Silk
~ by Catherine Cartwright-Jones
"The earliest description of patterns drawn on cloth with henna may be from Herodotus, a Greek historian and geographer writing in 440 BCE. He reported that Scythians used "the leaves of a tree" to paint patterns on woolen cloth, and once the patterns were painted on, they were permanent as long as the cloth lasted. The only tree leaves that have that sort of dye characteristic is henna, and henna grew in Scythian territories."

Catherine shows how she created our cover picture using henna, indigo and turmeric on silk. Read more

Essential Oils: A Guide for Henna Artists
~ by Alex Morgan, Catherine Cartwright Jones
A guide to the safety issues and practices of buying and using essential oils, along with a documented side-by-side trial of terped and non-terped henna application on the same hand testing two Yemeni Hennas. Read more

How to Prepare a Carrot Bag
~ by Jeremy Rowntree, Catherine Cartwright Jones, Fiona Jefferson
The apparently simple question, "How do you cut the tip off a carrot bag?", has vexed many a henna user over the years. Well, here's the definitive video guide! Read more

Henna Application Techniques
~ by Jeremy Rowntree, Catherine Cartwright Jones, Fiona Jefferson
It has become clear to me over the years that every henna artist has their own way of applying henna. The aim of this video series is to document the different approaches of a variety of artists. First up is Catherine Cartwright Jones Read more

Untying Persian Knotwork
~ by Catherine Cartwright Jones
An article illustrating the step by step creation of beautiful 15th century Persian henna patterns from the from Samarkand and Tabriz. Using Aquarellable watercolour pencils to sketch on the skin, Catherine demonstrates the process of laying out a pattern prior to hennaeing a complex design. Read more

Renaissance Faire: A Diary
~ by Alissa Hall
"For those who have never heard of such a thing, Renaissance Faires, or "Ren Faires" for short, are anachronistic events where participants will dress in period costume, and basically find a good excuse to get outside, gnaw on a turkey leg like Henry the 8th, and wear an ankle length velvet cloak and not feel conspicuous. Vendor opportunities for henna artists at Ren Faires are certainly a good route to take for artists who wish to work public venues. Or so I figured, when I signed up for my first Ren henna gig, in nearby Santa Fe, N.M." Read more