Nina Nightingale, Silhouette Portrait Artist
10 reviews- Chicago, IL
- Silhouette Artist
- Travels nationwide
- $150 and up
Overview
I am a professional fine artist practicing the very rare art of SILHOUETTE PORTRAITURE, in which I cut your shadow from paper with no writing instruments - simply freehand drawing with scissors. My act has all the instant gratification of the photobooth, but with a dash more class: it takes me about 90 seconds to cut a guest’s perfect likeness from a piece of paper. Silhouette portraiture is one part history and one part how-does-she-do-it?! sideshow that culminates in an heirloom party favour. As there are fewer than sixty of us working in the world, it's a very memorable and unique addition to any event.
I accept gigs all over the world, though a travel stipend applies.
10 Reviews
I cannot say enough nice things about Nina. From the moment we started corresponding about hiring her to cut silhouettes, she was so easy to work with and took the time to get to know me. This really enhanced our event, since by the time we actually met face to face it felt like meeting an old friend. She even brought me a gift from my hometown! Her set up is really beautiful and generated a lot of excitement amongst our guests. She customized the backing for the silhouette to match the theme for our event, making for a really special keepsake. Nina is just a lovely person, inside and out and I give her my highest recommendation.
Silhouette Artist
As director of the DePaul Humanities Center, I hired Nina to provide silhouette portraits for attendees to our public event investigating the nature of shadows from the perspectives of the arts, humanities, and sciences. The event was attended by 80 university students and faculty as well as the Chicago general public. Nina was perfect in every way. She was punctual, professional, courteous, and kind. And on top of this, she is just an amazing artist. Although she works with incredible speed, it was soon apparent to everyone how fantastic her work is, and so the line to have portraits snipped grew and grew! It was the best decision I made to hire Nina. These are not the silhouette portraits you might remember from kindergarten in which every black construction piece of paper is cut pretty much the same and each of your classmates is identical in profile to the next. No, Nina is so talented--a real artist--that she captures the actual profile, character, and spirit of her subjects. (Two twins sat for her and we could match up the resulting silhouette portraits with complete accuracy!) Nina is the real deal. We look forward to having her return for another event soon.
Silhouette Artist
As promised by other reviews she was nothing short of a hit! There was a line the ENTIRE night and people were so excited about them! She did a great job and was wonderful to work with! We would definitely have her and her assistant back!
1920s Era Entertainment
I was searching for entertainment that wasn’t typical for my wedding. Nina was engaging, flexible, and professional. Guests were provided with a unique memento from our day.
Silhouette Artist
Nina's painted fragrance bottles for our event which served as a great alternative to engraving. She was extremely friendly, talented and professional and was a pleasure to work with.
Fine Artist
Nina did silhouettes for our Chicago bar wedding reception. She was so sweet and her work is fantastic. She had no problem accommodating our last minute request to extend her another 30 minutes. I highly recommend Nina as the perfect addition to any unique event!
1920s Era Entertainment, 1930s Era Entertainment, Caricaturist, Party Favors Company
I found Nina online and after our first communication I knew she was a professional. We worked together to determine the best options for the school fundraiser and although I didn't meet her until the night of the event, I knew it would be smooth sailing. She was amazing and very organized and willing to be flexible. The product was unique and memorable. Thank you, Nina for being part of our night. I will definitely remember and think of you in the future.
1920s Era Entertainment
Nina was great and was a big hit at my daughter's college graduation party. Weeks later and guests still tell me how they thought she was a great addition to the party. She is very pleasant to work with and a true artist. She did a particularly good cut of my son and nephew arm wrestling that I know they will enjoy for a long time. I recommend her highly.
Caricaturist
Nina is amazing! I hosted a graduation party for my son with approx. 75 attendees, and Nina was the HIT of the party. She is extremely talented, very personable and reliable. I booked her for three hours and she was busy the entire time. Everyone loved her and especially loved their unique silhouette keepsakes. She's quick, too, which was wonderful as she was able to cut approx. 12-15 silhouettes per hour. Who knew someone could develop such a talent with scissors. I *highly* recommend Nina!!
Caricaturist
Nina was super professional, very self-motivated, and did an amazing job with her silhouette cut-outs. Everyone was raving about how cute they were!
Caricaturist, Caricaturist
Booking Info
Services Offered
Setup Requirements
Small table or another chair
Adequate lighting or an outlet for my own lamp
Three chairs
Social