Writers

Writers, like artists, actors and other creatives, need to play in order to work. Play stimulates our imagination and fills us with enthusiasm. It is the very source of creativity and uniqueness. We invite you, then, to abandon routine rationality and indulge in a few minutes of fun.

MAKE MY KURT VONNEGUT 3-D MINI POSTER

Kurt Vonnegut, one of the greatest American writers of and for all time, died on April 11, 2007. I was so sad when I heard of his death. But then I realized that my personal relationship with Mr. Vonnegut was in no way altered by his passing.

I began reading the works of Kurt Vonnegut sometime around 1968, when a friend gave me a copy of The Sirens of Titan. His books have had a permanent place on my shelves ever since. So he's still with me, still as disdainful of hypocrisy and injustice as ever, still filled with contempt for war and the men who bring it about. How can I miss him? He'll never really be gone.

This 3-D mini poster is my celebration of Kurt Vonnegut. It has one of my favorite Vonnegut quotes. "I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge, you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center."

You'll notice, when you put the poster together, that Mr. Vonnegut can only fit in the frame if you put him out over the edge.

Time needed to complete this project: about 10 minutes

Supplies needed to complete this project:
color printer
8 1/2 by 11 inch white heavy card stock
scissors
white glue or glue stick
2 foam "spacers" from craft store OR scraps of cardboard

Actual size of 3-D poster is 4 inches wide by 6 inches tall.

Begin by clicking here or on the picture to download the PDF file.

STEP ONE : Right-click on the PDF icon above and choose the menu selection "save link as" to download the PDF file and save it to your hard drive. Print the 8 1/2 by 11 inch image on standard white card stock. Remember to tell your printer you are using cardstock or heavyweight matte paper.

STEP TWO: Cut out the bookmark and put it in a copy of Slaughterhouse -Five.

Cut out the figure of Kurt Vonnegut and the gray background square with the quote.

STEP THREE: Craft stores sell bags with small pieces of foamcore (a thin foam sheet covered on both sides with paper) to be used as spacers. They make a little bit of space between 2 pieces of paper being glued together, which gives a three dimensional look. You can buy spacers or make them by cutting small squares, about 1/2 inch by 1inch, from scraps of corrugated cardboard. You could also use a wine cork cut into 1/8th inch thick slices, or even small slices of Styrofoam. Glue two spacers to the unprinted or BACK side of the Kurt Vonnegut head. Let it dry.

STEP FOUR: Glue the Kurt Vonnegut figure RIGHT SIDE UP to the left hand side of the gray background so it looks like this:

In this photo, you can look through the head to see how the corrugated cardboard spacers are placed between the head and the background card to create that three dimensional feeling.

YOU'RE DONE! You can paste a bit of ribbon to the back of the poster to make a hanger, if you like. I pin the mini poster to my bulletin board. I figure Vonnegut would want us to keep it simple.

If you enjoyed making my free Kurt Vonnegut 3-D mini poster, share the address of this page with your friends. And don't forget to sign up for my mailing list. I'll notify you when Write Side Out has new stuff!

The Anne Frank 3-D mini poster and all images and text on this page are copyright of the creator, Bonnie Boots, and may not be redistributed or used in any way without her written permission.