Silhouettes

I was watching a YouTube video recently made by a book artist and she had created a book filled with silhouettes.  They were so interesting that it made me want to buy whatever stencil she was using.  Then she explained that she had made the silhouettes using magazine pages.  What a great idea!   I had to try it.

 

My first silhouette cut
from a magazine page.

The process was easier than I expected.  I didn’t have many magazines lying around, so I actually borrowed (acquired? stole?) an Urban Outfitter catalog from my doctor’s office. (It was out of date, I promise.)  It’s not easy to find a good picture.  The technique requires a photo that is either in profile or where the arms and legs are posed away from the body in order to leave negative space.  I cut the silhouette out of card stock and then painted it with black gesso.  

A second silhouette just
waiting to become a piece of art.

I haven't decided what to do with my second silhouette yet.  I like the process, though, and I will now look for magazines filled with the right kind of pictures.  I'll try not to steal any more from waiting rooms.

What new ideas have you learned from watching the videos created by other artists?

- christina