Move Over, Tupperware!

Lisa B. of Orlando saw me cutting Silhouettes recently and asked for my card. She had remembered me from a book signing at Barnes & Noble book store on Colonial and Bumby years ago when my book came out. She said she was going to contact me with a really "cool" idea.

Soon after, Lisa sent me an email and asked if I might be interested in doing a party where she'd gather the people together in her home on a specific date, and they would purchase Silhouettes, frames and merchandise from me directly on the spot.

I decided why not! It was something different, close to home, and would only take about three hours. So, we set a date. A few weeks later, I went to Lisa's home and set up my Silhouette goodies on Lisa's dining room table. Lisa had gathered about 15 families together, and they all took numbers and hung out in the back yard while waiting for their turn in line.

Silhouette Artist Kathryn Flocken hard at work...

This family used a musical card to entertain their daughter while I cut her Silhouette.

"Weeeeee! This is much better than waiting in a long, hot line at a theme park to get my Silhouette done!"

More fun hanging out in Lisa's back yard...

So, there were Silhouettes, food, and lots to drink for all. The kids got to play, and the parents had some time to relax and have a glass of wine with their pizza.

If you live within a 90 mile radius of East Orlando and would like to host a Silhouette a party like this at your home, email me! All you have to do is gather about 15 families, and we'll coordinate a day for me to come by and have everyone's Silhouette made.

MORE INFO HERE: http://silhouetteparty.blogspot.com

Silhouette Event at Sam Flax~ Open to the Public!

Come have your Silhouette hand-cut by Master Silhouette Artist Kathryn Flocken at Sam Flax Art and Design store in Orlando! Walk-in's welcome, but do call ahead if you'd like to place an appointment.

Date: Saturday May 2, 2009.

Time: 11:00am-1:30pm.

Place: Sam Flax Art and Design

1401 E. Colonial Dr.

Orlando, FL

32803

Phone: 407-898-9785

Web: http://www.samflaxsouth.com/

Silhouettes on Fun Items!

Go to my Etsy store http://www.paperportraits.etsy.com/, and have your hand-cut Silhouette put on loads of fun items! Silhouettes by Kathryn Flocken.

Silhouette Decorative Throw Pillow.


Personalized Silhouette Tote Bag.


Personalized Silhouette Baseball Cap.

Silhouette Keepsake Box.

Personalized Silhouette Wedding Invites & Thank You Notes.

Your message placed inside FREE!

Personalized Silhouette Note Cards.

Silhouette Christmas Ornament.

Personalized Silhouette Mug.

Personalized Silhouette Plate.

All Silhouettes shown are by Kathryn Flocken.

http://www.paperportraits.com/
Purchase these items on

http://www.paperportraits.etsy.com/

Silhouettes of Your Precious Pets.

Our four-legged friends are so dear! What better way to show they are valued family members than to have their shadows "immortalized" along with yours!

You can have your Pooch or Kittie's Silhouette cut...and even have their special markings added in if you like.

Equestrian Silhouettes.

Cat Silhouettes. Collars can be added in at no additional cost!

Dog Silhouettes. You can have multiple pets in a Silhouette portrait, too.

Silhouette Artist and pet lover Kathryn Flocken with Mei Mei.

"I'll take extra care to do a great job making your pet's hand-cut Silhouette!"

To see more samples, click here:

http://www.paperportraits.com/GALLERY_PetPorts.html
*Special requests are taken, so don't be afraid to ask.*

Silhouettes at Your Special Event~ What You Get!

Each Guest will receive one copy of their Silhouette portrait mounted on either a plain white 5x7 inch piece of white card stock paper, or they can have it mounted on a very nice card with a scroll pre-printed on it.


I also make an additional loose copy of each Guest for you to keep and
scrapbook, or to make a collage from as a remembrance of the day!
**NEW! Guest Book or collage made on the spot at your event!

If you would like your Guests to have frames, they are available at a discounted bulk purchase rate.

I can normally do about 100 portraits in 4 hours at most parties. At weddings, however, there are breaks in the schedule to cut the cake, make announcements, etc. Because of these breaks (where it would be impolite to work, as attention is focused on the Bride and Groom!!!), I can do about 60 portraits in 4 hours. If you would like to have a second Silhouette Artist, I can arrange that! With two Silhouette Artists at a wedding, upwards of 100-120 Guests can have their portraits made in that time.

When making an inquiry about your event, please include the date, time and location of the event. See more information on the Special Events page of http://www.paperportraits.com/

Special Request Silhouettes

Carolyn R. from Illinois wanted a Silhouette made of her Granddaughter (top photo). She sent a photo of a Silhouette that had been made ages ago of her Great Great Grandmother, and wanted her Granddaughter's to be compatible to it. The Great Great Grandmother's Silhouette (middle photo) measured 2 1/2 inches high by 1 1/2 inches wide, and was a reversed or "hollow cut" style of Silhouette.

It was a fun project to recreate a matching Silhouette of Carolyn's Granddaughter, and the orders are rolling in for these specialty Silhouettes!

If you would like to have a Silhouette made in a certain size or color, don't be afraid to ask. Send an email inquiry along with your photos to kathyart@earthlink.net for a quote!

