Silhouette Step-by-Step

{H's sweet little silhouette. I love the way his turned out}.

I've really wanted to do a DIY of my children's silhouettes for quite some time now, but I wanted to do a unique spin on the traditional, black-and white paper cut variety. When I saw this D*S article, I knew it was the one for me. This project was so quick and so simple that I even let my four-year-old help. If you want to make a silhouette painting of your own, here's what you'll need: blank canvas, two colors of paint (I used acrylic), one full sheet label, foam paintbrush and/or foam paint roller, and a photo of your subject (in profile, obviously).

Here are the steps:

1. Paint the canvas. This is the color that you want the actual silhouette to be

2. Print the photo on the label sheet

3. Cut out the silhouette. (I traced the outline of the head so I had a clear cutting line).

4. When the canvas is dry, stick the photo label on the canvas. (Make sure the edges stick really well so your silhouette is really well defined.)

5. Paint over top of it with the second color. (The color you want framing the silhouette) HINT: work fast on this step. If the label gets too wet, it will start to slide around. I painted with a foam brush first to spread the paint, then smoothed it out with a foam roller.

6. Remove the label

7. Wait for the canvas to dry. Touch up any blobby areas with a fine-tipped brush.

8. Hang up your new artwork.

9. Enjoy all the compliments you receive on your brilliant creative abilities.

So the final project didn't turn out exactly as I'd planned. My original intention was to have all four of our profile portraits hanging in the entryway. After I got them all done, B and I decided that the kids had much cuter profiles that we do...so we just used theirs. Plus, mine was in yellow, B's was in green and hanging side by side it looked like a tribute to the Oakland A's. {We're fans, mind you. But not the kind that would be adorning our home in green and yellow}.

Step 1: Paint the canvas. I painted mine white, because I wanted the inside to be white.

Step 4: Stick the label to the canvas.

H. was really excited to stand still for his photo. :)

Step 9. Enjoy your new artwork.