Activity
Make a Silhouette Portrait Lamp Shade
Looking for a fun and different way to help your teen personalize her room? Create a lamp shade decorated with her silhouette portrait for a one of a kind work of art.
Popular in the 18th century, silhouette portraits are traditionally black against a light background, but here you'll create a silhouette by punching holes in a piece of paper in the shape of your child's profile. When light shines through, her portrait will illuminate!
What You Need:
- Digital camera
- Heavy paper or lightweight cardboard
- Corrugated cardboard
- Push pin or small nail
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue
- Plain lamp shade
What You Do:
- Take a photo of your child's face in profile. Print it out. Explain that before photos were common people used to make profiles of each other, drawing on black paper and cutting it out. Electric lighting meant that people could use paper to decorate lamp shades.
- Have her cut out the photo. Remind her to cut around eye lashes, curls of hair, etc. This will make it look more like her.
- Help her draw a circle or trace a bowl that is slightly bigger than her photo onto the heavy paper or lightweight cardboard and cut it out. She'll create her silhouette portrait on this circle.
- Tape the photo onto the circle.
- Place the circle on top of the corrugated cardboard so the nail or push pin won't damage the table. Have her punch holes, evenly spaced, around her profile in the photo. The more holes she punches, the more light will shine through and the clearer the picture.
- Hold the image up to a light. If light doesn't shine through the holes, enlarge them slightly.
- Glue the finished silhouette to the inside of the lamp shade. Place the shade on a lamp, turn on the lamp, and watch her profile light up!
For a fancier shade, make the silhouette from colored paper and decorate the lamp shade with glitter, rhinestones, lace and/or ribbon.
Related learning resources
Nature Silhouette
Activity
Nature Silhouette
Make a beautiful nature silhouette to remember a family walk in the park or a camping trip with friends.
3rd grade
Arts & crafts
Activity
Homemade Lava Lamp
Activity
Homemade Lava Lamp
A homemade lava lamp gives any room a retro flair. Find out how to make a homemade lava lamp, and learn some science too, with this educational activity.
4th grade
Science
Activity
Silhouette Pillow
Activity
Silhouette Pillow
Make a personalized pillowcase for your third grader with his old-fashioned silhouette image. You won't be able to find these in stores!
3rd grade
Arts & crafts
Activity
Silhouette Portraits
Activity
Silhouette Portraits
Here's a fun family activity: have your child make a cameo appearance by creating and drawing on their own silhouettes!
3rd grade
Social studies
Activity
Make a Self Portrait from Nature
Activity
Make a Self Portrait from Nature
Add some fun to arts and crafts by having your child make a self portrait using nature as her palette.
2nd grade
Arts & crafts
Activity
Make a Recycled Paper Cup Globe Lamp
Activity
Make a Recycled Paper Cup Globe Lamp
Teenagers will love the look of this retro lamp and the fascinating process of making it.
Middle school
Arts & crafts
Activity
Silhouette Art
Activity
Silhouette Art
Help your child create a piece of spring art by shaking up the traditional silhouette art form with a colorful collage background and vibrant spring color.
5th grade
Arts & crafts
Activity
Silhouette Candle Holder
Activity
Silhouette Candle Holder
Light up the night by making this silhouette candle holder. The silhouettes may cause a bit of a fright, but they'll also help you avoid the monsters.
5th grade
Arts & crafts
Activity
Made In The Shade
Science project
Made In The Shade
This science fair project idea deals with the qualities of shade on a sunny day.
5th grade
Science project
Parts of a Lamp
Worksheet
Parts of a Lamp
Help your little learner get to know her household items with a fun cut and paste matching activity! This one will show her the different parts of a lamp.
1st grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Make Your Own Pointillism Self-Portrait
Activity
Make Your Own Pointillism Self-Portrait
Kids learn about pointillism as they make their own self-portrait in the style of famed American artist Chuck Close.
5th grade
Arts & crafts
Activity
Color Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Worksheet
Color Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Aladdin is a poor boy, but he has just stumbled upon a magic lamp that has the potential to make all his dreams come true!
2nd grade
Worksheet