Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Inspired by Silhouettes

silhouette


Is there anything more lovely than a silhouette? They are the original airbrush - taking something beautiful and obscuring all but it’s shape in a single color creates a pure image that can't be ignored. The simplicity of a silhouette is what makes them so intense. The subject becomes concentrated in it’s outline, especially when the background provides a stark contrast.

fly free


Did you know that silhouettes are named after a person? The art of cutting out a person’s profile from black card to create a portrait was popular in the 1700’s, especially for those who could not afford more expensive art forms. In France, Etienne de Silhouette was attempting to restore the country’s finances, causing many people to pinch their pennies, or live in poverty. The phrase a la silhouette came to mean anything cheaply made, and was used to describe these cut-out portraits. The name stuck, and now applies in many ways to shapes, profiles and backlit objects.

Handmade Shadows and Silhouettes

Cameos, Cut-Outs, Sunsets and Silhouettes


Silhouettes were also used in cameos and memento mori, or mourning jewelry, which were popular in the Victorian era. Despite these sad origins, silhouettes continue to be popular in art, photography and even jewelry.

Silhouette Photo Collage

1. Silhouettes, 2. Magical Silhouette, 3. Silhouette, 4. Silhouettes, Thar desert,
5. CIMG2167 Diver Silhouette, 6. Silhouette, 7. Silhouette, 8. Silhouette,
9. Silhouette Portrait, 10. Silhouette, 11. Beach Shadow Silhouette, 12. Silhouette 1


Do you like to use cameos or silhouette shapes in your work?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading


3 comments:

  1. This was very interesting -- definitely didn't know silhouette came from a guy's name. Cool info. A funny thing is that Jean Power had some silhouettes on her blog yesterday! Small world.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the history lesson, Mortira. I had no idea of the origins of "silhouette," and I'm both a word maven and a francophile. I don't use silhouettes much in my designs, but I love cameos and I love black and white combos.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well that was interesting I didn't know that. I love silhouettes.

    ReplyDelete

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Inspiration Topics

accessories amulet Ancient Worlds Modern Beads animals April's Army art ArtFire astrology astronomy autumn awards awareness bangle beach Bead Inspired Bead Shops bead soup bead spotlight bead stash Bead Trays beaded beads beading theory beads belt bezel birthstones black blog spotlight blue boho bone book spotlight bracelet Bracelet A Week branch fringe brick stitch brown bugles buttons cabochon ceramic chain maille challenge charity chevron chain christmas collar Collections color Color Ideas color triads conservation craft shows crafts crochet crystals cuff Culled Beads current events Current Faves daggers Daily Sets daisy chain Delicas Destash drops Dutch spiral earrings Egypt Egyptian Gods embellishing embroidery environment etsy exotic fair trade fantasy fashion Favorite Beads Favorite Techniques feminine fibers film findings fire polish fixtures Flashback Test flickr inspiration flowers food found object free form fringe Geek Jewels geekery gemstones geography giveaway glass gold gray Greece green herringbone hex cuts history holiday home decor insects inspiration tip inspired beader Inspired by... Inspiring Links ivory Jewelry Stash knitting ladder stitch lampwork lariat leaf fringe leather lights literature loomwork macrame magatamas Master Class Medallions metal free metalwork Mini Collar a Week mixed media mixture Mood Board MOP multi-color multi-strand music natural beads nature necklace Necklace a Day Nepal chain netting New Beads ocean ombre orange paint paper patterns pearls pendant peyote photography Picasso finish pink Pinspiration PMC polymer clay poster sketch purple quick inspiration rainbow RAW red resin ring Ring a Day rivoli Rome Russian spiral scarf science seed beads shell silver soutache spiral rope spring square stitch St. Petersburg steampunk stringing stripes summer tagua TBT The Elements thread Tilas Time Capsule tools trade beads triangle weave tribal tropical turquoise tutorial two-hole beads Ugly vintage Wear it Twice weather white winter WIP wire wishlist wood World Beaders yellow
Blog Home * About * Beading Tutorials * Advertise

Learn About Sponsoring Inspirational Beading with Project Wonderful
Affiliated With ShareASale.com and Amazon.com