This body art project is body art of a different kind: The focus is on the filigree body-art ‘mehndi’ patterns that are usually painted on people’s hands with henna. You don’t paint them on the hands in this case, though, but rather on paper. First you fill in the outlines of your own hand with fine patterns and then color them in. The result is really awesome - and, unlike mehndi painting, the resulting work of art can also be hung on the wall!
This download provides you with 4 templates and an extensive collection of more than 60 motifs for creating beautiful body art.
Do you want to introduce your kids to the beautiful art of mehndi, which is a form of body painting with henna? In this project, they will create their own mehndi patterns on paper hands, without painting on their actual skin, and learn about the history and meaning of this ancient tradition. To get started, all you need is to download and print our Body Art Templates.
Print out a lined template in portrait or landscape format. The landscape format has space for two hands.
Choose several of the patterns from the material and draw the patterns between the lines of the template with a pencil or thin felt-tip pen.
Put your hand on the piece of paper and draw around it with a pencil or pen.
You have two coloring-in options: The negative variant, which is to only color in the patterns in the background...
Or the positive variant, which is to only color in the hand shape, leaving the background black and white.
Themes such as friendship, solidarity, and togetherness can be portrayed especially beautifully like this.
