How to Cut a Silhouette

Silhouettes are so very cool... but just how did the Victorians used to make them? It's pretty simple, really...

Steps

  1. Image titled Cut a Silhouette Step 1
    1
    Gather your materials and tools onto a large, flat, well lit work area.
  2. Image titled Cut a Silhouette Step 2
    2
    Enlarge the picture you wish to make into a silhouette.
    • Project the picture onto a flat vertical surface.
    • Cover the vertical surface with your silhouette paper (usually black, but any color will work so long as you have a contrasting color for a background)
    • Trace the silhouette onto the paper on the wall (vertical surface... remember?)
  3. Image titled Cut a Silhouette Step 3
    3
    Remove your enlarged tracing from the wall and place it flat on your work surface.
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    4
    Cut your silhouette out using either scissors or x-acto knife - scissors work fine for minimal detail, but an x-acto knife is indispensable for fine details.
  5. Image titled Cut a Silhouette Step 5
    5
    Place your cut out silhouette on a contrasting background... and presto!

Things You'll Need

  • Side view picture of the person or thing you want to make a silhouette of.
  • Cutting board
  • Xacto knife and/or scissors
  • Pencil
  • Enlarger - An ELMO or Overhead projector work well.

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About This Article

Lois Wade
Co-authored by:
Lois Wade
wikiHow Crafts Expert
This article was co-authored by Lois Wade, a trusted member of wikiHow's volunteer community. Lois Wade has 45 years of experience in crafts including sewing, crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, drawing, and paper crafts. She has been contributing to craft articles on wikiHow since 2007. This article has been viewed 18,885 times.
3 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 8
Updated: September 3, 2020
Views: 18,885
Categories: Homemade Cards