At Felt Club XL Holiday 2006 I showed some of my first attempts at cutting silhouette portraits. I brought them to get some feed back and someone actually took my information and contacted me for a commission! I was in shock. Excited! But shocked. I was not prepared for the anxiety that came with having to actually re-create the likeness of someone for actual money. I mean, it's not subjective. It either looks like the subject or it doesn't. What if the buyer doesn't like it? Do they still have to pay? Is it no longer art but rather a service? I wasn't sure if I really had the skills.
The good news was the subject is ADORABLE. The bad news was there was no way I could capture how incredible cute she is. Silhouette portraits tend to be a bit serious. Here's my subject:
I ended up adding an extra cut to emphasize her sweet elfin-like ear. It was a stylistic choice I feel good about.
The fellow who commissioned the portrait said he met the subject at Halloween party several years ago and she was dressed as red Fraggle. I think I captured her cuddle-y felt creature-ness.
Great job! Have you see the little shop on Main Street at Disneyland where they do this? We had our family silhouettes done (in under a minute each!) and I love it.
I'm happy to see you blogging. I'll add you to my links.
Posted by: KB VanHorn | March 31, 2008 at 12:01 PM