how to: make a silhouette

look!

(it's the boy)

my silhouettes were super easy to make - i actually switch them out every couple months with minimal effort. i have found instructions online, but i felt my method was extremely simple and virtually fool-proof. as a lefty who absolutely cannot use scissors, fool-proof is pretty important for me. so, without further ado:



how to: make a silhouette


materials needed:
super-sharp, fine point scissors (i recommend cutter bee scissors)
picture frame
posterboard or cardstock, cut to fit your frame, in the color of your choosing (this will be the background for the silhouette - i used light blue to match my curtains)
posterboard or cardstock (but not white-core, or it will look awful when you cut it out), in the color of your choice (this will be for the actual silhouette - i went with traditional black)
photo mount spray adhesive (it is much cleaner and smoother than regular glue, and about $8 a can at michael's)


1. find a picture that you like. i used a few old flower drawings a friend made. i have also taken side profile pictures of friends and used those.

2. resize your image on the computer, making sure it will fit into the frame. i used a 10x13" frame, so i enlarged my picture to be 11" tall.

3. print the image (b/w is fine)

5. using really sharp, fine-point scissors (i recommend cutter bee scissors), carefully cut out the outline of the image. it may not look pretty yet. don't worry, it will.

6. using a ton of scotch tape, tape every inch of the picture's edges to black cardstock.

7. carefully cut out the image again. this may sound redundant, but the results are much better than just taping a picture printed on 8.5x11 paper, because the edges are secured exactly as you would like them to be; there will be no wrinkling or distortion as you cut. also, the taped picture should fall right off, in the end, because you've cut through all the tape.

8. cut out the background cardstock, according to the dimensions of your frame.

8. put down some old newspapers or magazines. place the newly cut-out silhouette, wrong side up, and spray for a few seconds with the adhesive. wait a few moments for the glue to become tacky, and then carefully press onto the background cardstock.

voila! a silhouette.