Have you noticed that silhouettes are all the rage these days? I see them in magazines, on blogs, books, and the TV. I’ve priced them out a few times, only to be disappointed by how costly they can be.
In kindergarten, I vaguely remember my teacher shining a light at us while we stood by a wall with a big piece of white paper taped on it. It was so hard trying not to wiggle as she traced our shadow which we turned into a silhouette. Thank goodness things have gotten a little more sophisticated so that as we can replicate this process without the need for a large light, and trying to make a 4 year old sit still for a whole 3 minutes. Technology rocks.
Now, there is no need to spend $$$ to buy silhouettes. You can make your own!
Cheap.
Easy.
Fun.
Stylish.
First, grab your subjects and have them stand in front of a contrasting wall. In my case, I used a white wall, but a dark color would work just as well. Get right down on their level, as not to distort their facial features.
Take a few photos, sometimes it’s nice to have more than one to choose from.
Using your own photo editing software, size the photo to fit your chosen frame. I used two 8X10′s.
Load white cardstock into your printer, and then print away!
Next, with a steady hand, cut out your subject’s profile, being careful around facial features.
Then, my favorite part begins! Turn your silhouette photo side down onto a paper towel. Using a foam brush, apply an even layer of black tempera paint. (Any color would look great, but black is classic.)
Transfer onto a clean paper towel and allow to dry.
When it’s completely dry, cover the back of the painted silhouette with acid free adhesive. Affix onto another piece of cardstock. Allow to dry.
Then, frame ‘er up!
Can you imagine a whole wall of these?! I think I’ll need a bit more paint for that.
Wasn’t that easy? It only takes about an hour (with drying time) and costs less than a few sheets of paper and a little paint. How’s that for a good deal?!
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Love it. It looks so easy, I’m definitely going to try this! Following your blog now!
LOVE how simple this is! Fabulous idea!
Kim @ The Celebration Shoppe recently posted..chocolate chip REESE’s cookies
Your silhouettes are beautiful! I simplified mine a little bit by using Microsoft Word instead of a photo editing program and then I made the silhouette in white for a twist on the traditional. See the quick and easy tutorial at:
http://thesoulfulhouse.com/2011/12/how-to-make-silhouettes/
Laura @ The Soulful House recently posted..How To Make Silhouettes
Just an input, other way to make it is, after you print the picture, paste it with a black paper then you cut it. You will automatically have a sillhoutte on a black paper. So you dont need to paint the picture. Yuo might also try with other color paper to make a liitle different thatn a usual black sillhoutte.
Lovely! I added a link to my Free Silhouette Clip Art article at Squidoo. Thank you for the great instructions.
Peggy recently posted..Free Silhouette Clip Art updated Sat Mar 10 2012 1:44 am EST
Thank you so much for this. I have always loved these. I grew up seeing them in my Grandparents home. Now having children of my own I always wanted to know how to do them with out spending alot of money. Thank you
Make Your Own Silhouettes | Art Projects | Homemade Mother's Day Gift Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I have truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again very soon!
Neat blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it
from somewhere? A design like yours with a few
simple tweeks would really make my blog shine.
Please let me know where you got your theme. Thanks a lot
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