ABOUT ALISON

LONDON BASED SILHOUETTE ARTIST ALISON RUSSELL

Alison Russell is a renowned London based silhouettist with over 20 years experience cutting silhouette profiles nationally and internationally. She has performed at a multitude of notable venues including the Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi, St. James Palace, the Royal Academy of Arts, for celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Princess Anne, Dame Shirley Bassey, fashion designer Paul Smith, supermodel Erin O’Connor, T.V. chef Gordon Ramsey, presenter Jonathon Ross, and many more.

Alison is a member of the Guild of American Papercutters and is associated with the most notable fellow silhouettists the world over, of which there are very few! Alison would be happy to hear from you with any questions or enquiries you may have:

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MY STORY

I learned how to cut silhouette portraits from my American grandmother, Mary Lou Russell (1928-2009), an established painter and silhouette artist herself for more than 50 years. I loved sketching people as a child, captivated by the challenge of capturing the subject’s likeness which proved helpful while transitioning from pencil to scissors as I describe the technique of cutting silhouettes from paper like ‘drawing with scissors.’ I cut my first silhouette aged eight. Keenly observing my grandmother’s expert technique I was encouraged to develop the skill initially by practicing at family gatherings then as a teenager at church fetes and craft fairs.

After gaining my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic Design & Illustration and a brief spell as a visual merchandiser at John Lewis, Oxford Street, I soon realised my calling and consequently began to carve out a career for myself as a freelance silhouette artist cutting at all kinds of events from weddings, anniversaries and birthday parties to charity balls, trade fairs, festivals and corporate functions. I also accept private commissions, can cut using photos as reference as well as remotely via Zoom session. I have now been cutting silhouettes professionally both nationally and internationally for over twenty years and have a lot of stories to tell about my adventures and encounters along the way. I even met my partner while cutting silhouettes and we now have a son and a daughter as a result!

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Alison’s grandmother, Mary Lou Russell, cutting silhouettes at a Seattle Worlds Fair 1962.

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Silhouette portrait of Alison aged 2 years old, hand cut by Mary Lou Russell 1980.

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Newspaper clipping from Mary Lou’s early days starting out as a silhouettist.

From the moment we met Alison we just knew we wanted to have her cut silhouettes at our wedding, she was truly amazing!

– Venetia & Richard

Mini documentary ‘Drawing With Scissors’ from Alison’s early career days establishing herself as a silhouette artist.

I worked with my app designer friend Matt Wasser to create a beautiful night light app for kids, featuring many night light scenes with my silhouette artwork. You can find out more about the app at Frosby.net, or download the app here. Matt is also the designer of this website. See his portfolio here.

SILHOUETTE IDEAS…

Have your silhouettes printed onto merchandise such as mugs as was commissioned for this souvenir memorabilia mug of Catherine and William to commemorate their royal wedding.