Tropical flowers shadow box SVG
A tropical garden at sunset: palm trees against a huge sun, an orchid arching in from the right, a tall lily on the left in front of it, and ferns and a pond of lotus flowers 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 × 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 “Sunset” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Lotus pond”, the slowest: at 1.1 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Lotus pond”, fills the most of the view, 33% 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 | 26% |
| 2. Far palms | Rolling ground, with: Three palm trees | 1.4 mm | 8% |
| 3. Orchid | Rolling ground, with: Orchid silhouette and Fern silhouette | 1.4 mm | 12% |
| 4. Lily | Rolling ground, with: Lily silhouette and Fern silhouette | 1.4 mm | 14% |
| 5. Lotus pond | A gentle slope, with: Lotus with bud and pads and 2 × Ferns growing in a clump | 1.1 mm | 33% |
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 | 1.1 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
Depth needed allows 3 mm of foam between sheets and 5 mm for the card itself and the backing.
Making this one
Cut the two flower sheets in hot pinks and oranges and the palms in a deep green. The lily, the orchid and the palms are sturdy, at 1.4 mm or more at 8 by 10 inches, and the ferns and the stems of the lotus at the front are the thinnest card, at 1.1 to 1.2 mm. Nothing 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
Which flowers are in it?
A trumpet lily, a moth orchid and lotus flowers with their pads. All of them are under Flowers and plants in the maker, with a magnolia bloom, a monstera and more ferns.
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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