Silhouettes from Old Photos

Gillian C. from Canada sent an email to me along with the photo above. She explained that she went to my site and saw that I could reproduce Silhouettes from old and archival photos, but wondered if I could make a Silhouette to go along with 2 existing Silhouettes that were already in her parent's collection. Her older brother and sister had had their Silhouettes done years before, but not Gillian. She wanted to surprise her folks with this new, "old" Silhouette.

Gillian is seen seated in the middle in pink with the short hair.

I asked Gillian to take some secret snaps of her brother and sister's Silhouettes (lest the surprise be spoiled!), and give me the approximate measurements of the portraits. I explained if she did this, then I could better "mimic" the size, style and cameo shape of the original artist, thus making her new Silhouette blend in more seamlessly with the older ones.

The existing Silhouettes measured in at an itty bitty 2 1/2" high x 1 1/2" wide! Gillian also went on a Knight's errand looking for a frame to match, and found a good square one to go with hers. She plans on placing the square frame in between the two ovals.

I think it's only fair that she be the focal point after all these years of being MIA!


Some "rather different" Silhouette services I supply are:

1. Making Silhouettes from old and archival photos. Click on this link: http://www.paperportraits.com/GALLERY_Brynner.html to see a prime example in my Gallery section. Academy Award winning actor Yul Brynner and family members "posed" for this very unusual portrait!
2. Silhouettes of your dearly departed loved ones of all ages: children, spouses that have passed, or your precious pets.
3. Silhouettes that have acquired fire or water damage can be reproduced to look like the originals. (I did quite a few of those after Hurricane Katrina!)
4. Family Tree Silhouettes (see my blog here for more information about the subject)

For Silhouettes in any of these categories, please send an inquiry along with your scanned photos for a price quote, as regular pricing does not apply. kathyart@earthlink.net

New Site is now up and Running!

http://www.paperportraits.com/ now has a brand new look! Go see what's new, different and exciting!

Credit cards are now being accepted through Pay Pal. : D

Technical Issue of note: Just a few folks (usually with Outlook Express) are having trouble seeing my page, with the words looking like they are overlapping at the bottom thus making the text garbled and unreadable. Try this simple trick to see if the page might load up properly for you:

• Go to your Toolbar and click on "View."
• Click on "Text size."
• Make the text one level smaller, then go back and look at my page again.

New Silhouette Items In!

Check out the sidebar to shop for fun custom Silhouette items on my Etsy store.

Have your Silhouettes custom made to order, then put on items like note cards, pillows, tote bags, mugs, heirloom plates, hats, and keepsake boxes.

More coming soon: Greeting cards with "Retro Girl", T-shirts, Christmas ornaments and Holiday Cards.

Check back often to see what's new!
www.paperportraits.etsy.com

Family Tree Silhouettes

Family Tree Silhouettes are such a great idea! What better way to capture successive generations of the family than with Silhouette profiles?

If you would like to have a Family Tree like this one made just for you, please send an inquiry to kathyart@earthlink.net . Pricing will depend upon total number of Silhouettes and types of photos to work from.

If you have traced your family history and/or want to learn more on how to do it, be sure to check out Lisa Louise Cooke's website AND podcast on http://www.genealogygems.tv/

Keep an Eye Out!

Retro Girl is coming!

I've got this Girl here, and a whole line of COOL STUFF is going to revolve around her. She'll be showing up soon in my new Etsy store on note cards, greeting cards, T-shirts, pillows, tote bags, keepsake boxes and more!

You'll be able to have your own Silhouettes made on all of these items, too!

More soon...

My Silhouette Video

Watch my video here, and learn a little more about the history of Silhouettes and Silhouette cutting. The video is just under 3 minutes. Enjoy!

Moving into the 21st Century

So, I do a nearly dead artform from the 1700's. The tools that I use are scissors, paper and glue. It just can't get any more low tech than that! My computer skills are limited, and I consider myself lucky that I can check email and my MySpace page~ which is basically email with someone's picture attached next to it!


That being said, my New Year's resolution for 2009 is to move into the future. It may take baby steps, but I'm going to do it. Getting here on Blogspot was my first challenge to tackle. My next challenge is to be able to take credit cards, and give a much needed facelift to my stale old webpage. There is so much to do, but I am excited about facing the new year. I will post a blog (or update this one) when my new webbie is up. My wonderfully gifted web designer is working on my new page as I write this...and it looks AMAZING! There will be galleries galore, and each section will have it's own special color. I'm thrilled about what's happening lately, and can't wait for people to see the "new look" of www.paperportraits.com

Holiday Deadlines! Get 'er done...EARLY!

Please have your orders emailed to me (or post-marked) three weeks before any holiday deadline for guaranteed delivery.

Christmas deadline is December 7th.

If you do have a rush order that is dire, please go to my website and send an email inquiry to see if I am able to do it. Be prepared, in this case, to Overnight Express mail a money order ONLY (so we don't have to waste days for the check to clear), and to send some additional funds for the fellows at the USPS.

To get orders expidited more quickly, I am also working on being able to take credit cards. I will update this blog when that service is available!

