Owl and moon shadow box SVG
An owl on a bare branch in front of a huge full moon, with a second owl gliding over far pines, dark trees on both sides and a mouse in the grass below. 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 × 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 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 “Halloween night” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 2, “Far pines”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Grass”, fills the most of the view, 29% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Moon | A whole sheet with holes for: 6 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 20% |
| 2. Far pines | Rolling ground, with: Flying owl with spread wings, Pine forest on a hill and Three pine trees | 0.7 mm | 7% |
| 3. Owl on the branch | Rolling ground, with: Bare tree with even branches and Owl on a branch | over 2 mm | 17% |
| 4. Pines | Rolling ground, with: Tall pine tree and Evergreen tree with even boughs | over 2 mm | 10% |
| 5. Grass | A gentle slope, with: Tall grass with seed heads, Mouse silhouette, Grass silhouette and Mushroom with a spotted cap | 0.7 mm | 29% |
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 | 0.7 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 owl and its branch grow out of the tree on the same sheet, so nothing hangs loose. Its eyes and the marks on its breast are small holes: cut that sheet first, with a fresh blade, and the rest will give you no trouble.
- 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
Can I light it from behind?
Yes, and it suits it. The moon and the stars are holes in the back sheet, so a string of warm LEDs behind it makes the moon glow round the owl.
How does the flying owl stay up?
It hangs from the top of its sheet on a thread of card 1.6 mm wide. Against a dark sky the thread is hard to see once the box is closed.
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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