Bee meadow shadow box SVG
Bees over a wildflower meadow in summer: a far hedge under the sun, then dandelion clocks and lavender, then daisies, clover and poppies, and grass full of 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 “Sunset” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 2, “Far hedge”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Grass and flowers”, fills the most of the view, 27% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sun | A whole sheet with holes for: Plain disc | over 2 mm | 33% |
| 2. Far hedge | Rolling ground, with: Round tree silhouette, Oak tree with a broad crown and Flying bee from the side | 0.7 mm | 9% |
| 3. Dandelions and lavender | Rolling ground, with: Dandelion seed head with leaves, Simple lavender for small sizes, Poppies growing: flower, bud and seed head and Bee silhouette | 0.7 mm | 14% |
| 4. Daisies and clover | Rolling ground, with: Two daisies in silhouette, Clover silhouette, Poppy silhouette and Flying bee from the side | 0.8 mm | 14% |
| 5. Grass and flowers | A gentle slope, with: Grass with flowers, Dandelions in grass and Three wildflowers on stems | 0.8 mm | 27% |
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
The bees are large on purpose, so that their wings and stripes cut cleanly. Cut each bee sheet in a different warm colour and the three bees seem to fly at three depths; the nearest has landed on a poppy, which holds it without a thread. The dandelion clocks are the finest part: use a new blade for that sheet.
- 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:
- Round tree silhouette
- Oak tree with a broad crown
- Flying bee from the side
- Dandelion seed head with leaves
- Simple lavender for small sizes
- Poppies growing: flower, bud and seed head
- Bee silhouette
- Two daisies in silhouette
- Clover silhouette
- Poppy silhouette
- Grass with flowers
- Dandelions in grass
- Three wildflowers on stems
Questions
Can I add more bees?
Yes, in the maker, under Birds and insects. Keep each one at least as large as those here: smaller than that, the stripes become too thin to cut.
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.
Horse on a hill 
Garden birds 
Birch wood 
Campsite at night 
Canoe on the lake 
Harbour