Rainbow bridge shadow box SVG
A rainbow rising out of the clouds over green hills with the sun under its arch, and a dog and a cat sitting side by side on the near hill looking up at it, with trees behind them and flowers in front. 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 × 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 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 “Sea” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Flowers”, the slowest: at 0.9 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Flowers”, fills the most of the view, 28% 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. Rainbow | Rolling ground, with: Rainbow with two clouds | over 2 mm | 21% |
| 3. Far hill | Rolling ground, with: Oak tree with a broad crown and Round tree silhouette | over 2 mm | 10% |
| 4. Dog and cat | Rolling ground, with: Sitting dog silhouette and Cat sitting from behind | over 2 mm | 14% |
| 5. Flowers | A gentle slope, with: Three wildflowers on stems, Two daisies in silhouette and Grass with flowers | 0.9 mm | 28% |
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 | 0.7 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.9 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.9 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 1 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 1.1 mm | 17 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
Made in memory of a pet. The bands of the rainbow are cut through, so the back sheet shows between them: use a bright or a patterned paper for the back and the rainbow takes its colour. Nothing hangs on a thread. The dog and the cat are bold shapes, over 2 mm at 8 inches, and the flowers on the front sheet are the fine cutting, at about 1 mm.
- 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 change the dog or the cat?
Yes. Select either in the maker and choose Swap. A labrador, a golden retriever, a beagle, a poodle and other breeds are under Animals, and so are other cats.
Can I add a name and dates?
Not inside the maker yet. Write them on the bottom border, or cut the name from the lettering in the library and glue it there. A collar tag can be glued to the border too.
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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