Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2010 - 33

a very steady hand having more in common with decorating a
cake than the application of makeup. The herb mixture is very
messy and students tended to pick at it as it dried. Once Henna
is applied it is important that it is left undisturbed until it dries
and falls off naturally.
Curing time on the skin was two hours for the mixture to
set. One application generally will last for a five-day run of a
show. Fading rates vary with skin type. Amount used depends
on image size and detail.
henna Pens are Henna dye in marker format, double
tipped with chisel point and fine points, and are available in
traditional Henna red-brown and in black. The pens work the
same as henna without the preparation or the mess and fading
rates are similar to traditional Henna.
draw image on the skin with marker, let dry, then dab (do
not rub) the skin with a cotton ball dipped in lemon juice or
vinegar to set the dye.
At $23.75 each the Henna pens are significantly more expensive than traditional Henna, but any student who can trace
a design with a marker can create a relatively complex design
easily and quickly.
The black Henna pens also work well to create outline
and shading effects that can then be colored in with temporary
tattoo inks.

lasts one to five days depending on body placement and care.
We did a full leg tattoo on one performer and a chest tattoo for
another. It lasted seven days with some touchups.

Colored Temporary Ink
temptu Pro's all-ink transfer was one of the first
temporary tattoo inks invented for the 1981 movie Tattoo.
Temptu inks are available as a kit or as individual colors. The
Temptu Paint-On delux Kit comes with colored temporary tattoo inks in red, green, yellow, black and white; alcohol skin
prep, tattoo transfer paper, brush, and setting powder.
Students had difficulty using the tattoo transfer images
provided. Images only partially transferred so you may want to
create your own images. Students also had difficulty with blending inks and maintaining distinct areas of color in smaller areas
of images. Substitution of a better quality brush made application of inks easier. Set inks with powder.
Temptu inked images lasted approximately three to five
days depending on placement and skin care, so it works well in
conjunction with the black Henna pen. Unlike Henna or Indigo
it can be removed with alcohol or baby oil.

Tattoo images created using TEMPTU temporary tattoo inks.

Black Temporary Ink
harquus is temporary tattoo ink in a deep black similar to
modern tattoo colors developed for the film and television industry "when actors need realistic looking temporary tattoos for
roles." It also serves as a viable substitute for tribal designs.
Product instructions are straightforward. A small dot of
the Harquus paint is put in a cup, let dry, then another small dot
of the paint is put on top of the first, and the two mixed together.
It is important to note that if a solid color is required you will
need to trace your lines very precisely as this is a layering technique. Mistakes can be cleaned up with alcohol but students
reported taking off part of the design when cleaning up edges.
Students also noted that the material "gets sticky fast" and if not
careful when brushing on another layer, there is a tendency for
it to flake off some of your previous layer and make the area
uneven. brushes can be cleaned with alcohol and if the "paint"
is too thick it can be thinned with a drop of alcohol.
There is no curing time required for Harquus, but it is important that you rub talcum into your skin over the "tattoo" image
to set the color. Colored powders are available to tone the tattoo
and give it dimension. We used a blue iridescent powder which
helped the temporary tattoos blend better with the real tattoos.
One bottle goes a long way: 400 small patterns or 40-80
full back patterns with shaded applications, fewer if solid and
black. Students report, "it took three applications to do the first
small tattoos and there were touchups needed where the body
rubbed against clothing or other body parts." The distributor
reports that their product is safe on the skin, waterproof and

2010

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