Fairy tale tower shadow box SVG
A tower on a hill in a wood, seen through an arched window like the first page of a fairy tale: a crescent moon and stars, far peaks, the tower with its battlements and flag, an oak, a tall pine and a small round tree, a humpback bridge with a fox sitting beside it, and toadstools, flowers and a fern at the front. 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 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 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 “Blossom” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 6, “Toadstools and ferns”, the slowest: at 1 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Toadstools and ferns”, fills the most of the view, 34% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Moon and stars | A whole sheet with holes for: Crescent moon and 5 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 23% |
| 2. Far peaks | A mountain range | over 2 mm | 5% |
| 3. Tower on the hill | Rolling ground, with: Castle tower with a flag | 2 mm | 11% |
| 4. Wood | Rolling ground, with: Oak tree with a broad crown, Tall pine tree and Round tree silhouette | over 2 mm | 17% |
| 5. Bridge and fox | Rolling ground, with: Humpback bridge silhouette and Sitting fox | 1.1 mm | 9% |
| 6. Toadstools and ferns | A gentle slope, with: Three mushrooms, Grass with flowers and Fern silhouette | 1 mm | 34% |
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 | 1 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
Depth needed allows 3 mm of foam between sheets and 5 mm for the card itself and the backing.
Making this one
The arched window is cut in every sheet but the back one. The tower is a sturdy shape, 2 mm at its finest at 8 by 10 inches, with its windows cut through, and the trees on the sheet in front of it have nothing under 2 mm. The bridge and the fox are about 1.1 mm and the toadstools and flowers at the front about 1 mm. The moon and the stars are holes in the back sheet. In the Blossom colours it runs from pale pink to plum, and the Forest green colours make it a deeper wood. There is no character in it from any book or film, so the story is yours to tell. Nothing hangs 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:
Questions
Can I add a dragon or a unicorn?
Yes. Select the sheet with the bridge in the maker and add one from Figures: there are three dragons, two unicorns and three fairies. Flip it so that it faces the tower.
Is there a scene with a whole castle?
Yes. The Unicorn castle scene has a castle with pointed towers, the Dragon and castle scene has a fortress with a dragon over it, and the Storybook castle scene has a castle rising from an open book.
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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