Sea turtles shadow box SVG
Three sea turtles swimming over a reef: bubbles of light coming down from the surface, a small turtle far off, a big one gliding across the middle of the box, a third seen from above below it, and sea grass, a conch and a starfish on the sand. 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, “Sand and shells”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Sand and shells”, fills the most of the view, 25% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Light from above | A whole sheet with holes for: 7 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 43% |
| 2. Far turtle | Rolling ground, with: Swimming sea turtle silhouette and Sea grass | 1.5 mm | 7% |
| 3. Big turtle | Rolling ground, with: Swimming sea turtle silhouette and Sea grass | 1.7 mm | 15% |
| 4. Turtle from above | Rolling ground, with: Sea grass and Sea turtle from above | 1 mm | 9% |
| 5. Sand and shells | A gentle slope, with: Conch seashell, Classic starfish with spots and Sea grass | 0.7 mm | 25% |
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 | 17 mm | Yes | Too fine: choose a larger size |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.7 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.7 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 0.8 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 0.9 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 far turtle and the big turtle each hang on one thread from the top of their sheets. The third needs none: it swims against the sea grass and is joined to it. The big turtle is a bold shape with nothing fine in it. The turtle seen from above has the plates of its shell cut through, at about 1 mm at 8 inches, and the conch and the starfish on the sand are the finest cutting, at 0.7 mm. Cut the sheets in sea greens, pale to deep.
- 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
Why do two of the turtles hang on threads?
Each sheet has to be one piece of card, so a turtle in open water is joined to the top of the frame by a thin strip of card. If you would sooner have no strip, cut it off and glue the turtle to a sheet of clear acetate the size of the frame.
Is there a scene with more sea life?
Yes. The Under the sea scene has a whale, an octopus, fish and a crab, with one small turtle.
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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