Ancient Hindu texts talk about how to decorate your skin with henna in simple Mehndi designs, vindicating the ancient beginnings of this art form. When the Mughals came to power in the 16th century, they started encouraging people to draw elaborate Mehndi designs on their hands and legs as part of a general beautification culture. Patterns and methods have changed over time as per the fancies of people of a particular period. For instance, many Bollywood actresses today are fond of displaying elaborate Mehndi designs whenever they attire themselves with a saree.
However, the scope of this blog is restricted to marvelling at some easy yet beautiful Mehndi designs for ideas to learn this ancient art form.
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Simple and Easy Mehndi Designs for Beginners
Do you think applying Mehndi is difficult and just not your thing? Well, it’s not so challenging if you practice regularly. Start with simple designs and move on to more complicated ones as you improve. You can apply Mehndi yourself or seek your friend’s assistance in creating a lovely pattern in less than 30 minutes. Are you prepared? Here are a few pretty and simple Mehndi designs to get you started:
Indo-Arabic Art
If you like Arabic patterns, why not learn them by practising diligently? Check out this new pattern, which mixes different designs to make a palm tree. First, flower designs are drawn on the side of the hand. Then, geometric shapes, such as crisscross lines, swirls, dots, lines, etc., are added to make the design more complex. You can borrow this pattern’s idea and make your own Mehndi art to set yourself apart.
Easy Lotus Mehndi Design
In addition to the simple flowers we often see in easy Mehndi designs, the lotus is another flower that is easy to design. This lotus pattern looks more classic when shaded deeper. This simple Mehndi pattern uses lotus and mango leaves to create a beautiful and classic look.
Checks Art with Mehndi
Checks are a style that will never go out of fashion. They are easy to create and look great. Here’s a similar idea that takes the style of regular checks to a whole new level. It starts with a simple circular pattern around a heart shape in the middle of the hand. Different kinds of vertical lines on the sides make it look more beautiful and elegant. Thereafter, a gap and a curvy border with checks moving towards the wrist and bordered on the outside by small leaves and petals, making the design look like an exaggerated cufflink.
Three-Part Simple Mehndi Design:
This easy Mehandi design on the palm looks beautiful and sophisticated. It is made up of three parts. The design does not have a specific theme. Instead, areas of the palm have been filled with detailed works and then outlined with a similar leaf shape in all three parts.
Roses Art
If you want to make things difficult, this unique pattern resembling lace is a great choice. Start by drawing roses and leaves on the back of your hand. Use gentle curves. Apply henna paste to them to make them look solid. Now, draw a honeycomb-shaped net around them, and finish off with a wavy pattern on the outside. For a fuller look, use vertical checks and swirls on the fingers.
The Elaborate Leg Mehndi
This beautiful Mehndi pattern is easier to create than it appears. Once you know how to draw the basic patterns, putting them all together is easy. First, draw a line to show where the image will begin. As shown, you can start from the ankle level or just below the knee. Using this as a starting point, keep adding smaller lines and making more of them until the whole area is covered. Use different methods to decorate the legs up to the toes, such as thick lines, thin lines, diagonals, domes, betel leaves, flowers, etc.
Floral Payal Art
Try out a Mehndi design on your legs with this pretty pattern! It is based on the beauty of the Payal, or special-occasion anklets. Start with a flower pattern in the middle with circular designs. Add various shapes, dots, and lines to each floral pattern to make the design appear more interesting. Now, make a smaller version of this pattern on the ankles and draw lines between the shapes that look like chains on the anklets. Why not fill in the toes? Just draw these tiny leaves with the tip of the henna cone.
Conclusion
The tradition of henna body art is rich, with its origins dating back to Vedic times. Over time, it evolved and gained popularity, especially during the Mughal era, wherein elaborate Mehndi designs started adorning people’s hands and legs. This art also owes its popularity to its affordability by all strata of people. Today, Mehndi is not limited to women; anyone can enjoy and learn this art form. For beginners, starting with simple designs and gradually progressing to more intricate ones is the way to go. The various Mehndi designs, such as Indo-Arabic, lotus, checks, roses, and leg Mehndi, offer a range of options to explore and create beautiful patterns on the skin. With practice and creativity, anyone can master the art of Mehndi and enjoy the fame it brings. You can browse through the pages of the digital magazine Abouther to learn about more topics like these.