How to Make a Silhouette Portrait in Canva + Easy Dollar Store Frame Hack

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Have you ever wanted to make a silhouette portrait of your kids or family and are stuck with printing a photo out and then tracing it onto black paper? Well...I'm here to save you! This tutorial will show you how you can easily make a silhouette portrait using Canva. Yep! Check out the video below to get started. I'm also sharing with you how to take this dollar store chalkboard and turn it into a more vintage inspired piece to frame that silhouette. Let's get started!

Now for a place to put those beautiful silhouette portraits that you just printed out! I have a great tutorial on how to make some vintage inspired frames I shared <here> Or you can go grab one of these round chalkboard frames I found at the Dollar Tree. They also come in cute rectangle ones. 

Supplies:

Chalkboard frame

Black acrylic paint

Rub 'n Buff in Gold Leaf (used this one here)

Step 1:

Paint the entire frame black. This seems counterintuitive considering we are just going to paint it gold again. But, I promise, this step makes it look even more vintage looking and not like the cheap gold it was. 

Let the paint dry. To hurry this step up, use a blow dryer. 

Step 2:

Apply the Rub 'n Buff to the frame using a stippling brush. This brush will ensure you get into those deep crevices. 

To show the difference this technique makes with the black paint and then the Rub 'n Buff compared to the cheap beginning, here's a before and after:

Now it's time to hang those DIY silhouette portraits! I have many of these in my house using the same easy Canva technique. Some I left stark white from the printer, the others I have tried to age with some brushed on coffee. 

Here are the same silhouette portraits I put in my other dollar store frame tutorial. You can see the full tutorial for that <here>. 

Pin for later.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”