Easy Painted Silhouettes

 This is one of those projects that was founded by me really wanting a vinyl cutter but being too cheap to actually buy one. Actually that’s why I’m a crafter because I don’t want to pay for it if I can make it. The frugalness is carried over in this project with each one costing under $5.  These Easy Painted Silhouettes on plastic chargers are the perfect Mother’s day gifts, Valentines Day gifts or for home decorations.  So what do you need to make these DIY Silhouettes? Most of it  you probably had on hand.  You will need plastic chargers from Hobby Lobby, acrylic craft paint, an exacto knife and a small paintbrush. That’s it folks. It’s easy already!   Ok so you will need one more thing – a picture printed of the person’s silhouette. It doesn’t matter if it’s black/ white or in color. You just need a picture that has a great profile.  I had my girls stand against the wall and look away and then snapped a picture.  Now print it in a variety of sizes and pick the one that you like best on the middle of the plate.  Tip – Don’t go too big. A little free space around the edge makes a nice contrast.  Now that you have all your supplies gathered it’s time to get this party started.  Take a pencil or pen and carefully trace around the profile of the subject. Do it carefully and slowly so you can be sure you’re getting all the curves, edges and little details.   Tape of hold the picture to the middle of the charger where you want the silhouette to be. Now using the exacto knife follow the line of the profile that you just made in the step above, pressing lightly into the charger.  This is why you need a plastic charger such as the cheap ($2) ones they sell at Hobby Lobby. The exacto knife is going to leave a small groove behind that will define your silhouette.  Go all the way around the profile, following the line.  It works best if you go slow and take your time. Don’t press too hard, you just want to score the charger.    When you remove the picture you’ll have a lightly scored line. It’s hard to see so I marked it with some arrows.    Now start with your paint and fill in the scored lines to reveal your silhouette. Use a small brush up against the line. You will notice that there is an indention in the charger where you scored it. This works well with paint because you can use your brush to push the paint right up to the line. if any paint goes over the line, it’s easy to wipe it away without going over the line and taking too much paint off.  You’re going to do one light coat that will appear blotchy and uneven. This is ok!  Let the paint dry and then do another light coat of paint.  When you’re done you’re going to have a hand painted silhouette that you made by yourself. It is a wonderful treasure to have. Also please note this is paint on plastic. If you scratch it too hard, the paint will come off. However I’ve had the three silhouettes of my girls from the picture at the top for three years now and they’re still perfect.  At one point I had torn strips of red polka dot fabric, glued two of them to the back of each charger and tied them into a bow so that they could hang in my kitchen.  Now I just store them in a cabinet and pull them out for Christmas or Valentine’s day when the red plates fit well into the decor.  These DIY silhouettes are truly very special to me. In fact, when I made them Princess Newbie was so new she didn’t have much hair! Now look where we’re at!  I’m pinning these to Clumsy Crafter Pinterest board. Come check out some other ideas that are pinned there are well!