Swallows at sunset shadow box SVG
Swallows wheeling in the evening sky over a meadow: a big low sun, two far swallows above a line of trees, a bare tree on the rise, two large birds swooping across the front of it, and reeds and grass at the foot. 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 “Sunset” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Reeds”, the slowest: at 0.8 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Reeds”, fills the most of the view, 28% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sun | A whole sheet with holes for: Plain disc | over 2 mm | 29% |
| 2. Far swallows and trees | Rolling ground, with: 2 × Swallow in flight, Three trees and Round tree silhouette | 1.7 mm | 10% |
| 3. Bare tree | Rolling ground, with: Bare tree with even branches | over 2 mm | 14% |
| 4. Swallows | Rolling ground, with: Swallow in flight and Flying bird with raised wings | 1.7 mm | 11% |
| 5. Reeds | A gentle slope, with: Pond grass with cattails, Wild grass with seed heads and Bunch of grass | 0.8 mm | 28% |
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 | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.8 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.8 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 0.9 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 1 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 four birds hang on threads from the tops of the second and fourth sheets, like a mobile. The birds are bold shapes, at 1.7 mm or more at 8 inches, but the tail streamers of the swallows come to fine points: lift those off the mat last. The reeds and the grass at the front are the fine cutting, at about 0.8 mm. Cut the birds in your darkest card so that they show against the sun.
- 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 I add more birds?
Yes. Select a sheet in the maker and add them from Birds and insects: swallows, doves, geese, a duck and an eagle in flight. Keep each one at least as large as the smallest swallow here: any smaller, and the tips of the wings are too fine to cut.
Is there a scene with birds on a branch?
Yes. The Garden birds scene has three birds on a branch, a birdhouse and a cardinal.
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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