The stable, Mary, the manger, Joseph and the star above the roof, drawn as one connected silhouette. The figures touch the frame and the base, so the whole thing comes away as a single piece of paper. No faces, no folds in the cloth, no detail inside the line, which is what makes a silhouette read from across a room.
Why it cuts as one piece
A nativity drawn as separate figures has to be cut out as separate figures and then arranged, which is several fiddly cuts and a glueing job. This one is drawn so that every element touches something: the roof sits on two posts, the posts stand on a base, the star rises from the apex of the roof, and the three figures all meet the base.
That leaves one region of paper to remove from inside the frame. Cut the outside line, then cut the shape inside it, and you have a finished silhouette rather than a kit.
Three sizes
Large prints one to a sheet, which is the size for a window, a mantelpiece or a yard sign traced onto board. Medium puts two on a page and Small puts four, which is the setting for a class making one each or for a string of them across a window.
The line weight stays readable at all three. At four to a sheet the gaps inside the stable get small, so that is the version to print on paper rather than card if children are doing the cutting.
What to print it on
For a window, the strongest result is black. Print the template on paper, cut it out and use it to draw round on black card, then cut that and tape it flat to the glass. A silhouette is a shape read against light, and it works from outside the house as well as from the room.
On white 160gsm card it becomes a stencil, a template to draw round on wood or felt, or a shape to glue onto a coloured backing board. For a large yard sign, print at one to a sheet, enlarge to A3 and use it as the pattern to trace onto plywood.
Questions
- Does the nativity silhouette cut out in one piece?
- Yes. The stable frame, the star, Mary, the manger and Joseph are all joined to each other or to the base, so you cut the outside line and then one shape inside it and the whole silhouette comes away together.
- How many are on a sheet?
- One at the Large setting, two at Medium and four at Small. Large fills an A4 page and is the one to use for a window or as a pattern to enlarge.
- Is there any detail inside the figures?
- No. There are no faces, no hands and no folds, because a silhouette is read as a shape against light. Everything that distinguishes the figures is in the outline itself.
- Can I use it for a window display?
- Yes, and it is what the template is best at. Cut the printed shape out, draw round it on black card, cut that and tape it flat against the glass. The silhouette then reads from outside the house as well as from the room.
- Can I scale it up for a yard sign?
- Yes. Print at one to a sheet, send the PDF to A3 or larger, and use the printed outline as a pattern to draw round on board. The artwork is vector, so the line stays clean as it grows.