Cross at sunrise shadow box SVG
One wooden cross on a hilltop with the rays of the rising sun spreading behind it: a country church and a tree on the far hills, the cross on its rise, a lamb below it between two tall lilies, and tulips and wild flowers along 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 5, “Spring flowers”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Spring flowers”, fills the most of the view, 26% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Rising sun | A whole sheet with holes for: Sun with long and short rays | over 2 mm | 31% |
| 2. Far hills and church | Rolling ground, with: Country church with a picket fence and Round tree silhouette | 0.8 mm | 10% |
| 3. Cross on the hill | Rolling ground, with: Rugged wooden cross | over 2 mm | 12% |
| 4. Lamb and lilies | Rolling ground, with: Lamb standing, a young sheep and 2 × Lily silhouette | 1 mm | 12% |
| 5. Spring flowers | A gentle slope, with: Tulip border, Grass with flowers and Bunch of grass | 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
The sun and its rays are one hole in the back sheet, so the cross stands dark against them: put a light, or a sheet of gold paper, behind it. The cross is a sturdy shape, over 2 mm at 8 inches, with the grain of the wood cut through as short slits. The sheet with the far church is about 0.8 mm at its finest and the flowers at the front about 0.7 mm, so cut those two slowly; the lamb and the lilies are 1 mm. 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
How is this different from the Three crosses scene?
This one has a single wooden cross with rays of light behind it, a church and a lamb, in a square frame. The Three crosses scene has three crosses on one hill against a plain round sun, with palms and doves, in an upright arched frame.
Can I use a plain cross?
Yes. Select the cross in the maker and choose Swap: a plain cross is under Holidays. It has no slits in it, so it is the easiest of all 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.
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