How to Make a Silhouette Art Piece

Silhouettes are outlines of a person in profile, filled in with black color and placed on a white background. The technique was developed by Etienne de Silhouette and, before photography was invented, it was a less expensive way of having a portrait made. You can make your own silhouette art piece by following a few simple steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Directional light source
• Masking tape
• Large sheet of heavy, white paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Gum eraser
• Black marker or paint
• Photograph
• Scissors
• Black paper
• White paper

Drawing a Silhouette

1. Have your subject sit in a chair. Position your light source so it casts a shadow of your subject on a wall. Adjust your subject's head until the shadow is a pleasing profile.
2. Tape a large sheet of white paper on the wall where the shadow appears. Position it so there is some room at the top and bottom and the shadow on the paper includes a portion of the subject's neck. You can also include the top of the shoulders.
3. Instruct your subject to sit very still. Using a soft pencil, trace the outline of the shadow onto the paper. Be careful to stand to the side and position your drawing arm so your own shadow doesn't cover your subjects.
4. Reposition your subject when necessary. He or she won't be able to sit perfectly still so you'll have to stop and gently guide your subject's head so the shadow fits within what you've already traced.
5. Complete the tracing and remove the paper from the wall. Erase any stray marks with a gum eraser. Fill in the tracing with black color such as a high quality black marker or paint. You can also cut out the silhouette, trace it onto black paper, cut it out and glue it to white paper.

Making a Silhouette Using a Photograph

6. Take a photograph of your subject in profile. Although you may find a photograph, it's best to ask your subject to pose for the photograph so you can make sure the angle is appropriate for what you want to do.
7. Have the photograph printed, then carefully cut out the profile using scissors.
8. Trace the profile onto black paper. A heavy paper is best, as is a white or yellow pencil you will be able to see on the paper after completing the tracing.
9. Cut the traced silhouette from the black paper and position it on a sheet of white paper that's been trimmed to fit into a picture frame. Make small, light pencil marks on the paper to remind you where you want to affix the silhouette.
10. Apply glue to the back of the silhouette, making sure to cover the entire surface to the edges. Place the silhouette on the background, wipe away any glue that squeezes out from underneath, and let the glue dry before framing it.

Tips & Warnings

• For best results for female subjects, ask for a simple hairstyle that will show off the profile and make tracing easier.
• If you choose to fill in the silhouette with acrylic or watercolor paint, choose a paper that is suitable for painting. You will need to tape the entire sheet to a flat surface, wet it and wait for it to dry before tracing and painting the silhouette.
• Silhouettes are best when placed in a simple, solid white or black picture frame.
• Don't spend too much time tracing the silhouette. Your subject will get tired and begin moving, and the details of the hairstyle may change. Remember that you can clean up stray pencil marks later.
• You may want to place the empty frame over the white sheet of paper to help you position the silhouette.
• Although a black silhouette on white paper is traditional, experiment with other colors and other backgrounds. Silhouettes can also look great on a checked or striped background.

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