Skeleton dance shadow box SVG
Three skeletons dancing in front of a huge full moon, with two ghosts drifting over the far hill, headstones and a carved pumpkin behind the dancers, and a spider on its web hanging over a pile of pumpkins at the 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 “Halloween night” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Web and pumpkins”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Web and pumpkins”, fills the most of the view, 26% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Moon | A whole sheet with holes for: Plain disc | over 2 mm | 28% |
| 2. Ghosts and far hill | Rolling ground, with: Classic sheet ghost, Swooping ghost and Bare tree with even branches | 1.1 mm | 11% |
| 3. Skeletons | Rolling ground, with: Waving skeleton, Dancing skeleton and Standing skeleton | 1.7 mm | 12% |
| 4. Headstones | Rolling ground, with: Tombstone with a stone cross, Jack-o-lantern with a toothy grin and Gothic tombstone with a pointed top | 0.8 mm | 9% |
| 5. Web and pumpkins | A gentle slope, with: Corner spider web, Spider web with a hanging spider, Three pumpkins in a row and Bunch of grass | 0.7 mm | 26% |
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
In the Halloween night colours the moon is orange and the dancers purple against it. The skeletons look delicate, but nothing on their sheet is under 1.7 mm at 8 inches. The webs on the front sheet are the fine cutting, at about 0.7 mm, so cut that sheet slowly. The corner web grows in from the frame; the web with the spider 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
How strong are the skeletons?
Each stands on both feet on the ground of its sheet. Card of 200 gsm or more holds them well at 8 inches; choose a larger size if your card is thin.
Is it too frightening for small children?
These are cartoon skeletons with round eyes, dancing and waving. For something gentler still, swap one in the maker for a smiling ghost from Figures.
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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