Shepherd with Sheep SVG

Why the shepherds matter here

Shepherds are often the part of the story children remember best, and this design gives one his own picture instead of leaving him at the edge of a crowd. He stands tall in the middle in a blue robe and red head covering, one hand on a brown crook that rises above his head. A sheep waits on each side, the larger one on the right and a smaller one on the left, and both look outward. A small gold star is tucked into the top left.

Sunday school craft

Thanks to its friendly subject, this one works very well for a class activity. Precut the base and the two sheep, then let each child glue on the robe, the head covering and the crook. Pull cotton balls apart and stick them over the cream wool for a soft, textured fleece. Younger children can skip the small pieces and color a printed copy of the outline file.

Pieces and weeding

The solid file comes to 22 pieces and no cut-outs. Among them are the crook, the mound, the star, the shepherd’s robe, sleeve, head covering, face, hand and beard, and each sheep’s fleece, head, ear, tuft and separate legs. The small pieces are the sheep’s legs and ears, so go slowly there. With this many parts, a sheet of transfer tape is the answer for vinyl, while paper wants a card base underneath. It passes our cut checks from about 4 inches wide.

Color layers

• Base and lines in deep navy: one solid backing sheet, showing between parts and as a narrow edge
• Stable and animals in warm brown: the crook, the shepherd’s beard and the mound
• Blue robes in mid blue: his robe and sleeve
• Red robes in brick red: his head covering
• Cream parts in cream: the fleece of both sheep and the tufts on their heads
• Faces and hands in warm tan: his face and hand, and the sheep’s heads, ears and legs
• Star and gold in gold: the star alone

Layer the navy down first, then the mound, the sheep and the robe, and finish with the face, the hand and the crook.

Good places for it

• Christmas cards for a rural parish or a farming family.
• Shadow boxes beside a separate stable piece.
• Children’s tops, with the layered vinyl kept to a modest size.
• Church bulletins in the weeks before Christmas Day.
• Farmhouse-style porch boards, painted by hand.

Size guide

Going below 4 inches is not a good idea with cut layers, as the sheep’s legs get too narrow. For tiny versions, send the color file to your printer and cut around it through Print Then Cut.

Pairs well with

Bring in the Little Christmas Lamb as an extra flock member, or put the Christmas Angel with Trumpet overhead to complete the hillside.