Demo Artist: Ranjana Patel

🎨 Ranjana Patel – Demo Artist for FACE Conference 2026

Based in Kingsbury, London, Ranjana Patel is a highly experienced henna artist with an incredible 25 years of professional practice behind her. Her journey with henna began much earlier, at the age of just 12, nearly five decades ago. In those early days, before ready-made cones were widely available, Ranjana applied henna using blunted sticks and pins, carefully dipping them into paste and dabbing designs onto the palm. That traditional, hands-on beginning laid the foundations for the deep understanding of henna she still brings to her work today.

Ranjana is best known for her organic, free-flowing henna style, made up of teardrop lines, petal shapes and natural movement rather than rigid, sectioned patterns. She mainly specialises in hand designs for parties and bridal henna, creating work that feels elegant, balanced and timeless.

One of the most memorable moments in her career came during the COVID period, when she was invited by the BBC to speak about her henna and Rangoli business on BBC World News. Although the interview was cut short when her WiFi froze mid-conversation, it remains a milestone she looks back on with a smile. Other highlights include her henna work being featured in the Daily Mail following a party booking in Florence, Italy, and appearing on Channel 4, where she was seen applying henna during a programme featuring one of her client’s weddings at a quintessential English country home.

Earlier in her career, Ranjana drew inspiration from other henna artists. Today, her ideas come from a much broader creative world, including embroidery, textiles, jewellery, interior design and zentangle-style patterns. Alongside this, she has developed a structured, method-based approach to henna design that does not rely on inspiration alone. This system forms the foundation of her 30-module beginner to basic bridal henna course and reflects her analytical background.

Alongside her artistic career, Ranjana returned to university after having children, beginning a degree in Computing when her daughter was just three months old. After graduating, she worked as a business analyst, data architect and technical solution designer, while continuing to take on henna bookings in the evenings and at weekends. Once her children had grown up and begun their own careers, Ranjana moved into henna full-time and later expanded into face painting and other arts and crafts. This professional background strongly influences the structured way she now approaches both henna design and teaching. Her daughter is now an architect and a highly skilled henna artist in her own right.

Ranjana is excited to be demoing at the FACE Conference 2026, something she looks forward to for the same reason she loves attending jams and festivals: the opportunity to connect with fellow artists, share ideas and learn together. She also values the welcoming, supportive nature of the FACE community, which she describes as consistently uplifting.

Her live demo will focus on party and festival-style henna designs, including jewellery-style patterns and, if time allows, arch or dome-style compositions. Ranjana hopes attendees will leave with the understanding that strong henna designs are not just about talent or sudden inspiration. There is a clear method and structure behind creating balanced, beautiful work, and when that method is followed, consistency becomes achievable.

Ranjana is also passionate about henna safety and will always advocate for the use of natural henna only. She strongly advises avoiding commercially produced, long shelf-life cones often found online or in shops, which may contain harmful additives that can cause skin reactions and long-term sensitisation.

She chose party-style designs for her demo because they offer a confident starting point for face painters and artists who want to explore henna. These designs are quick to apply, popular at events, reliable income earners and a regular part of her own design boards. While she has demonstrated her signature line-style party designs many times at jams and festivals, this demo gives her the chance to share a slightly different approach and expand how artists think about party henna.

Watch Ranjana live on our Facebook page on Thursday 18th December at 19:30

If you are interested in joining Ranjana at our upcoming FACE conference, click the button below…