Make your own James Prosek-inspired silhouette!

This project encourages you to take advantage of this beautiful fall weather and take careful note of your surroundings. To begin this project, get some fresh air! Take a walk around your neighborhood, hike on a near-by-trail, strut around your yard—whatever is accessible to you. While you’re enjoying the outdoors, take some mental pictures of your findings (birds, flowers, deer, leaves, etc.). When you return home, take some think time to recall all the extraordinary things you observed. What caught your eye most? Once you’ve chosen your subject, think about the size and shape of it. Now you’re ready to get your materials! You will need a black piece of construction paper, a pencil, scissors (or an X-Acto knife), white piece of construction paper (or any color other than black), and a glue stick. To start, grab your black piece of construction paper and your pencil and sketch the silhouette of your nature discovery. When you’re happy with your drawing, reach for your scissors or X-Acto knife and carefully cut it out. Once you have your beautiful silhouette, grab your white piece of construction paper and glue your silhouette onto that paper. Tada! You’ve created an extraordinary image of the natural world! you can add on to this project however you wish (labels, colors) — artist choice!

This project is inspired by artist James Prosek. James Prosek is an artist, writer and naturalist that takes purposeful, careful observations of the natural world. Inspired by artists before him such as John James Audubon, he portrays his discoveries through detailed watercolor, paints and silhouettes. Blending art with science, James Prosek is a wonderful example of turning the ordinary extraordinary. Check out some of his work here and here.

Suggested materials:

-Black construction paper

-White construction paper

-Glue stick

-Scissors or x-acto knife

-Pencil

See Images of James Prosek’s work, my making video, and my final product below.

Happy making!