My Patterned Silhouettes

I was so inspired by the fun silhouettes I posted about yesterday, I literally went down to the craft store immediately to get supplies to make my own. I love how they turned out! Here is how you can make your own, with just a little time and less than $10!


Instructions:

1. Here's what I used:

• 2 11x14 canvases
• 4 sheets of patterned paper (2 of each pattern)
• Paper slicer
• Gold acrylic paint
• Glue stick
• Foam paintbrush
• 2 sheets of white cardstock
• Printer
• Paint software (I used Adobe Photoshop)
• Scissors
• Pop dots

2. After gathering my supplies, my first step was to paint the sides of the canvases gold. I wanted a little gold border around the edges, so I also painted a border around the top. Two coats.

3. I cut the paper to 10.5x13.5 to have a little 1/4" gold border around the edges. I needed 2 pieces of each to match up the patterns on the edges. I put the seams in different places so they would be less obvious--you can't see them unless you know they're there. I tried using archival liquid glue, but it peeled right up. A glue stick did the trick. I also turned the canvases over and put a heavy book on the back while the glue dried so the paper wouldn't curl.


4. I made the silhouettes on Photoshop using this tutorial, but there are a million other ways to do it. This is the most labor-intensive part of the process, but if you are familiar with Photoshop, the tutorial is great.

5. I printed the silhouettes out in reverse (so the ink would be on the back), then cut them just using regular scissors.

6. After cutting the silhouettes, I put a bunch of pop dots on the back, especially around the edges. Pop dots are raised foam adhesive squares, they're pretty easy to find at the craft store.

Stick the silhouettes to the canvases, and voila! Beautiful silhouettes.

Let me know if you try this project!