Three kings shadow box SVG
The three kings riding their camels across the desert at night, following the great star to the stable where the holy family waits, with palms on the far dunes behind them, a tall palm at the side and desert plants in the sand at the 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 10 × 8 in, landscape, 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 dunes and palms”, the slowest: at 0.8 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Near dune”, fills the most of the view, 21% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Star | A whole sheet with holes for: North star and 8 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 44% |
| 2. Far dunes and palms | A gentle slope, with: Three palm trees | 0.8 mm | 4% |
| 3. Stable | A gentle slope, with: Nativity silhouette in a stable | 1.6 mm | 7% |
| 4. Kings | A gentle slope, with: Nativity wise men on camels | over 2 mm | 12% |
| 5. Palm and desert plants | A gentle slope, with: Straight palm tree silhouette and Desert plants: Joshua tree, agave and ocotillo | 1 mm | 11% |
| 6. Near dune | A gentle slope, with: 2 × Bunch of grass | 2 mm | 21% |
Measured from the files at 10 × 8 in, landscape. 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 10 × 8 in, landscape. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 8 in, landscape | 254 × 203.2 mm | 0.8 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
A wide scene for a landscape frame. In the Snow colours it is the desert by moonlight: a dark blue sky, pale dunes, and the star as the brightest thing in the box, right above the stable. The kings and their camels are sturdier than they look, over 2 mm at 10 by 8 inches. The small palms on the far dunes are the fine cutting, at about 0.8 mm, and the fronds of the tall palm come next at 1 mm.
- 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
How is it different from the other nativity scene?
Here the kings are the subject, still on their way, and the stable stands to one side under the star. In the Nativity scene the stable fills the middle and the shepherds and kings have arrived.
Which way do the kings travel?
From left to right, towards the stable and the star. To turn them round, select them in the maker and choose Flip, then move the stable and the star to the left.
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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