How to Make a City Silhouette for Art

City silhouettes are landscapes that can enhance the drama of an art piece.

A city silhouette is an iconic and memorable representation of a city. Create a dramatic city silhouette as the background to your next masterpiece or work of art. Print it out for use in a multimedia piece or use it on your computer to create digital art. Photo editing software is needed to create the city silhouette, and it should take less than an hour to complete.

Instructions

1. Open the program and files. Open the photo editing software. Select "File" then "Open" and select the file of the city you would like to turn into a silhouette.

2. Select the pen tool from the right hand column; it looks like a calligraphy pen. Then choose the "Shape Layers" option located in the top option bar. The icon is a square with four small squares in each corner.

3. Set the foreground color to black. On the right hand column, select the large colored square that sits above another square of identical size. The top square represents the foreground color. When the foreground color selector opens, drag the pointer to the blackest section of the color wheel and press "Enter."

4. Outline the cityscape. Lower the opacity to get a better view of your pen work. Change the opacity in the left column labeled "Layers" to anywhere around 40 percent. Click the pen tool to activate it and draw an outline around the cityscape. Raise the opacity back to 100 percent when you finish drawing your outline.

References

• Photoshop Essentials: Photoshop Silhouettes
• Museum of the City: City Silhouettes