All about silhouettes

The simplest and most classic silhouette is the rapid scissor-cut bust length portrait. The vast majority of the silhouettes we cut at functions are of this kind. It's hard to beat the simple beauty of an elegantly cut profile set into an oval or rectangle mount. In the hands of an expert, a silhouette of this kind can be cut out in as little as 60 seconds!

That said, there are many variations to the theme!

Half-length silhouettes holding glasses of wine are a popular addition,

"Look, he even got the glass in!"

Double silhouettes arranged in variety of poses always go down well, you can go head-to-head or back-to-back.

"A Smith & Jones or a Charlie's Angels?"

Some of our artists even use a side-by-side pose with one head cut out of the other. It can all get very complicated!

From time to time we are asked to get the long cards out, and make some full-length silhouettes. These take a little longer (as long as 3 or 4 minutes sometimes) but the results are often spectacular. Just remember to take a deep breath before the artist starts cutting!

All our artists work at a wide variety of events, and there are many events which call for special treatment. A great treasure for a newly married couple is the full length silhouette cut out on their wedding day. Having seen it once, what couple would want to be without such a thing? The other great joy at weddings is to cut silhouettes of hats. Hats in all shapes and sizes make for wonderful and interesting cuttings.

Costume balls are among the events we enjoy the most. Piled up wigs and masks offer a lot of scope for our scissors. Silhouette artists have been active in various guises througout the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. So we do have some claim to historical accuracy at a wide range of themed events. Georgian, Edwardian, and Victorian events. The 1920's and 1930's theme night. At the Black & White ball we're a must! French evenings, and American evenings, and especially the Wild West night. Our scissors will fit right in at them all.

[ Top of Page ]