Design Vocabulary & Technique

What is Buta?

A buta (or buti for a small one) is a small floral or paisley motif, borrowed from textile embroidery, that is repeated across a mehendi design or placed singly on fingers and wrists.

Buta explained

The word is also used for small woven motifs on sarees and dupattas. In mehendi, scattered butis give a light, textile-like look without full coverage.

Butas are often combined with bels to create a balanced, traditional layout.

Also searched as: buti mehendi · butta design · small motif mehendi

Mehendi designs related to buta

Paisley (Keri) Mehendi

Paisley mehendi uses the teardrop-shaped keri or ambi motif - often read as a mango or a flame - as its building block, usually filled with fine lines, dots and petals.

Peacock Mehendi

Peacock mehendi features the peacock - India's national bird - drawn with a detailed fanned tail or curled neck, used as a central motif symbolising beauty, grace and love.

Maharashtrian Mehendi

Maharashtrian mehendi is a balanced, traditional style used at Marathi weddings and festivals, built around lotus, paisley, kalash and coconut motifs with neat, moderately dense fills.

Related mehendi terms

Bel (Vine)A bel is a vine or creeper pattern in mehendi - a flowing line with leaves and small flowers that trails across the hand or along a finger. It is the backbone of Arabic designs and a common border in Indian work.MotifA motif is a single repeated element in a mehendi design - such as a peacock, lotus, paisley, mandala or kalash. Motifs carry meaning and are combined with outlines and fillings to build a full design.FillingFilling is the pattern work inside an outlined motif - lines, dots, nets, shading or solid paste. The choice of filling controls how dense, dark and textured a mehendi design looks.Mehendi Coverage LevelsMehendi coverage levels describe how far a design extends: finger-only, half hand (to the wrist), full hand (to mid-forearm), elbow length and above-elbow. Coverage is the main factor in time and price.

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