Baby animals and rainbow shadow box SVG
Four baby animals walking in a line under a rainbow: the sun and two clouds in the sky, a rainbow on the far hill, a baby giraffe and a baby elephant, then a lion cub and a baby hippo, with bunting across the top and a rabbit among the flowers at the front. 5 sheets of card, cut and stacked with a gap between each, make the picture. The files are free, and every part of the scene can be moved, swapped or resized below before you download.
5 sheets at 8 × 8 in, zipped, with a note on putting them together.
Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with it.
The 5 sheets
Sheet 1 is the back and sheet 5 is the front. Each one is a single piece with the same frame round its edge, so they line up when stacked. The colours shown are the “Sea” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Rabbit and flowers”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Rabbit and flowers”, fills the most of the view, 26% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sun and clouds | A whole sheet with holes for: Plain disc, Fluffy cloud and Classic puffy cloud | over 2 mm | 27% |
| 2. Rainbow | Rolling ground, with: Rainbow on a bar | over 2 mm | 16% |
| 3. Giraffe and elephant | Rolling ground, with: Baby giraffe and Baby elephant silhouette | 1.8 mm | 13% |
| 4. Lion cub, hippo and bunting | Rolling ground, with: 2 × Party bunting with two swags, Lion cub and Baby hippo calf | 1.9 mm | 15% |
| 5. Rabbit and flowers | A gentle slope, with: Bunny rabbit sitting up, Grass with flowers and Tulip border | 0.7 mm | 26% |
Measured from the files at 8 × 8 in. The narrowest part is the thinnest neck of card that holds anything on; sharp tips are not counted. “Seen from the front” is the share of the picture that sheet fills once the sheets in front of it are in place.
Will it cut at your size?
The download is 8 × 8 in. The scene maker above makes the same scene at any of these sizes; the thinnest part scales with it.
| Frame opening | Each sheet | Narrowest part | Depth needed | Fits a 12 × 12 in mat | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 6 in | 152.4 × 152.4 mm | 0.5 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Too fine: choose a larger size |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.7 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.7 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 0.8 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 0.9 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
Depth needed allows 3 mm of foam between sheets and 5 mm for the card itself and the backing.
Making this one
Made as a gift for a new baby. It is a paper scene to cut and frame for the nursery, not a case for keepsakes. The bands of the rainbow are cut through, so the back sheet shows between them: use a bright paper for the back. The animals are bold shapes, at 1.8 mm or more at 8 inches, and the flowers at the front are the only fine cutting, at about 0.7 mm. The bunting grows in from the frame at both sides, so nothing hangs on a thread.
- Cut all 5 sheets from 160 to 220 gsm card at the same size.
- Lay them out in order, sheet 1 at the back.
- Put strips of 3 mm foam tape round the border of sheet 1 and press sheet 2 onto it with the edges level. Carry on to sheet 5.
- Fit the stack into a deep frame with the front sheet against the glass. For a light box, run a strip of warm white LEDs round the inside of the frame behind the stack.
The zip includes these steps as a text file, each sheet as its own SVG and all 5 side by side in one SVG. More on paper, frames and lights is on the shadow box page.
The parts, on their own
Everything in the scene comes from the free SVG library, where each has its own page and file:
Questions
Can I add the name and the date of birth?
Not inside the maker yet. Cut them from the lettering in the library and glue them to the bottom border, or write the name, the date and the weight on the back sheet beside the sun.
Can I change the animals?
Yes. Select one in the maker and choose Swap: a bear cub, a tiger cub, a baby panda, a baby rhino, a fawn and a lamb are under Animals.
Can I sell boxes I make with it?
Yes. Finished pieces are yours to sell. The files themselves may not be sold or shared; send people to this page. See the licence.
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