Would like some suggestions

[gmill]

I have these silhoutte portraits of my sisterand I done in the mid 50's. I would love to do something special with them and give them to my sister. I had thought of framing them and colorizing them to look like cameo's, but there's not enough detail for that. Other than that, the creative juices just aren't flowing. I've played aound with them, but haven't come up with anything that really excites me. I could really use some ideas.
Thanks!

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1jEsNByZohhMg2kCtShZUIEIEGFf61_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1jEsNByZohhMg2kCtShZUIEIEGFf61)

[Wendy]

Hi Gloria ...

I think that a lot of their charm is that they are silhouttes so I would simply build on that. Try making an oval then inverting the selection and filling it with black ... to make a black frame.

Maybe even make it look as though they are in folding frame with one on one side and one on the other ... perhaps with two small plaque underneath with the names on then.

I think that I would do everything just in B&W :)


Wendy

[susangreen]

Hi Gloria,

Here is a poem that I have used with some pictures of my sister and me. It seems like it would be a good addition to a layout with your silhouettes. It was written by Robert Sexton and came from his book All the Way Home.

If history records this lifetime we share,
on the page I am given you will be there.
The truth will be written in line after line;
how you gave of your heart and tended to mine.
And the world will then see in each word of that pen,
with you as my sister how blessed I have been.

Perhaps if you have a picture of the two of you taken about the same time as these silhouettes, you could use it as a background image some way.

What a nice remembrance you have there with your silhouettes and I know your sister will be touched by the gift.

[gmill]

Wendy and Susan

Thank you for your suggestions. You both had great idea's. I love the poem and I will have to use it in some way, if not with the silhouttes, then with some pictures of the two of us as little kids.

You're right Wendy, in that they need to stay black and white - it does lose it's charm when I try to colorize them. I've got a couple of ideas on how to do the frames, so I'll have to play around with them and see how they turn out.

[Wendy]

Hi Gloria ...

Look forward to seeing what you do with them :)

Wendy

[Ward Grant]

Here is one quick idea-could be made much cleaner and with an added chain perhaps. I remember my sisters having the pink and white cameos a lot when I was younger.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1S6kc1QoQRUlWiGv2AtmsSxs2z6R3_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1S6kc1QoQRUlWiGv2AtmsSxs2z6R3)

[gmill]

I like that Ward. And a chain would add a nice touch to it.:)

Wendy, as soon as I have something I will post it here. I've come done with some kind of "respirtory (sp) bug" and just haven't felt up to the challenge. In the meantime I'm mulling over some ideas in my head, and am hoping I'll be up and about soon. I'm sure I'll have a lot of threads to catch up on, too.

Well, back to the couch..........and the dog - she's been laying in my lap most of the day.

[Wendy]

Hi Gloria ...

So sorry to hear that you are not feeling well ... do hope that you recover soon :)

Wendy

[MarshaT]

My daughter has a silhouette like that of her first child and I would like to make one of her second... How would I do that in PSE? Any ideas?

[Wendy]

Hi Marsha,

What you need is a good profile image ...

then I would carefully select the outline using one of the selection tools
create a new layer above the photograph
and just fill it with black.

... you will probably have to tidy it up a little but basically that is it :)

Wendy

[gmill]

Hi Gloria ...

So sorry to hear that you are not feeling well ... do hope that you recover soon :)

Wendy

Thanks, Wendy. I'm feeling much better now.

Well, here's what I came up with. Not happy with the frames and bg, though. I had one version I really liked, but when I saved it for the web the frame and bg would lose their color so the whole image was in grayscale. Turned out that when I scanned the silhouttes in, I did it in grayscale instead of color. I tried to change the mode to RGB with no luck.....everytime I saved for the web it would be grayscale. Any suggestions, gladly accepted!

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1eC7lWzvnCn62Xqm5HRRbEQoWfRai0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1eC7lWzvnCn62Xqm5HRRbEQoWfRai0)

[graficalicus]

here's a quick idea - use the silouettes as a mask, and create a montage of snapshots:

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f219/graficalicus/sample.jpg

I just grabbed a few pictures from my son's birthday (and the dog!), and blurred them so they don't distract, but you could use your own snapshots and arrange them - for added interest, make some B&W and others color.

[Wendy]

Hi Gloria ...

So glad that you are feeling better :)

Just do Image>Mode>RGB colour then save them with a new name ... when you use Save for web on that it will still stay in colour :)

I really like the way you have done the pair of silhouttes it suits them ... they really are very nice ones. Where were they done ?

Wendy

[gmill]

Grafi, that's a cool idea. I may have to play around with that.

Wendy, I tried that several times, but just to make sure I tried again in case I hadn't saved it under a new name the other times). No luck. For now I'm putting it on the back burner, while I work on an idea using Susan's poem. I'll post it when I finish it.

[gmill]

You asked where the silhouttes were done and I meant to answer that in my last post and forgot.

They were done in 1955, and I believe we were at the Fairgrounds in San Diego, Ca. I don't know how the procedure is done now, but I remember she had us sitting on a stool with a light shining on us. Then she cut out our silhouttes and mounted them on a white background. I seem to remember her looking at our shadows and cutting freehand, but I was so young, she easily could have traced the outline first.

[gmill]

Here's another attempt of doing something with my silhoutte pictures.
Comments or suggestions for improvement always welcome.


http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1jclLImIoNWtPo1S6xx4aabpbY9VlE0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1jclLImIoNWtPo1S6xx4aabpbY9VlE0)

[karen donnybrook]

Gloria,

I really like your latest effort with the two silhouettes, it looks great. Well done.

Karen

[gmill]

Karen

Thank you, I'm pleased you like it. I'm thinking it could still use a little work.

Have you seen Mottcru's scrapbook page of his grandmother?

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/gallery/view_img.php?id=12219

After seeing the one in sepia tones, I'm thinking that maybe I should try something similar with my photo and silhouttes.

[karen donnybrook]

Gloria,

Both the images are great, I particularly like the one with they key.

Karen

[Wendy]

Hi Gloria ...

I really like what you have done with the new image ...it looks really good :)

The reason I asked about the silhouettes is that I have one too and it was done in just the way you describe. Mine was done in a seaside town in the UK and I found a site that you may find interesting ... :)

http://www.edobarn.demon.co.uk/parlour/index.html#Map

Wendy

[gmill]

Hi Wendy,

Thank you, I'm pleased you like it.

What an interesting site on silhouttes - I have it bookmarked. It sounds like my recollection that the artist cut out the image without first tracing it could very well be true; such a wonderful talent.

If you're so inclined, I would love to see your silhoutte portrait.

[Wendy]

Hi Gloria ...

Its at my Mothers but next time I vist her I will take the scanner :)

I remember having it done and was totally amazed at how someone could simply cut out a silhouette like that ...

Wendy