Thank you!

Pricing for Special Events

I read on another person's blog that they couldn't quite get a handle on how Silhouette Artists set their pricing for events. I think they were a bit befuddled at the various range in prices. They may have made inquiries to Silhouettists across the US, possibly not considering the following important factors I will be laying out below. I thought I might address the issue here then, on my own Blogspot to help clear up some confusion.

First and foremost, I am NOT speaking for ALL Silhouettists, just me. But I do know other "Arteests" and this is how we seem calculate our fees.

1. The world is big! Where is your event taking place first off? I have to get there, and that is what takes up the most amount of time. Doing the gig is the fun part!

Please consider that since you want me there to perform, the following will be calculated into the total cost of my performance depending upon where your event takes place:


Airfare if applicable, rental car if applicable, gas, tolls, meals, and a hotel room if applicable. THEN the fee for cutting Silhouettes. Frames may also be added into the price as well if you desire. Otherwise, each Guest will receive one copy of their portrait mounted on an attractive card that it suitable for framing in a 5"x7" frame of their own choosing.

I am located in Orlando, Florida...so airfares would be calculated from Orlando International Airport (MCO). If you are within, say, a 300 mile radius of where I live, then I will most likely drive to you. Locals get a discount (Local= within a 50 mile radius of my home). Locals only have to pay my fee with no other costs added on top. This is only logical and fair.

I can generally do upwards 80 ~ 100 portraits in a four hour period. I generally only take one 5 minute break during my performance time, while other Artists may work for 45 minutes, then break for 15. So with me, 4 hours = 4 hours, not 3!

2. How many hours is your event? Most artists have a minimum amount of hours for which they perform, and this practice is normal. I usually do a 4 hour minimum, but can be flexible~ especially for local events.

Other than that, that is how we do it! For me, my tech requirements are really simple. See the photo above and you'll know what I mean. All I need is a small draped table, two chairs of the same height, and ambient light or a lamp to work by.

Here is a list of some of the favorite events I have worked:

The Four Seasons Restaurant. Manhattan, NY

Mandalay Bay Hotel, Casino and Convention Center. Las Vegas, NV.

The Venetian Hotel, Casino and Convention Center. Las Vegas, NV.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Hollywood, FL.

Mizner Park. Boca Raton, FL.

The Breakers Hotel. West Palm Beach, FL.

Washington DC Convention Center. DC.

Grand Cypress Hotel. Orlando, FL.

Grand Cypress Equestrian Center. Orlando, FL.

Cutie Patootie Children's Botique. Memphis, TN.

Garriott Estate. Austin, TX.

Pepin's Hospitality Center. Tampa, FL.

Ruth Eckerd Hall. Tampa, FL.

Country Club of Orlando. Orlando, FL.

Ritz Carlton's Fairway Pub. Orlando, FL.

Mansion on Forsyth. Savannah, GA.

Cincinnati House. Savannah, GA.

How to Mail Order Silhouettes from a Photo

Ordering Silhouette Portraits is easy! Just follow these simple steps*:

1. Take a CLEAR, RIGHT profile photograph of each subject you wish to have done. (Stand 4 feet from subject. Get at eye level with subject. Have subject stay STILL...and NO smiles! Get the subjects' entire head and all of their hair in the photo. Take photos of each subject individually, no matter what!! If you are unsure of a photo, take a few and I will work from the best one.) You will receive THREE COPIES of your artwork!

2. Print the name of the person on the back of each photo, and place photos with your order. You can also email digital photos to me if you prefer. kathyart@earthlink.net

3. Fill out and print this form (or send it in an email with your photos attached).

Make your check or money order out to Kathryn K. Flocken.

4. Mail to: Kathryn K. Flocken P.O. Box 547812 Orlando FL 32854-78125. Receive your Silhouettes and photos back in about 2-3 weeks.

__________________________________________________

Order Form

Quantity Total

____ Single. $25 each. ________

____ Double. $40 each. ________

____ Triple. $55 each. ________

____ Quadruple. $70 each. ________

____ Frames. $12 each. ________

____ Personalization. FREE.

Subotal $___________

S&H $___________

Total $___________

Shipping Chart: $0-$10= $6.oo/ $10.01-$25.00=$8.00/ $25.01-$40.00=$10.00/ $40.01-$55.00=$12.00/ $55.01-$70.00=$14.00/ $70.01-$250.00=$15.00
Please ship to:

Name:___________________________________________

Address:_________________________________________

City/State/Zip:____________________________________

Phone:__________________________________________

Email___________________________________________

Update: You can also go to http://www.paperportraits.com/ to pay by credit card.

Silhouettes by Kathryn

My name is Kathryn Flocken and I am a professional Silhouette Artist. I have been making hand-cut Silhouette portraits since 1989, and have worked throughout Central Florida's major theme parks. I travel all over the country cutting Silhouettes at special events, and have also been featured cutting Silhouettes on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood. It would be my pleasure to make custom made Silhouette portraits of you, your children, and even your pets!

Visit my Website: http://www.paperportraits.com/
Silhouette Artist Kathryn Flocken

Orlando, Florida