Despite being desi, I'm a beginner to trying Mehndi art myself. As a result, I found this book really helpful.
The beginning gives some helpful cultural and historical insights into the culture of Henna/Mehndi art. I was surprised at how much thought was given to how this was presented. Not only was there cultural and historical insights, but also some discussion on cultural appropriation, and how to appreciate Henna and Mehndi through engaging with the cultures they come from, and the people who belong to those cultures.

The how-tos were also very helpful. I liked that the book gave simple how-tos for the basic designs that most Mehndi/Henna art is built off of e.g. the flower, mandela, the peacock, etc. And how it provided extra, more intricate/alternative designs to branch off of once you've mastered the basic one. I think any beginner with find this book a helpful jump-off point.

I love mehndi and have 5-6 books on mehndi art-for-hands that get opened before each Eid and wedding function! So it was great to get this ARC.

This is a lovely effort by 4 experts of mehndi art, and goes beyond the traditional use of mehndi (for hair and celebratory artwork on hands). It shows DIY projects for candles, jars, plates, shelves, wall or tree hangings, and even a tambourine!

It should have had more mehndi-for-hand designs and more motif 'how tos', and even the bridal mehndi motifs. The tribal motifs seem useless unless they have a composite sketch to finish the look. And it should also have some patterns at the end of the book that could be 'copied' for use in creative projects.

P.S. Mehndi was already an established art form in North Africa (Egypt, Morocco), 'Eastern Mediterranean' region (Arabs, Turks and Persians) before it ever landed in India courtesy the Muslims! Did its popularity grow more as a medicinal herb or tattoo? And it is popular in South Asia as a whole (which includes Pakistan), not just in India! Also, not mentioned is that it crosses religious barriers and is more of a cultural thing (it being used for celebrations across multiple faiths.) and sometimes even guys get them!

I thought this book was incredibly cool and design-inspiring. While it does give a brief history on henna and the cultures that use it, I went directly to an Indian friend of mine for her experience/opinion on "Indo-Western" henna. I originally thought it was specifically for marriages, but she mentions: "it's part and parcel of life we use it for all occasions" (she then offered to do a mehndi party which made me freak out in excitement). This book has beautiful photos and simple designs that one can build off of or use as beginners. I plan to use it for my own graphic design background, and I think it would make a great gift for designers/artists in general.