Update Blog - Paper Silhouettes Revealed!

This week I wasn't able to complete a Craft Adventure Venture. Actually that's not completely accurate. I'll have it finished before I go to bed tonight, BUT I really didn't want another late night blog, so I'm calling it for this week.

I'll have super cute stuff to share next week, though. Baby Shower gifts are so much fun to make. Everything is so soft and cuddly. Sorry, I was distracted there for a minute by ultra cuddle fleece.

This week's blog is just an update from last week where I get to reveal the paper silhouettes that I made as birthday gifts. The recipients really liked them.

Just in case you missed it last week - Here is the link to the pieces that inspired these Craft Adventure Ventures: Handmade Silhouettes Etsy Store
(Lots of cute stuff in her store by the way. And I think I read that some of them are customizable.)

Craft Adventure Venture #7 - Part of Your World

Finished - No Frame. You can see the colors a little better

Finished - In Frame. You can see the depth best in this one.

So I had a couple issues with this one, but the picture was such a perfect layout that it really came together without much of a fight. I used cardstock for the silhouette pieces to give them a little more stability, but the background is scrapbook paper. I used glitter glue to highlight the water, her tail and as the stars in the sky.

Again, it's a really simple project that you need a bit of time to work on. You have to be patient and not rush through the cutting or you will cut something that was supposed to be left alone. Or you'll leave something and have to go back and correct it.

Just a note on negative space. What the heck is Negative Space? Paper silhouettes are all about negative space, so you really have to be discerning when selecting the picture you want to create. If it has too many details it's not going to translate well and no one will be sure what your subject is. But you also want it to have enough detail that it's interesting. Of course a completely sparse silhouette might be just your thing. It's Art after all, so who's to say.

The  How-Tos:

1) Find a picture that you like. Here, the moon was just perfect and it's pretty easy to figure out the figure and that she is sitting on a rock.

(Which I don't have the rights to use, but since it was a gift and I'm not selling these, I don't think they can say anything.)

2) Print out picture in the size you wish to work with - This is 8.5 x 11. But you can go up or down in size depending on what you want your finished piece to look like.
Print your picture in Black & White, (or Grayscale if your photo program doesn't give you that option), you'll use this as your template. The fewer fine details the better.

3) Cut out your pieces. For this one, I wanted to mimick the original piece as closely as possible with the dark background, light Moon and her in front. To do that I cut the Moon and reflection separately from the character. The paper I originally cut her out from wasn't really dark enough, so I went over the paper with a Copic Marker. It gave her a water colored feel that was a very happy accident.

Note - While I think this would still have been a nice piece in just black and white, no one says that silhouettes have to be duo-tone (two colors). You can have as many or as few colors as you like. Have fun with it.

4) Put the pieces together. The Moon is adhered with photo glue (non-acid glue stick) directly to the background. To give the character more depth I used foam dots to hold her in place.

Craft Adventure Venture #8 - The Pumpkin King

Finished - In Frame

Same how-to as above. For this one I used cardstock for the background, Moon and character. I used scrapbook paper for the hill and regular copy paper for the dog. I wanted the dog to seem a little translucent but I thought that vellum paper would be too much.

After I finished the piece I really thought it was too sparse and added more details that weren't there in the original picture I was working from. Even after retooling it a bit, I had some concerns. In the end the person who received it, loves it and that's all that matters.

These CAVs were for a couple, so I wanted to create a theme using the Moons. Even though the characters aren't related and the colors are different, seen side by side, it's clear they are supposed to be a set.

That's pretty much all there is. I'm looking forward to doing some more paper silhouettes in the future, I really enjoyed making them. Well, I need to pop back to the sewing machine and finish up those baby shower gifts. School starts next week, I'm nervous and excited and have no idea how I'm going to juggle everything. Where there's a will and lots of caffeine, there's a way.

My goal for next week is to not freak out, make some important phone calls and hopefully squeeze in an extra CAV to make up for this week. September is just around the corner, that means Halloween crafts and costumes. And the ban on knitting will be lifted and I have a charity project already in the wings. Till that time.. Stay Crafty!

This weeks totals: 0 Craft Adventure Ventures - total remains 8.

43.5 Craft Adventure Ventures to go!