Reindeer and moon shadow box SVG
A reindeer leaping across the face of a huge full moon, with far peaks behind it, two more reindeer standing in the snow below, firs at each side and stars in the sky. 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 “Blue dusk” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 4, “Reindeer”, the slowest: at 1 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Firs”, fills the most of the view, 29% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Moon and stars | A whole sheet with holes for: 7 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 27% |
| 2. Far peaks | A mountain range | over 2 mm | 8% |
| 3. Leaping reindeer | Rolling ground, with: Leaping reindeer | 1.1 mm | 9% |
| 4. Reindeer | Rolling ground, with: 2 × Reindeer silhouette standing and Classic pine tree | 1 mm | 12% |
| 5. Firs | A gentle slope, with: Tall pine tree, Short wide pine tree and Bunch of grass | over 2 mm | 29% |
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 | 0.8 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 1 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 1 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 1.1 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 1.2 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
The moon is one large hole in the back sheet, so the leaping reindeer shows dark against it: put a light, or a sheet of white paper, behind. The reindeer leaps from the top of a rise and its back hooves are joined to the hill, so it needs no thread. The antlers and the legs are the fine cutting: the sheet with the leaping reindeer is about 1.1 mm at its thinnest at 8 inches, and the sheet with the two standing ones about 1 mm. The firs at the front are sturdy. Nothing hangs on a thread.
- 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
Is there a reindeer scene with a Christmas tree?
Yes. The Christmas reindeer scene has one reindeer beside a decorated tree and a pile of presents.
Can I use it as a light box?
Yes. Cut every sheet in white card and fix a string of warm white battery lights round the inside of the frame behind the back sheet. The moon and the stars light up, and each sheet in front of them is a shade darker than the last.
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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