He was one of the few artists that painted silhouettes on plaster. A native of Leeds in northern England, Miers sold paints as did his father, but by 1781 he expanded his business to include painting coaches, gilding, and making profiles. He was so successful in making silhouettes that in 1791 he opened a studio, employed several artists and had a very good business. He continued making silhouettes of famous people until 1800. After that time the remainder of the silhouettes was produced by other artists in his studio because he was in poor health.
Students can create silhouettes of a friend in their classroom.
There are several ways to create them. One is to paste dark paper cut to a person's profile on a light background. Then there is hollow-cut, which involves the opposite color combinations. The student will cut out the likeness from the center of white paper and place it on a background of black paper or black fabric. Materials needed would be paper, pen and a light source.