Wellness

THE AMAZING BEAUTY OF BODY DOODLES

Doodles bring joy, satisfaction, peace, release, creative flow to doodlers - but it’s rare that the canvas itself enjoys such benefits.

We learned about Francis Darwin, a Canadian photographer, featured in Women You Should Know, who has created a remarkable organization that brings joy, strength and beauty to women via their “canvasses.”

Henna Heals offers women who have lost their hair to alopecia or cancer treatments a way to add beauty to their bald scalps. The organization was originally started by Canadian photographer Frances Darwin in 2011 and a small group of volunteer artists and has since expanded to include some 150 artists around the globe.

These artists create “henna crowns,” which are beautiful designs painted in henna, covering hairless heads. The temporary henna dyes are applied in intricate patterns which, after about two weeks, fade away.

The process offers its beneficiaries not only beauty, but a form of emotional therapy to help cope with the traumatic experiences of hair loss.

In the words of Karen McKinney, a henna crown recipient, “This now is just one more empowering move, really, to just sort of become comfortable with who we are.”

"For me, Henna Heals is a passion project," Darwin told The Huffington Post in an email. "I strongly believe in the power of art."

Henna has been used as body doodle medium for millennia.

It is painted on skin and fingernails in intricate loops, twirls, and delicate patterns to create temporary tattoos.

Its use originated in India and the Arabian Peninsula, but its popularity continues and has even spread across cultures and continents.

Traditionally henna doodles are used in bridal ceremonies, but now people use them to celebrate pregnant bellies, or simply because they love the way they look.

Doodles are fun when drawn on paper, but when applied to skin, they can serve much higher purposes. Today, we explore different examples of doodles on bodies, whether as decoration or for purposes more profound.

Many students doodle their classes away, but Jody Steel has taken the act to new heights. The work of the Emerson College student has become an online sensation, amazing people around the globe with the amount of detail created by a simple pen.

Ms. Steel has high hopes for her talent - she plans to make one of her creations permanent, and eventually she would like to become a painter. If her body doodles are any indication, she should have no trouble achieving either.

Her leg drawings were so impressive, she says, her professor at Emerson College in Boston hired her to illustrate a novel.

Steel’s body doodle of Breaking Bad character Walter White's face went viral on Reddit and is one of the top results on a Google search for "Walter White drawing."