages. The book also delves into how mehndi has come to be used in celebrations ranging from weddings, religious holidays and births.
However, if it’s just the designs and patterns that you’re after, you’re not going to be disappointed with the gorgeous images and motifs enclosed within – exotic birds, shapely faces, and a myriad styles of floral borders, heart insets, as well as a number of gorgeous patterns.
To buy, click here.
2. 201 Bridal Mehndi Designs by Manish Verma
Specific interests require specific instructions, and if bridal mehndi is what you’re interested in then you can do much worse than pick up a copy of Manish Verma’s 201 Bridal Mehndi Designs, which – just as it promises on the tin – delivers 201 excellent and intricate bridal mehndi patterns for both hands and feet, allowing users to explore (and learn) designs that are fit to adorn a beautiful bride on her big day.
To buy,click here.
3. Zahrah: Arabic Henna Design Collection by Devaky S Dharan
Mehndi expert Devaky S Dharan’s Zahrah is a collection of outstanding henna tattoos that carry within them an Arabic influence. The book’s collection of mehndi designs is geared towards professional mehndi artists and features bold as well as intricate designs. Dharan’s exploration of the role of negative space in design is also highly useful for those looking to up their craft a notch or two. The designs are only for the arms and palms, and while most of the designs are Arabic influenced, there are a couple of Indian and Sudanese patterns that the author explores as well.
To buy, click here.
4. How To Create Mehndi Designs by Jessica Mazurkiewicz
An excellent “how to” on the art of mehndi design, Jessica Mazurkiewicz takes us through a set of easy and enjoyable exercises where – with concise instructions and through combinations of dots, ripples, swirls and other patterns – the readers create original and beautiful patterns of their own. The best part is that the final patterns stay true to tradition and offer beginners a chance to explore their creativity, spirituality and inner aesthetic, all the while serving as an introduction to mehndi and a chance at self-expression through the ancient art of henna. Also provided are practice exercises, plenty of rough pages as well as a few handy tips and tricks.
To buy, click here.
5. How To Mehndi – HowExpert Press
HowExpert press – a corporate author – brings to us a step-by-step guide on how to create mehndi designs. It starts at the basics where it goes through the various types of mehndi and teaches the reader eight types of fill-in patterns and designs as it progresses. Procedures are covered in detail and additionals like the use of colour in mehndi or tips on finishing touches are also included. Decoration of nails, as well as the process of making your own henna, are also covered in this comprehensive guide.
To buy, click here.
6. Modern Mehndi – A Collection Of Henna Designs by Kelly Caroline
Fans of contemporary mehndi designs will love the collection of modern mehndi designs that Kelly Caroline has put together into one nifty little picture book. The book promises designs that are “perfect for parties, weddings and private appointments,” and for those who are not sticklers for tradition, this collection promises to be an interesting and most useful tool in their journey into the world of mehndi.
To buy, click here.
7. Traditional Mehndi Designs – A Treasury Of Henna Body Art by Dorine Van Den Beukel
If you’re looking for a ‘be all and end all of sorts’ when it comes to books on mehndi design, Dorine Van Den Beukel’s monumental effort is probably as close as you’re going to get. Not quite your routine “how to” guide, the book focuses on designs from Arabia, India and Africa and documents over 500 traditional designs in black and white that the user can copy. Its three chapters offer a non-technical and insightful look at the history of mehndi, and the book offers simple instructions and techniques for mehndi mastery, and when combined with its resplendent and highly detailed photographs, the book makes for a treasure trove of sorts for the mehndi aficionado.
To buy, click here.
8. Henna Sourcebook by Mary Packard
Mary Packard’s aptly titled Henna Sourcebook is a repository of over 1000 traditional designs and modern interpretations of body art, and the book, along with its excellent images, provides a short write-up about the history and symbolism of the design. The book also delves into topics like the ancient history of henna, its traditional usage in “coming of age ceremonies,” as well as its adoption into contemporary American society.
To buy, click here.
