Geometric Shoulder Experiment
Geometric designs are stunning because of the attention to seemingly simple details, like achieving even repetition, straight lines, symmetrical fillers, and overall balance. Sometimes the simplest details, such as large, sweeping, straight lines, can be the most challenging to achieve with henna, because there is really no way to disguise a crooked line that stands alone. Some artists find that doing the line more quickly or more slowly than usual can help them to keep their lines straight. Others use a "dropping" technique, where they allow the henna paste to form a solid stream above the skin, and slowly let it drop straight down. Some find that keeping the tip of the henna cone close and dragging across the skin the whole time, imitating the technique of drawing with a pen or pencil while squeezing with light pressure.
For this geometric design, I drew out various shapes using careful, straight lines. These shapes I tried to fill with as many different geometric fillers as I could, avoiding florals other than the few times I used vine shapes. The challenge with this type of a design was to create some randomness and lots of variety in fillers, but to still have enough repetition within the different fillers, rarely straying from lines, dots, and dashes, so that the overall design is cohesive.
Here is the stain about 3 days after design application. Henna stains darkest where there are the most layers of skin, such as the hands and feet. The further from the hands and feet that the design is applied, the lighter the stain will be. Doing this type of busy design on the shoulder where it stains a bit lighter and evenly made the design much more subtle.
I would love to see a version of this design in a different placement, and with a different mix of fillers! A version with lots of floral and spiraled fillers would be very beautiful. Comment below with a photo of your variation, or post on Instagram and tag us at #HennaArtCanada!