When I was graduating from High School, all of the graduates silhouettes were put on the wall of the graduation reception. I remember it being a big process to get those done. We taped white paper to the wall, stood in front of it as someone traced the shadow of our faces from a projector screen light. Then it had to be re-traced onto black paper and cut out. Sigh. Too much? I think so.
I combined a few easy ideas I got recently from other people who have made silhouettes of their children. (Plus added my own touch.) Here's how I made mine....
What You'll Need:
Canvas
Camera/ Printer
Black marker
Scissors
Black Paint (I also used gray paint)
Mod Podge (optional)
Cute kids
Here's How:
1. Have your willing and adorable children stand with their side to you against a contrasting, plain color wall. Take their picture. Be sure to get at their level so you get the actual shape of their head.
(If you are taking pictures of more than child, make sure you are the same distance away from them so ones head is not disproportional to the others'. I didn't not do this, as you can see. I was much closer to Graham when taking the pictures. This lead to much frustration and heart ache at the computer when trying to re size. Not to mention all the ink I wasted printing them a zillion times trying to get it to look right!)
2. Print the pictures on the computer.
(I later learned that printing them on card stock would have been better than just computer paper.)
3. Trace around the profiles. This just helps you in the next step...
4. Cut out the pictures. Following closely around the profile.
5. I bought canvas for the back ground of my silhouettes. I didn't want the white background so I painted my canvas gray for a different look.)
For a more feminine touch, you could put the silhouette in a black rounded frame and hang with ribbon. View other options here.
6. I had these two letters I had yet to do something with. I decided to paint them green to somehow incorporate them into my silhouettes. I took some of the same gray paint used to paint the canvas and lightly brushed the edges of the green painted letters.
7. In my excitement of this project, I somehow missed taking a picture of the silhouettes being painted. This is an important step! You'll want to paint the silhouettes black. (Or, really, any color you want!) To prevent the paper from rolling, print your picture onto card stock.
When they are dry, it's time to adhere them to the canvas.
I used Mod Podge for this project. (If you've never used Mod Podge, go here.)
It works as a glue and sealer. (Keep in mind when it dries, it leaves the project shiny.)
8. When the Mod Podge is dry, you're almost done! I added picture hanging hardware to the back of my canvas to ensure easy hanging.
And Wha-la! Silhouettes of my favorite little ones!
The original place I found ideas for this was here.
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