mini fish chalkboard

The jagged edges of certain fish shapes are perfect for making silhouettes. As an April Fool's Day hoax in France, children stick paper fish on loved-ones' backs. For a year-round fish, you can also make the mini chalkboard pictured here.

On a 34x30 cm (1 ft 1½ in by 1 ft) piece of heavy-duty cardboard, apply two coats of chalkboard paint (available in green and black). Print out the two pieces of the fish model on "A4" format paper. Cut out the shapes and tape them together. When the chalkboard paint is dry, center the fish on the painted surface. Stick pieces of masking tape around the outer edges to roughly outline the fish shape.

Now trace the fish outline on the masking tape with a pen. Very gently cut out the shape with a box cutter or craft knife. Remove the outer tape as you go, pulling gently. Only the inner tape should remain. Apply two coats of light-colored paint. Remove all of the tape and the fish silhouette will reappear.

Frame your fish with patina-finished wood, cardboard, driftwood or whatever suits your fancy. Don’t forget to buy chalk.

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge and print.
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This silhouetting technique can also be used to make simple blocks of color that can be overlapped. Applied to a series of images, it will make a very attractive, graphic art piece.

tag : eco crafts

April 2008 [pretty things]
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