Custom Silhouettes
custom silhouette portrait
Are you sick of selfies? Are you unable to afford a portrait done by a professional artist? And yet you want a unique, lifelike rendering of yourself or a significant other? Have you considered commissioning a custom silhouette?
Most modern schoolchildren have at least a nodding acquaintance with silhouettes as an art class project. But silhouettes have a much earlier origin, and a darker one. The practice of cutting out portraits from a piece of paper became a novelty entertainment during royal French parties in the early 1700's. Artists who were clever and quick with a pair of scissors were much in demand at these events. Because black paper or card was the favored medium, the resulting work was known as a "shade" or a "profile". Then in 1759, in a money saving attempt, French finance minister Etienne de Silhouette levied harsh financial sanctions on the French people. This, of course made him less than a popular politician. So why did his name become forever associated with this innocent art form? One story claims that Minister de Silhouette was himself a "shade" maker, to the point of compulsion. Another tale claims observers compared the quick, cheap "shade" renderings to de Silhouette's financial decisions. In any event, this art form began to be commonly known as a silhouette from the early 19th century on.
And while Minister de Silhouette may no longer be around to produce custom silhouettes, others can. There are a number of private artists and companies working today who work with silhouettes. Potential buyers should be warned that the days of black construction paper are long gone. While paper is certainly still used to produce silhouettes, favored mediums today include fabrics, metal, and wood. While silhouette artists and models had to meet in days past to produce results, this is no longer the case. Most companies or artists allow the "patron" to send them an image of the subject and work from that. Artist caveats are that these images are clear and shot against a solid backdrop. If a person is the subject, requirements are that the submitted image be shot in profile, with hair pulled away from the face. While silhouette artists once worked exclusively with humans, that is no longer the case. Athletes in action, pets, and cityscapes are now frequently commissioned as silhouettes. In the case of sport or animal silhouettes, photos need to be submitted with no background clutter. For cityscapes submitters need to emphasize whether they want buildings or sky (or water) emphasized in the silhouette. And unlike the French court artists of yore, today's silhouette artists don't produce their work quickly. Wait times for a final product can be a month or more, depending on the materials the artist is working with, and any issues with the work in progress. Silhouettes do remain an inexpensive art form, generally ranging from $30-$200.
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About the Author
James Anderson has only one mission: to help inform people. When he first started writing, he was fascinated with his ability to help people understand things. Since then, he has been writing to help educate people that want to learn more. In his ideal world, he would be writing from the Alps, sipping hot chocolate.
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