Mehndi : The Timeless Art of Henna Painting [Paperback]

Loretta Roome (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1998

Mehndi, the ancient art of painting on the skin with henna, beautifies the body, rejuvenates the spirit, and celebrates the joys of creativity and self-expression. More than just a temporary tattoo, mehndi offers us a way to participate in a centuries-old tradition still practiced in India, Africa, and the Middle East.

In this stunning and authoritative book, Loretta Roome traces the origins and meanings of traditional designs, demonstrates how to create them on the skin, and reveals the recipes, tools, and techniques needed to paint designs that range from simple to complex. The result of years of research and the author's experience as one of the nation's foremost mehndi artists, Roome's book offers practical information, creative inspiration, and many suggestions for enhancing the playful, intimate, sensual, erotic, and spiritual aspects of the ancient and amazing art of mehndi.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Loretta Roome is the founder of The Mehndi Project, which has received international attention for its efforts to help popularize the art of henna painting around the world. She has painted celebrities, schoolchildren, grandmothers, and businessmen alike. Based in New York City, she divides her time between writing, performing music, and continuing her research and practice of the art of mehndi.

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Fifth or Later Edition edition (June 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312187432
• ISBN-13: 978-0312187439
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Music
  • #52 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Mythology & Folklore
  • #52 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Mythology

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book for henna art... September 13, 2000

By Clay Bacon

Format:Paperback

I read several books about henna when I got started practicing the art, and the absolute best I've found is Loretta Roome's.

No other books describes all aspects of the art of mehndi better; the book details the spiritual side of the art, as well as its meaning, its practice throughout the ages, today's sublime twists on the art, and how to get started with your own creative skin art practices. Roome incorporates all her own artwork and henna prints into the book which are absolutely beautiful and are enough cause to buy the book simply on the talent and artistic endeavor displayed alone.

This book also lists several companies to contact for a henna supply. Color Trends (now Earthhues) is one I have contacted for my supply of henna. They give the best quality of henna powder I've found.

If you've discovered a growing interest for henna since hearing about it fashion magazines or from seeing Madonna's video for her song "Frozen," this is the book to begin your research into this mystic and creative art force.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Extensive History and How-to January 2, 2002

By Melissa Schick

Format:Paperback

I enjoyed this book immensely. I most liked the depth with which she explains symbolism in mehndi and the history of its application in Egypt, Morroco, UAE, and Pakistan, as well as India and several other countries. If you are looking for a design book, this is not for you. Of course one of the points she stresses is that using a design book is not nearly as rewarding as building on traditional designs and your own unique personality to create a design as original as your fingerprint. She does include several beautiful photographs, but the collection is by no means nearly as extensive as many in other books on this site. I agree with one of the previous reviewers that it is a bit new agy, but at least it recognizes the importance of the spiritual aspect of mehndi, which is forgotten by many American fans of this artform who ignorantly refer to it as simply a cool, trendy way to do temporary tattoos. The recipes and application instructions are excellent. The section tying mehndi to eroticism contains some very interesting information that i have seen overlooked in other books. The resource guide in the back is EXCELLENT and invaluable for anyone for whom the supplies to do mehndi are not readily available. Most of all I enjoyed how this book informs you of the religious signifigance of mehndi without compelling you to adhere to the traditional designs; rather it encourages you to make the art your own and explore your own culture and creativity.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great book September 29, 2002

By J. Cannon

Format:Paperback

"Mehndi" is a great beginners book. It's not quite what we were looking for though. It does have some really nice designs, but I think it has more text than we were hoping for. It's informative for those looking to learn about the art and tradition. This book gives advice about mixing your own henna paste. I give it 5 stars because all in all it's a wonderful book, informative, and the pictures are clear.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for anybody, not just henna artists! June 18, 2000

By "hennaguy9"

Format:Paperback

I love this book, it has become my 'henna bible'! It has all the info needed to become a professional at this lovely art, and it also covers spiritual and modern aspects. I have read it cover to cover 4 times! I just keep coming back for more! Ms. Roome is clearly an excellent artist and teacher, as shown by her eloquent writing and beautiful photographs. This book was my first and most helpful book on the lovely art of mehndi. It is the only book I recomend to others wanting to learn more! :-)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced and Beautiful March 4, 2004

