Elk in the moonlit forest shadow box SVG
A round view into a pine forest at night: a full moon low between the trees, a ridge of far pines, an elk calling on the rise in front of the moon, tall pines closing in from both sides and ferns and toadstools 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 × 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 “Lit from behind” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 2, “Far pines”, the slowest: at 0.8 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Ferns”, fills the most of the view, 44% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Moon and stars | A whole sheet with holes for: 6 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 15% |
| 2. Far pines | Rolling ground, with: 2 × Pine forest on a hill | 0.8 mm | 5% |
| 3. Elk | Rolling ground, with: Bugling bull elk | over 2 mm | 7% |
| 4. Pines | Rolling ground, with: Skinny pine tree and Lodgepole pine with a bare trunk | over 2 mm | 9% |
| 5. Tall pines | Rolling ground, with: Tall pine tree and Evergreen tree with even boughs | over 2 mm | 11% |
| 6. Ferns | A gentle slope, with: Ferns growing in a clump, Three mushrooms and Bunch of grass | 0.8 mm | 44% |
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 | 0.6 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.8 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.8 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 0.9 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 1 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
Made to be lit. The moon is one large hole in the back sheet, so with a light behind it the elk and the pines stand dark against the glow and each sheet of trees is a shade deeper than the last. The far pines and the ferns at the front are the fine cutting, at about 0.8 mm at 8 inches. The elk, antlers and all, and the tall pines are over 2 mm. 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
Does it need a light?
No. Put a sheet of pale yellow paper behind the back sheet and it reads in daylight. For a light box, fix a string of warm white battery lights round the inside of the frame behind the back sheet.
Can I use a deer, a bear or a wolf?
Yes. Select the elk in the maker and choose Swap: deer, bears, wolves, foxes and a moose are under Animals.
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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