Horse on a hill shadow box SVG
A wild horse standing on a hilltop against the rising sun, with mountains behind it, a mare and her foal on the slope below, another horse at a gallop in front and an oak at the side. 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 × 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 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 “Blue dusk” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 6, “Grass”, the slowest: at 0.6 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Grass”, 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 | 28% |
| 2. Far mountains | A mountain range | over 2 mm | 7% |
| 3. Horse on the hill | Rolling ground, with: Standing horse silhouette | over 2 mm | 9% |
| 4. Mare and foal | Rolling ground, with: Mare and foal horses and Oak tree with a broad crown | over 2 mm | 14% |
| 5. Galloping horse | A gentle slope, with: Running horse | over 2 mm | 8% |
| 6. Grass | A gentle slope, with: Grass silhouette, Grass with flowers and Wild grass with seed heads | 0.6 mm | 24% |
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 | 20 mm | Yes | Too fine: choose a larger size |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.6 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Too fine: choose a larger size |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.6 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 0.7 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 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 horse on the hill stands across the sun, so cut its sheet in a darker card than the hills behind and it becomes the whole picture. Legs and tails are the thin parts: peel those sheets from the mat hooves first.
- 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 use it as a memorial for a horse?
Yes. Leave room at the foot of the front sheet and glue on a name cut from the lettering in the library, or a small brass plate.
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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