9. Teach Yourself Henna Tattoo by Brenda Abdoyan
Featuring original designs, this book promises an “easy to follow” guide to making henna or mehndi art with simple instructions, patterns and projects and it delivers on that promise with aplomb. The author talks of five “base” mehndi shapes and teaches the reader how to use combinations of those shapes to create novel mehndi designs.
In an inventive twist, Brenda Abdoyan also employs a “follow-along” method in teaching her readers how they can get creative with mehndi and household objects like boxes and pouches, and even magnets and tea cozies.
To buy, click here.
10. The Art Of Henna: The Ultimate Body Art by Pamela Nicholas
Featuring 70 stunning photographs and over 220 designs, Pamela Nicholas takes the reader on a well-curated journey into the world of henna, with each of history, tradition and technique well represented in the text.
The book also features step-by-step instructions that will enable the readers to “beautify their bodies” and there is plenty in here to cater to beginners as well as readers who are well-versed in the art of henna. The book also features a trove of tips, tricks and strategies when it comes to getting that perfect design.
To buy, click here.
11. Mehndi: The Art Of Henna Body Painting by Carine Fabius
The efforts of Carine Fabius in putting together a guidebook on mehndi have resulted in an excellent reference book that beginners can use to get started on their journey in to the world of henna. Everything from mixing your own mehndi paste to step-by-step details on application, and a myriad of designs, patterns, themes, and of course, exceptional images come enshrined in the pages within. The book also features insightful tips from mehndi experts and industry insiders that help the reader learn better and distinguish right practices from wrong when it comes to the intricate art of mehndi.
To buy, click here.
12. Beginner Henna Designs by Heather Caunt-Nulton
If you’re looking for a set of simple yet delightful mehndi designs that were created for beginner artists, Heather Caunt-Nulton’s effortless explanations of how to create wonderful mehndi designs in a broad range of styles and patterns will be right up your alley. All of the traditional symbols like the peacock, the lotus, the OM and everything in between are covered, and the designs contained within make for great options for festival henna application.
To buy, click here.
13. Henna Made Handy – A Step-By-Step Instructional Guide For All Your Henna Needs by Jamilah Izzuddin
Jamilah Izzuddin’s Henna Made Handy proclaims itself to be equally useful to beginners as well as experienced users. And the book attempts to do just that by offering the very basics of henna application as well as a series of unique and contemporary designs and design elements for henna stalwarts looking for inspiration. This is not the kind of book that shows you a final picture without an explanation of how to achieve that design, and offers more than 45 stylish and contemporary finished henna designs.
To buy, click here.
14. The Art Of Mehndi: Henna Body Decoration by Sumita Batra
The cover (no, we’re not judging the book by it) features a quote by none other than legendary entertainer Madonna that goes “When Sumita hennas my hands and feet, I am transported to another time and place – a world of magic passion and romance.”
Okay, so the themes contained within this book are for those passionate about the art of mehndi – beginners and more experienced folk alike – but it isn’t merely a “how to” book per se. Dealing with the mysticism and spirituality of henna, as well as its symbolic and cultural ties to tradition, Sumita also explores how the west has adopted this method as a way to accentuate their bodies without ever having to worry about the permanence that traditional tattoos bring.
All in all, the book is an excellent and in-depth look at what mehndi is and why it matters and features a whole host of beautiful mehndi designs.
To buy, click here.
15. Erin Go Bragh – Irish And Celtic Henna Designs by Heather Caunt-Nulton
The final book in our list is Heather Caunt-Nulton’s second appearance in our list and this offering is decidedly more specific in its concerns. The book features 24 Irish and Celtic henna designs as well as 25 Ogham characters for those who wish to write their names as Irish folk did in ancient times.
To buy, click here.
All of the unique design can be drawn freehand, and anyone interested in the kind of henna represented in Irish, Celtic as well as Pagan festivals will find Erin Go Bragh a most useful resource.
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The post 15 Of The Best Mehndi Designs Books Your Money Can Buy appeared first on The Bridal Box.