FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

and some that no one asked, but need to be answered

  • Silhouettes are generally solid color (usually black or dark colored) detailed profile portraits of people, often on a light-colored background, creating a contrast between the portrait and the background. They were especially popular before photography was invented.

  • I cut my silhouettes “freehand”: that means, I just look at a person’s profile (side of their face and body) and cut paper using only scissors. I do not draw anything in advance, trace a shadow, or color-in a photograph.

    When I fulfill a customer’s online order, they email me a sideways photo. I cut the silhouette exactly the same way as if the person is live (freehand!), except that I am looking at the emailed photo instead of the live person.

  • People love silhouettes for many reasons:

    • They love the details in silhouettes

    • They love participating in their own portrait.

    • Most people who love silhouettes love vintage, antiques, history, romance, and/or art

    • They grew up with family silhouettes on the walls, perhaps of their grandparents or parents

    • They love history, so they are charmed by Colonial, Regency, Victorian, or other silhouettes they have seen in books or museums

    • They have seen silhouettes at Disneyworld or Disneyland; since Walt Disney was inspired by historical silhouettes to put them in his theme parks

    • They love Jane Austen or other writers whom they have seen in silhouette portraits, before photography was invented

    • They have seen silhouettes in media so they feel comfortable with the representations

    • They might have seen me at another event, and remembered how they loved seeing me work

    • They might have had a silhouette made of themselves when they were young, and those memories are sweet

  • Silhouettes have a long history for thousands of years; but functionally silhouettes were first made popular in Europe in the 1700s. They are best known from before photography was invented. Read an easy overview about silhouettes in my Silhouettes History webpage.

  • People love events where they can participate in an activity. Silhouettes are rapid: under two (2) minutes for the sitting. They are personal, detailed, and elegant, so the ‘sitter’ (the person being silhouetted) experiences an event activity on site, yet they can bring home and enjoy the result for yers and decades to come.

    People also love to theme their events. Themes are engaging and helps people connect to a feeling, location, or idea. Silhouettes can also fall under so many themes, they become the perfect engagement for live events as small as corporate cocktail parties to as large as conferences.

    Read more on the Event page and also the Activations page. (“Activations” is a corporate term for ‘memorable experience’, especially if the interaction hits your heart and soul).

  • I started my real journey to cutting silhouettes in 2008. My initial encounter with silhouettes was with an old silhouette in an antique store; I couldn’t afford the antique but I went home to research silhouettes. In my research, I learned all about the rarity of finding old silhouettes, the unique and unusual traditional skill.

    I decided to try cutting one for my own wall, using my experience as a craftsperson, artist, and illustrator. Over a year later, I was finally ready to try with live people instead of practicing alone. It’s a good thing that I have an artist’s eye for detail and had many years of anatomy and life-drawing classes during my illustration training!

    Fast forward almost 20 years to today, I am one of only about 20 people in the world cutting silhouettes. And I’m still learning! Every single face teaches me more, and I have new elements that I am working on, in my craft - every day.

  • I love cutting silhouettes at live events because it gives people a chance to slow down, even for under 2 minutes, and experience something they wouldn’t have otherwise experienced.

    I originally created silhouettes as a business to help people experience history, not just to pass by history on walls of a museum. I wanted them to take a moment to try something. I loved silhouettes, so I wanted other people to love silhouettes too, by experiencing what it was like to be ‘back in time’ before we all had instant cameras, or selfie-makers, in our pockets.

    It feels like I tapped into a backlash against technology for some people; how they are longing to experience something real, true, timeless. It feels great to help people experience both history and art at the same time: two of our greatest achievements of cultures.

    I also love helping people see more of the world through my eyes. Most often, my sitters and I get to enjoy a deep, yet quick, conversation during our silhouette together. For me, it’s a way that they can engage with an artist on a philosophical level, yet we can still go back to real live after the conversation. And they can keep the silhouette as a reminder of their experience!

  • I take online orders on my website, so anyone with a smartphone, tablet, or computer can make a very order online, from anywhere.

    During the ordering process, my system will walk you through the easy ordering process, including your choice of background color or even style of paper. My system will also guide you how to take a picture which will be the image from which I create your hand-cut silhouettes.

    I cut the silhouettes for an online-ordered silhouettes in the same way that I create live orders; however I am looking at a live person, I am looking at a picture of the person. Everything else is the same: the high quality and the traditional craftsmanship.

  • I don’t cut very big silhouettes, but if you need a very large silhouette, but I do offer a digital silhouette through my online ordering system. I hand-cut a silhouette and then scan it for you, sending you the digital scan.

    You can take the digital scan-file to any fabricator who makes large images, to translate that digital silhouette onto a large canvas, a banner, a wall decal, or any object you can imagine.

  • I’m sorry to say that pricing is not as easy to have only one basic price!

    Every event is a different price, because the elements which I need to make the proposal for you will have to consider these factors:

    • What is the date and time of the event?

    • How many people?

    • How many hours?

    • What is location of the event?

    • Are there additional costs for me to travel to/from your event?

    • Are there special supplies for your event?

    • Do you have special requests which affect anything above?

    That’s why I have a contact form where you can send me basic information so I can send you a detailed estimate or a generalized estimate

  • I would love to try to come to your party to cut silhouettes! Please use my contact form to send me information about your party and your expectations. I’ll reply with any follow-up questions, and then I can send you a proposal if we seem to connect well about your event!

  • I would be happy to cut silhouettes at your wedding! Weddings are contracted like all other events: first you would send me information via my Contact Page, and tell me all about the event, location, date, time, etc.

    Depending on your location, there might be travel and accommodations fees along with the appearance fee.

  • My current base is Baltimore/ Washington DC area, on the East Coast of the United States.

    However I travel all of the world from here to be at events - “Have scissors, will travel!”

  • Yes, of course: activations (interactive experiences) are one of my main joys!

    Read details about activation ideas on the Activations page.

  • I travel somewhat yearly from the East Coast of the United States to north of Melbourne, Australia to demonstrate at the Lost Trades Fair.

  • I’m glad that you love Disney properties. I am happy that Walt Disney was inspired by history to present them at his parks.

    However, I’m so sorry: I don’t tend to work children’s birthday parties. However if you contact me, I might have other interesting and possible suggestions!

  • Thanks for being interested in silhouettes for your wedding! Silhouettes are wonderful experiences for weddings, and provide guests with a gift to take home. Additionally, it’s possible to use silhouettes as part of the guest book.

    However I can’t give any estimate without any exact day, location, perhaps time as well. I might be able to give you a general price, but it will be a very wide estimate. Please contact me when you do know your date, location, time, and all other wedding details.

  • At the moment, I am not giving workshops in cutting silhouettes.

    After cutting silhouettes for “only” just under 20 years, I feel like I am still learning myself! It’s a very difficult skill which is hard to describe to others. I am especially art-school trained in anatomy (as I was trained), Life Drawing (as I also was), perspective and over 30 years in public and corporate special events engagement.

    However I am happy to give workshops around silhouettes, including: