Desert buttes shadow box SVG
A desert in the Southwest at sundown: flat-topped mesas far off with an eagle over them, a row of tall buttes against the sun, a great rock arch with a cactus under it, and Joshua trees, prickly pear and a tortoise in the foreground. 6 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.
6 sheets at 10 × 8 in, landscape, zipped, with a note on putting them together.
Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with it.
The 6 sheets
Sheet 1 is the back and sheet 6 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 “Autumn” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 2, “Far mesas and eagle”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Tortoise and stones”, fills the most of the view, 24% 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 | 25% |
| 2. Far mesas and eagle | A gentle slope, with: Desert silhouette of mesa, butte and spire and Gliding eagle with wings in a V | 0.7 mm | 6% |
| 3. Buttes | A gentle slope, with: Desert buttes side by side | over 2 mm | 11% |
| 4. Rock arch | Rolling ground, with: Desert rock arch and Saguaro cactus with two arms | over 2 mm | 18% |
| 5. Joshua trees | A gentle slope, with: Desert plants: Joshua tree, agave and ocotillo and Prickly pear cactus | 1.1 mm | 11% |
| 6. Tortoise and stones | A gentle slope, with: Ball cactus with a flower, Bunch of grass, Organ pipe cactus and Tortoise land turtle with a honeycomb shell | 1.2 mm | 24% |
Measured from the files at 10 × 8 in, landscape. 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 10 × 8 in, landscape. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 8 in, landscape | 254 × 203.2 mm | 0.7 mm | 20 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 arch is a frame inside the frame: the sun shows through its opening and the buttes read as miles away. Rock shapes are thick and forgiving, so this scene suits heavy card. The fine cutting is in the far mesas on the second sheet and in the Joshua trees on the fifth, at about 0.7 to 1.1 mm at 10 by 8 inches. The eagle is the only part on a thread.
- Cut all 6 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 6.
- 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 6 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:
- Desert silhouette of mesa, butte and spire
- Gliding eagle with wings in a V
- Desert buttes side by side
- Desert rock arch
- Saguaro cactus with two arms
- Desert plants: Joshua tree, agave and ocotillo
- Prickly pear cactus
- Ball cactus with a flower
- Bunch of grass
- Organ pipe cactus
- Tortoise land turtle with a honeycomb shell
Questions
Which colours suit a Southwest desert?
Warm ones: cream at the back, then sand, orange and terracotta, with a dark red-brown at the front. A turquoise back sheet in place of the cream gives the sky of a hot afternoon.
Is this the same as the Desert cactus scene?
No. That one is a stand of saguaros with a coyote. This one is rock country: buttes, mesas and an arch. For the cacti, see the Desert cactus scene.
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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