Photography: Making A Framed Silhouette

This is one of the best presents I ever made for my parents:

I know, you’re shocked I actually did something crafty. Every now and then, I get a wild hair and bust out something cool.

With Father’s Day in a couple weeks, I wanted to share how I made this. It’s really easy, and it is sure to be a hit (especially for grandpas, who love old-timey stuff).

For this project, you need a frame (I used a 5×7), a photo of your child in profile, heavy white paper (something like card stock, at least 67lb weight, I used HP Brochure paper), black craft paper, scissors, tape, and glue.

First, take profile shots of your kids. Annabel had to practically be restrained, but I finally got a shot.

Next, if you are using a 5×7 frame, print out the picture on 4×6 photo paper. This ensures the silhouette will fit in the frame.

(I had to bump up the exposure so I could see the back of her hair)

Once your picture is printed, cut along the outline of the profile. If your kid has curly hair like my kids, I suggest cutting “waves” around the hair to illustrate the curls.

Tape the cut-out of the picture to black paper. I found that taping it picture-side down (so the white is up) made it easier to see the edges. Tape around the entire picture – this is important because as you cut, you need the picture to stay in place.

Now, cut along the outline of the profile again. Take care around those delicate features!

On a piece of heavier white paper, print the name you want to appear below the silhouette. You can do this on any word processing program, just make sure that when you write out the name it fits within the constraints of your 5×7 frame.

Mount the silhouette above the name using a glue stick or double sided tape.

Finally, frame it!

Yay, you’re done! Prepare for grandfatherly types to exclaim things like, “Aw shucks!” and “Golly gee willikers!” And then they’ll talk about walking home uphill in snow.

If you have a daughter with long hair, I think putting her hair in a ponytail before you take her picture would look adorable in profile. If your kid wears ball caps a lot, that would also look cute in a silhouette – basically, whatever is the essence of your children.

Do you have other Father’s Day DIY ideas? Share them below, I would LOVE to get more ideas.

My awesome photo partners HP have more Father’s Day gift ideas here. You can also print out Father’s Day cards with their free Creative Studio.

Be Sociable, Share!

•