Cat and crescent moon shadow box SVG
A cat sitting on the top of a hill and looking up at a crescent moon and the first stars, with far hills and two trees behind, a willow beside it and tulips and wild 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 × 10 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 “Blue dusk” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Wild flowers”, the slowest: at 0.8 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Wild flowers”, fills the most of the view, 28% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stars | A whole sheet with holes for: 3 × Rounded star and 6 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 36% |
| 2. Moon and far hills | Rolling ground, with: Crescent moon, Round tree silhouette and Oak tree with a broad crown | over 2 mm | 10% |
| 3. Cat on the hill | Rolling ground, with: Sitting black cat | over 2 mm | 11% |
| 4. Willow | Rolling ground, with: Weeping willow tree | 2 mm | 14% |
| 5. Wild flowers | A gentle slope, with: Three wildflowers on stems, Tulip border and Bunch of grass | 0.8 mm | 28% |
Measured from the files at 8 × 10 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 × 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 10 in | 203.2 × 254 mm | 0.8 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 in memory of a cat. It is a paper scene to cut and frame, and a name can be written on the bottom border. The crescent moon hangs on one short thread from the top of the second sheet, and the stars are holes in the back sheet: put a light, or a sheet of silver paper, behind them. The cat is a bold shape that cuts easily. The hanging leaves of the willow are 2 mm wide at 8 by 10 inches, and the row of tulips at the front is the fine cutting, at about 0.8 mm.
- 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 change the cat?
Yes. Select it in the maker and choose Swap: a cat seen from behind, a walking cat and a kitten are under Animals. Each is a plain silhouette, so cut it in black, grey, ginger or white card to match.
Is there one for a dog?
Yes. See the Dog under the stars scene, or the Rainbow bridge scene, which has a dog and a cat together.
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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