Snowman family shadow box SVG
Three snowmen, large, middle and small, in a clearing in the woods while the snow comes down, with birches and firs behind them, a rabbit watching and a bird box on the fence in front. 6 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.
6 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 6 sheets
Sheet 1 is the back and sheet 6 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 “Snow” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 2, “Far firs”, the slowest: at 0.8 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Fence and drift”, fills the most of the view, 25% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Falling snow | A whole sheet with holes for: 2 × Simple chunky snowflake, Koch snowflake and 13 × Plain disc | 1.2 mm | 32% |
| 2. Far firs | Rolling ground, with: Pine forest on a hill, Three Christmas trees in a row and Three pine trees | 0.8 mm | 6% |
| 3. Birches | Rolling ground, with: Birch tree silhouette, Winter tree and Classic pine tree | 1.8 mm | 9% |
| 4. Snowmen | Rolling ground, with: Snowman family | 1 mm | 13% |
| 5. Near firs | Rolling ground, with: Tall pine tree, Classic three-tier Christmas tree and Bunny rabbit sitting up | 1.6 mm | 14% |
| 6. Fence and drift | A gentle slope, with: Picket fence with a birdhouse, Simple pine tree and Bunch of grass | 0.9 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 | 0.6 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.8 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.8 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 0.9 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 1 mm | 20 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 snow is the back sheet: every flake is a hole, so a light behind makes it fall through the whole box. The snowmen have twig arms and small buttons, so cut that sheet at 8 inches or larger.
- Cut all 6 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 6.
- 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 6 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 have more or less snow?
Yes. Select the back sheet in the maker and add or remove discs. A few large ones near the top and many small ones lower down look most like falling snow.
Can I change how many snowmen there are?
Yes. The three are one part. Swap it in the maker for single snowmen from Figures, one for each member of your family.
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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