Seahorse reef shadow box SVG
Two seahorses face to face among tall seaweed, with jellyfish drifting down from above, an angelfish passing in front and shells, a starfish and a crab 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 × 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 “Sea” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Sand and shells”, the slowest: at 0.8 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Sand and shells”, fills the most of the view, 30% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bubbles of light | A whole sheet with holes for: 8 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 42% |
| 2. Far jellyfish | Rolling ground, with: Jellyfish silhouette, Jellyfish with long tentacles and Sea grass | 1.2 mm | 9% |
| 3. Seahorses | Rolling ground, with: Seahorse silhouette, Seahorse with a curled tail and 2 × Sea grass | 1.7 mm | 11% |
| 4. Jellyfish and angelfish | Rolling ground, with: Jellyfish with frilled arms, Angelfish with stripes, Sea grass and Starfish silhouette | 1 mm | 7% |
| 5. Sand and shells | A gentle slope, with: Conch seashell, Classic starfish with spots, Classic crab with raised claws and 2 × Sea grass | 0.8 mm | 30% |
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 | 0.8 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 jellyfish have the thinnest parts: their tentacles are about 1 mm wide at 8 by 10 inches, so use a sharp blade and lift those sheets slowly. Everything that swims hangs from a thread of card, which looks like a beam of light when the box is lit.
- 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 the seahorses hold on to the seaweed instead of hanging?
Yes. In the maker, drag a seahorse until its tail overlaps a strand of seaweed and switch its thread off. The check tells you if it is joined.
Which colours suit it?
Sea greens and blues from pale at the back to deep at the front, or all white card with a blue light behind for a tank lit at night.
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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