Inktober 2016 Prompt sourced from Witchiii
In 2016, I decided to do a drawing marathon similar to the Inktober Challenge which is a challenge created by the talented artist, Jake Parker, and is traditionally for illustrators using traditional black pigmented ink mediums. The Inktober account releases a list of prompts for the 31 days of October and illustrators use #inktober when they post their images. Instead of following the prompts, I used the following themes:
Melody Monday
Repetition Tuesday
Warrior Wednesday
Freestyle Friday
Technique Thursday
Symmetry Saturday
Spellcheck Sunday
Before the season started I reached out to a couple of friends and family members looking for people interested in being subjects for my challenge.
I created a spreadsheet to help me keep track of logistics as the challenge went along. On days that I didn’t have appointments with clients I either practiced on myself or used an acrylic plate as a surface so it would be easy to clean the henna paste off of.
+ Client Preparation Email
Hello,
First and foremost, thank you so much for participating in my 2016 INKTOBER challenge. I am so excited to have you be a part of my journey and see what dope work we can crank out! Before we get started I have a couple of details I would like to share with you.
OCTOBER
Theme ____
Artist Arrival ____
Session Begins ____
Duration ____
Address ____
PREPARATION
- Do not wash the design area before your session
- Wear clothing that does not cover your design area and items that you don’t mind getting stained
- If you have long hair please plan to have it tied up
- Think of a pandora station you would like to listen to!
QUESTIONS FOR YOU
- Do you have any allergies?
- Have you received henna before? If so, what were the results?
- Are you okay with being featured in any video or photos?
- Do you have any events/appts shortly after your session?
- Any within 2 weeks of your session? If so, what is the event and is it indoors or outdoors?
- Which Henna Paste would you prefer me to use?
- Where do you want to get your design?
NATURAL HENNA PASTE
Will leave a brown stain that will reach it’s darkest in 3 days. It takes about 30 minutes to dry, but the longer you leave it on the darker the stain will be. I usually keep mine on overnight when possible. These stains can last up to 2 weeks with proper care.
BLACK/RED HENNA PASTE
I call this my “Fast Food” Paste. This henna paste is chemically enhanced and will dry in less than 10 minutes. It leaves a dark stain instantly, but will last not last as long as natural henna.
Everyone’s skin responds to henna differently and so do different ares of the body. After your session I will email you care instructions as well as guidelines for posting to social media.
I have attached some inspirational photos for your session including those you may have already sent me. Please let me know if you have a preference of style and I will do my best to incorporate it in the design. When researching concepts please do not look up “henna” or “mehndi” designs. Instead try searching illustrations, stencils or line drawings.
Don’t hesitate to call/text me if you have questions or concerns. Thanks again and see you soon!
Best Regards,
Mary Anne “MA” Matel
If you couldn’t tell from the first email, I wanted each client to be well-informed. After their sessions I followed up with the following email:
+ Client Follow-Up Email
Hey hey!
Thank you for participating in my 2016 INKTOBER project! Here are a couple of tips and requests: STAIN CARE
The longer you leave the paste on, the darker your stain will be. Keep it on for as long as you can stand it. I recommend anywhere from 2-8 hours.
Wait until your design is bone-dry before applying the mefix tape. Be careful not to press down too hard on the design to avoid smudging it. It is okay to sleep with the tape on.
Scrape off the design. DO NOT wash it off with water. If the dried henna paste comes in contact with water it can stain your skin again.
Avoid contact with water for at least 6 hours or 24 hours if possible. The more contact your design has with water, the sooner it will be removed.
When you shower you may rub with soap, but avoid exfoliating your design area.
It’s not necessary, but you may apply oil to your design to increase its longevity. Coconut or olive oil work great!
If you plan on exposing your design to sunlight, remember there is a heavy chance that you will get a tan line of your design.
Natural Paste : Your stain will reach it’s darkest tone on Day 3 and may last for 2 weeks
Red or Black Paste : Your stain will instantly be dark and may only last for 1 week
POSTING ONLINE
- When using hashtags please use : #2016INKTOBER #inktober #MatelArtistry #henna #bodyart- On IG you may tag me with @mamate11 or use the repost app- If you haven’t already, please "like” my previous inktober posts :)-It will help bump up my posts in the IG feed.
PHOTOS
- Please take a photo of your stain immediately after removing the paste and once again on DAY 3. You may text me or reply to this email.- If possible, have someone else take the photo so the entire design may be included- You don’t have to feature your face if you don’t want to- No mirror photos please (where you can see the phone in the photo)
FEEDBACK
Is there any additional info you recommend I include in my pre or post session emails?What did you least enjoy about your session?What was the most memorable part of your session?Without me telling you how much I charge, how much would you guess your design costs?Were there any misconceptions you had about henna paste?
After inktober I’ll be working heavily on my campaign for releasing my brand. If you know anyone who may be interested, I’m currently taking private session and party requests! However, I won’t be releasing any major promotional material until 2017. I hope you enjoyed your session! As always, I’m here for any questions or concerns you may have. Thank you once more and I can’t wait until our next session :D
Best,
Mary Anne Matel
After the challenge I started to printed and posted flyers to share and I even made a video bumper (featured at the top) to advertise for the upcoming halloween holiday.
Henna Journey
I’m embarrassed to say, but I got my first henna tattoo in 2015 at Kings Dominion. My sister and I thought it would be a good way for us to play around with designs and experiment with where we wanted to place our real tattoos. People noticed my designs and started asking me to host parties and be a vendor at events.
I eventually discontinued advertising my services because I couldn’t help, but feel like I was participating in culture appropriation. Although I had no ill-intentions with the work I was creating, as most guilty parties often say, I still felt like I was a little too close to the edge. Just before I discontinued my service, I reached out to one of my Indian friends and asked about her opinion on the matter and “western henna”. I first learned about the ceremony element of henna at her wedding. She replied:
Hi Hun!! Thank you for the well wishes. I hope all is well with you too!! I think people would def be open to it and it would not at all come off as offensive. I asked my mom and she agrees. The most important thing is talent and professionalism, which I know you have both of! Good luck with the events and if I know of anything that you could come to, I will let you know
best wishes!
To be honest, she was probably just saying that to be nice. The feeling kept eating away at me especially once people started asking for cultural designs that I was well aware had specific ancestral symbolism. So I stop advertising my services to the public. Though I am no longer offering these services, it was nice to get back into hand drawn illustrations for a bit.
I attempted the inktober prompts another year except with a focus on ideation and just sketching out ideas for art pieces. Something I thought was going to be easier to fulfill with a lower expectation, but I only got three days before I forgot or occupied with other work lol. I’ll try it again one year.