By Stephanie Rose Bird VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Mehndi: The Timeless Art of Henna Painting" is a balance between sumptous picture book and inspirational, well-informed text. I find Roome's book to be one that I frequently pick up for inspiration, ideas or quiet reflection. "Mehndi: The Timeless Art of Henna Painting" is a worth while book to purchase whether or not you want a mehndi tattoo because of the beauty, magic and mystery contained within its pages.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mehndi : The Timeless Art of Henna Painting September 16, 2001

By meristi

Format:Paperback

When I first became enchanted with Mehndi, a friend lent me this beautiful book. I devoured it in one sitting. Beautifully written, it is a journey through time that explained many questions I had. I have read many books now about this topic, and this one is the most in-depth as far as the significance of Mehndi. Loretta Roome's studies have taken her far and wide, and she stresses the importance as an artist of being able to explain the historic, symbolic, and esoteric ideals behind the art, as well as learning to create our own traditions...
As a henna/mehndi artist, there are two books that are essential. For design ideas, a must-have is Traditional Mehndi Designs--A Treasury of Henna Body Art by Dorine Van Den Beukel.
For intelligent content and a deeper understanding of Mehndi I highly recommend Mehndi : The Timeless Art of Henna Painting by Loretta Roome.

44 of 58 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars New-Age fluff obscures book's usefulness June 12, 2000

By Alissa Mower Clough

Format:Paperback

Mehndi is the art of making intricate semi-permanent designs with henna paste on hands and feet. This art is practised mostly on Hindu and Moslem brides, and sometimes traditionally-minded married women of these faiths: while many of the designs are taken from religious or magickal sources, mehndi decorations are now chiefly considered symbols of married happiness, wealth and leisure. You see, henna is a remarkably ineffective coloring agent, and takes a long time to set, taking anything from four to twelve hours of complete immobility of the extremities involved...even when set, the designs are fragile, and fade easily with soap and/or hot water and/or being touched -- as with bound feet or long nails, a woman displaying extensive mehndi on hands and feet is broadcasting loud and clear that she's not doing housework, or much work of any other kind, either.

I give this debunking in order to counteract what I consider to be the book's biggest weakness: Ms. Roome's tendency towards scented-candle prose. There are some really good designs here, and some downright practical tips; there are dozens of pictures of attractive people (or their hands and feet), modeling various designs and a cursory explanation of the meanings of some traditional motifs. However, the reader has to wade through pages and pages of New-Agey fluff to get to the real gist of the matter: how to make the paste (vague), how to apply the paste (excellent), and how to make traditional designs without prior experience in art or Islamic culture (very good).... Somehow, I can't really take seriously an American how-to book, written for Americans, that decrees "meditation or prayer" as an essential step in mixing lump-free henna paste, or an author who goes into ecstatic flights of portentousness over everything from how Indian groceries in New York City excite her to her personal discovery that coins (one of her favorites, she breathlessly relates, is even marked by a cross!) make good guides for drawing small circles. Every small detail of the process is laden with exoticism, complexity, and mystification that's neither authentic nor necessary: while it's a proven fact that henna is more effective at coloring in the presence of gentle heat (like a hair drier) and a mild acid (lemon juice is most commonly used), she specifies tamarind as a mordant, and recommends the use of the smoke rising from incense (of a properly symbolic nature) as a heat source -- apparently, having exhausted the Hindu/Moslem angle, she felt like throwing in a little American Wicca in for good measure.

And why not? Most of the rest of the book is taken up with trying to recast what is clearly a symbol of female oppression as an expression of Goddess- worshipping feminism: she loves to stress that this is a religious art associated with women, who do this to each other, away from men, in communal gatherings, hinting that something more must be going on than a little pampering and gossip. That neither Hindus nor Moslems are noted for coed partying and the most traditional use of mehndi is as an adornment for 14-year-olds about to marry someone they've never met seems to be irrelevant: it's enough for her these are "authentic" women, observing a female-only rite of a religion that isn't Christianity, which quite naturally makes them more truly free and spiritual than we are. Considering that a mehndi job in progress means that you have about as much freedom as a full-body cast, this is like arguing that Billy Graham supports atheism. Why can't she just admit that it's cool to have red filigree rosettes on your palms, and even cooler that you don't have to deal with the cultural baggage to have them?

In sum, this book seems tailor-made for deluxe beauty salons (who might feature mehndi as a service) to put out in their waiting rooms: modishly serious-looking, pretty enough to invite casual browsing, flattering to the (presumably female) reader with its insistance that pampering is spiritually good for you, soothing and clear enough on the process to assuage fears, but vague and mystifying enough to frighten you...not to do it yourself. Read more ›