Hi! I'm just wondering how long it usually takes to do bridal henna? Of course I understand everyone works at a different speed and it depends what you're doing, level of detail, etc. I just feel like at the rate I work, it would take me all day to do full bridal.
Also, any tips for working faster (without sacrificing quality)?
Well, you're right ever artist and every job is different. I've spent as little as an hour and a half with a bride and as much as 8 hours. Four or five hours is closer to typical for me. This is fairly simple feet, nothing above the elbow, and a few bridesmaids or family members.
Some tips to getting faster...
Have a large catalog of filler elements and motifs you can do practically on auto pilot.
Don't fuss over each line. Sometimes the line isn't perfect, accept it, make it work, and move on.
Practice with your speed on yourself and friends who will love you no matter how much is sucks. Even paper might be helpful. If you focus on the speed without worrying about mistakes, you then improve quality AFTER you're comfortable working at a faster pace.
Work for free or tips in a crowded place, focusing on speed. One of the greatest things about working for free is that you get to pick the design style you most need to work on! An opportunity to work for an extended period of time like this will improve your speed and accuracy both!
I agree it's totally dependant on the artist but also on the style. If you're looking at full Indian bridal that's going to take a wack of time. It took me about 8.5hrs for my first bride, mind you I started at midnight and finished at 8:30am the next morning. I am sure if I was awake I would have been fine LOL. My last bride took about 1.5-2hrs but it was a fairly open Arab design.
WOW, 8.5 hours, that's way faster than me! Are you talking back of hands/palms/feet/soles/ up the arms and legs?
The other day I did my friend's henna for her shower, it took me about four hours, and all I did were her feet and a small design on each hand. Mind you...we were chatting quite a bit and kept moving to change positions.
Good advice about practicing fast and perfecting later.
I guess once I find an ideal working position too, I'll be a lot fast, cause we won't have to stop to stretch and re-position quite as much.
I generally spend 3-6 hours on a bride. This bride's hands took four hours for fronts and back of both hands
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blurberrybuzz/5024965014/
I don't always work my fastest when doing a bride, but focus on being neat. I probably could have done this in three hours, but the bride was meticulous with her henna and following directions, that I felt the extra hour was well spent. I didn't henna at a snails pace, but I did put extra care into the process. I generally work faster when I do festivals and I work my fastest when I'm hired to do "free" henna.
I try to set my bride's sitting expectation correctly and if the sit time seems too long for them, then the pattern choices are adjusted. I do that part of the process during our consult/contract negotiation meeting.
Victoria
Beautiful designs as always Blur :)
Yeah I find that depending on the position I am in I work faster or slower. I've found that a director's chair is the absolute best for feet but pretty bulky for private appointments or Sangeets (luckily those are generally just hands). I usually sit on a single step stool, however my last Sangeet they had me set up at a table and WOW that did my knees so much better lol. I will say that sitting on the floor to do the bride's feet seems to be the worst position at least for me because I go much slower.
I am still working on getting down the chatting/working ratio thing.
8.5hrs was for full arms both sides and feet to knees btw.
This chair is the all time perfect seat for doing feet! http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20059301
Its got the height and stability of a director's chair but its lighter and more portable.
I use that chair. I always bring a step stool. I'll often sit on the stool and henna the hands, then have the bride put her feet on the stool and I sit on the floor and henna her feet.
which height do you guys like, the 25 or 29? I'm talllish so I'm leaning toward snagging a 29. . .
Yep gotta get me to an Ikea! I love that chair, that just burns it though I just spent close to $100 on my director's chair earier this year!!
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