Mehandi Design 14 is a beautiful balance of boldness and intricacy, and if you are someone who appreciates tradition with a modern twist, this design is for you! It is a very structured and balanced pattern, which incorporates traditional motifs— floral vines, mandalas, and paisleys—in an updated, modern way.
This design begins with a large mandala on the palm of the hand—round and very meaningful—representing unity, eternity, and completeness. This mandala is drawn with intricate detailing often incorporating petals, leaves, and multiple concentric rings that build to the centre like a flower blooming. The designs then expand from this point in contrasting delicate lines and wavy patterns flowing rhetorically as they move with the hand.
Where Mehandi Designs that take up the entire width and length of the hand can be too congested since everything gets cramped together, Mehandi Design 14 uses spacing, clean lines and a balanced aesthetic to create a complete design. The adornment of flowers expands into the fingers and the design either open fingertips for a freer look or closed in for a contrast. Each finger has its own little design — a mix of geometric lines, trails of leaves and small dots — but they all stay connected to the same notion. This may be a ultimately a traditional structure but the mixture on the fingers gives it a more modern feel.
The back of the hand would be a little more decorative. The back of the hand generally will begin on the middle finger or index finger and bend toward the wrist in a diagonal manner. This creates the illusion of multiple layers to the patterned outline, with the petals resembling layers, and the decorative semi-circles and vines flowing from the repetitive nature of the bracelet look. It creates the illusion of nature jewellery drawn in henna, as the hand now looks like a beautiful piece of art that is an accessory that does not need gold or gemstones.
Mehandi Design 14 is also unique in the way that it can adapt to a wide variety of occasions and events. It can be designed very simply for the bridal mehandi or made to be also suitable for any festive occasion— Eid, Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, or Teej. The design could also be taken up either arm, or down either feet, with the same florals or swirls following up the arms or onto the feet, for those who prefer full coverage.
Whether the design is kept simple or made detailed, its structure is clear, consistent, and maintains its elegance and flow throughout. The design space never felt to congested or full of elements. The stag and style of the design does not fall completely on the traditional side nor the contemporary side— it balances itself perfectly in-between traditional and contemporary guaranteed to appease women of all age ranges, aesthetics, and styles.
As the henna paste releases, the dark will become deeper, and the red will become more intense and bright depending on the skin tone and quality of paste, much like Mehandi Design 13. The structure of Mehandi Design 14 allows the dark to stand out from white spaces, and allows the strokes of the florals so Mehandi Design 14 is not only beautiful — but applying the design is an activity in itself. The usage of mehandi on oneself, whether at home or by a professional away-from-home artist, invites a very slow, methodical, and reflective experience. Each curve is made, line is on-the-go, and each sensing touch of an artist playing vs. an artist whose work we are acquiring is so important. The “artistry” of a Mehandi Design means we need to “make” and be emotionally attached to a creation while seeing it emerge in slow-motion. It invites moments to pause, engage, relive our best selves, allow connection and trade glorious ambivalence — it prompts the anticipation and joy that a wedding or festival represents.
Mehandi Design 14 is more than a decorative embellishment. It is a representation of femininity, cultural righteousness, and art. The curves contain stories, the motifs possess memories, and the brush embodies a beautiful act. I have a niece who wears mehandi designs, and I aspire to possess some semblance of her character. Mehandi Design 14 is beautiful and meaningful for the modern woman positively embracing her heritage.