Congratulations Ruchi's Mehndi! I am thrilled to announce that the mother/daughter team of Ruchi & Mansi have won the Mehndi Maharani 2011 crown!  Our guest judge Ash Kumar was blown away by the detail their work, and I learned a few tid bits from the master about what sets apart a good Mehndi artist from a great one. Take a look at this image that was not only was this Ash’s favorite image, but it was mine too!


  1. Like with any project in life, it all comes down to the details.  The first thing Mr. Kumar taught me was that when you look carefully at an amazing Mehndi artist’s work, all the spacing will be uniform.  This comes from hours of practice and a steady hand.

  2. Just like designing a room in your home, great design comes from a combination of different shapes.  Ash showed me how in this image some of the design is very fine and some of it is grander.  By balancing the large shapes with the small ones the artist is able to create harmony and flow in the overall piece.

  3. And, finally, the fantastic artists always know how to pull your eye to the center of attention.  The last thing an expert mehndi artist will do is outline parts of her work. This makes the color bolder and darker around the focal point of the design.

    4. Voila!  After a informative meeting about the Ash Kumar brand, some Bollywood celebrity wedding scoop, Mr. Kumar whipped out his magical henna cone and in under two minutes filled the back of my hand with a glorious design.  A big thank you to the Ash Kumar team for being our guest judge, and congratulations to Ruchi’s Mehndi!