Update: several non-Photoshop users love these so I’ve added blank jpeg templates at the end of the post.
A few weeks ago, Timothy J. Barron shared a template for these awesome signature silhouettes on Twitter. I loved it so much that I actually made a note on my calendar to try my hand at making a few.
When I didn’t do it, I wrote the note again on a later date, and again, and then finally, when I really should have been doing something else, I procrastinated by making up several of these earlier this week.
Are there any other creative procrastinators out there? {insert sheepish grin here}
Procrastinating aside, what a fantastic way to have a meaningful profile photo for one of your photoless ancestors! Those two images up there are for my fourth great-grandparents Anne-Claude Gardey and Joseph Jerrain. They are two of my immigrant ancestors and the parents of my former brick wall 3rd great-grandfather, John Baptiste Jerrain. If there are photos of Joseph and Anne-Claude, I am not aware of their existence.
What I do have, are their signatures as seen on their marriage record. What a cool glimpse into their life, a tiny little bit of themselves that they left behind in that 19th-century parish book in France. And now, those signatures are preserved in a lovely little image that I’ve added to their profile in my Ancestry tree and their profile on FamilySearch. They are the perfect size to be the profile picture for an ancestor in an Ancestry tree. Not quite so perfect for the circle on FamilySearch, but still really, really good.
So far, I have made ten:
Aren’t they cool?!
They are really spicing up my Ancestry tree:
I had to learn a few new photoshop tricks, but it was totally worth it!
Happy Friday, I hope you make a fantastic genealogy discovery this weekend! xoxo
Here are some blank jpegs you can use. They can also be found here.
Very neat idea! But a very dangerous diversion!!
Thank you, Amy! Yes – very dangerous. The good news is that I was only procrastinating self-imposed deadlines. Haha! But now, I have a real deadline of having to submit my speaker bio for RootsTech London by tomorrow and I’m finding that a bit difficult to write… (There’s nothing like being tasked with telling everyone why you are qualified to teach something to make you feel unqualified!)
I also do not like self-promotion. One of the things I failed at when I wrote my book was figuring out how to promote it! Even posting about it on the blog and on Facebook made me uncomfortable.
I totally get that!! It is super hard for me too.
VERY COOL! But how did you get the silhouettes?
Realized too late, they weren’t actual silhouettes of your ancestors. But still these are awesome!
Thank you, Laura! Now, that would have been an excellent trick indeed to somehow get their actual silhouettes!!! 😉
Love this idea!
Thank you, Eilene! ❤️
I saw the post too and made a note too 🙂 For the summer, when ProGen is over! I love the idea and yours look great!
Haha! We are definitely alike! Thank you, Sue! ❤️
SO COOL, Amberly. I want to try this. I don’t have Photoshop but maybe I can do it with Picmonkey.
Thank you, Cathy! I’ve just updated the post at the request of another reader who doesn’t have Photoshop. At the end of the post now there are blank jpeg templates that you could paste your signature onto (I think, I’ve never used Picmonkey). Have fun!
I’ve learned how to do layers with Picmonkey and just needed the silhouettes. You had me looking all over for free clipart. Thank you, Amberly!
Whoops! Sorry. I should have thought of it before I wrote the first post. I’m glad someone asked so I could save you some time. 😉
No problem, Amberly. These are the things I like to play with when I’m stuck on something else.
Haha! Me too!! Or if the thing I need to do requires more focus than I have the energy for, this type of thing is relaxing, pretty, and feels like a worthwhile use of less productive time. 😉
I love love love this. I don’t have Photoshop, but am able to download the male silhouette from the twitter feed. Would it be possible to send me the female silhouette? I would be so grateful. Can’t move the layers in InfanView.
Sure! What file format do you want?
JPEG is good – thank you!!
Done! See updated post. 🙂
Awesome- thank you very much!
You are welcome, LeeAnn, thank you for asking! It helped plenty of others as well and I hadn’t thought to do it in my original post. ❤️
This is a fun idea, Amberly. The dress and style of these silhouettes ought to work well for 18th century/early 19th century ancestors. Appreciate your work! Thank you for sharing the templates.
You are welcome! Not my idea, but super happy to pass it on with permission. I have actually been thinking to myself that I should see if either of my graphic design family members would want to make silhouettes for different time periods and places for me. But, so much genealogy to do, so little time. Maybe one of these days I’ll ask them. 😉
Oh My Goodness! I love LOVE signatures, consider it a bonus when I can find them. I think samples of their writing say a bit about them. Another bonus if you can find signatures at various ages.
YES!! I couldn’t agree more. I think signatures are such a personal item. It’s a treat to find them!
Great idea!
Thank you, Dara! ❤️
These are wonderful! I’m wondering if you used Photoshop to separate the signature from its background to make the background transparent?
Thank you, Linda! I did use Photoshop for that. ❤️