silhouette how-to & tutus

 

My bedroom is far from finished.  Case in point: There is a sweet little profile I made of Mark that sits by Ty’s side of the bed tugs at my heart every time I see it…

My side of the bed?  No tugging at the heartstrings – just an empty frame… for like a year now.  Partly because I was waiting for Susie to get past baby stage, and then just because I haven’t gotten around to it the past couple several months (I told you, it’s the story of my life).

So I thought I would do a two for one: fill the frame and share a tutorial with you, all at the same time. 

Now, for supplies:

I used:

pencil

cream cardstock paper

scissors

calligraphy pen with fine tip

calligraphy ink, black

small paint brush (not pictured, oops)

profile photo

Here is the profile photo I took of Susie…

The background doesn’t matter and it doesn’t even matter if it is blurry, as long as you can make out the profile.  At the time I was running out of printer ink and erased some of the background to save ink and that is also why my profiles below are psychedelic...

Cut out your profile, then trace it with pencil onto the paper, whichever way you want it facing.  This is the time to add things like alfalfa hair, curls or eyelashes to the outline if you want…

Now, be careful not to spill and have to start all over like I did…

I dip the fine tip pen in the ink and go around the pencil line, then make the line a little thicker, tracing around the inside, then take over with the paintbrush dipped in ink to fill in the whole thing faster...

After it dries (about 5 min.) I do another coat with the brush, to even out any visible brushstrokes.  Then I let it dry for a bit and put it into the empty frame and do a happy dance.

Ain’t she cute? 

Now Ty’s (left) side of the bed and my (right) side of the bed look complete…

 

Well, if complete means both sides have my children's’ profiles and neither side has an empty frame.  I still have a lot of ‘finishing’ to do in this room, including getting rid of the plastic crafting table.  =)

If you want to tackle the profiles but don’t want to get a pen and ink, here are two other ideas for you.  You could use fine tip and blunt tip Sharpies instead of pen / ink / paintbrush.  I think most people in blog land probably use the Sharpie method, but I feel like the lines show and I don’t like that.  Another method would be to cut the profile out of contrasting paper and glue it onto your background paper.  And to spruce it up, you could have the background be a printed wrapping or scrapbook paper or even fabric.

 

Time for the family update… Susie’s been sporting ponytails…

…and pigtails!…

Also, maybe I should do a whole body profile so the tutu could be represented…

Yes, she wore it to the store yesterday.  It is her uniform and she thinks it goes with everything.  Especially with sparkly pink shoes.  Can’t argue with her there.  What has happened to my world?  My tomboy world has been turned upside down with girlyness!  =)

Oh, I almost forgot, this is what happens when your husband gets your daughter up from her nap and thinks that the tutu hanging on her dresser (it has been hanging there for months ;) is supposed to go under her summer dress…

She looked like a lady out of a period movie with the huge poufy booty under her dress!  Awesome.

As for Mark, he has been featured less here on the blog as of late.  That is because he will hardly ever take a photo without having his hands in front of his face in some distorted manner. 

I have to catch him when he can’t hear my camera shutter…

Dirt bike riding!  That I can capture!

He was a little timid that day, and then he almost wiped out and became more than a little timid…

Almost wiping out can do that to a person.

Then Susie stole his thunder again…

Little thunder hog.  She is tomboy and diva in one.  She has no fear of motorized things and always wants in on the action.

That’s all for now folks, more soon!