Traditional Silhouette Portrait

• 1). Set a strong light, such as a desk lamp, on top of a table so that it shines on a blank wall. You will need space enough on the wall to cast a shadow of your child's facial profile.
  
  
• 2). Sit your child on a chair between the light and the wall so that a sharp shadow of his facial profile appears on the wall. Adjust the child or the light, if necessary, until you are satisfied with the silhouette. Don't worry about the body; just make sure that the facial features cast a clearly defined shadow.
  
  
• 3). Tack light or white paper to the wall so that the profile shadow falls squarely on the paper.
  
  
• 4). Trace around the edges of the silhouette with a pencil as carefully as you can to achieve an accurate silhouette. Depending on how comfortable you are with your drawing skills, this can take less than a minute or many minutes. The most important part is tracing around the features accurately so that your child's profile will be recognizable.
  
  
• 5). Turn off the light and allow your child to get up. Take the paper and cut out the shape with scissors for a template.
  
  

Using Technology

• 1). Sit your child in front of a blank wall in profile. Take a profile photograph.
  
  
• 2). Re-size the image using photo editing software to the desired size. Print the profile image on typing paper so that it is easier to cut.
  
  
• 3). Cut out the image with a pair of sharp scissors to use as a template.
  
  

Finishing the Shadow Art

• 1). Lay the template on a piece of black or colored card stock.
  
  
• 2). Trace the child's silhouette with a colored pencil.
  
  
• 3). Remove the template, cut out the shape and glue it on a piece of contrasting colored paper so that it stands out. Frame it and hang it or put it in your scrapbook.