Under the sea shadow box SVG
A whale and her calf gliding over a reef, with a sea turtle, a shoal of fish, an octopus on the rocks and seaweed rising from the sand. 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 “Sea” set; cut them in any card you like.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Light from above | A whole sheet with holes for: 8 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 46% |
| 2. Far reef | Rolling ground, with: Mother and baby whale and 2 × Sea grass | 1.2 mm | 8% |
| 3. Turtle and fish | Rolling ground, with: Swimming sea turtle silhouette, Angelfish with stripes, Simple round fish for children, Sea grass and Starfish silhouette | 0.8 mm | 9% |
| 4. Octopus rocks | Rolling ground, with: Classic octopus with eight arms, Sea grass, Starfish silhouette and Goldfish with a flowing tail | 1.1 mm | 9% |
| 5. Sand and weed | A gentle slope, with: 2 × Sea grass, Crab silhouette and Scallop seashell | 0.9 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
Everything that swims hangs from a thread, like a mobile. In blues and greens the threads vanish; in white card with a light behind they read as beams of light through the water.
- 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 take the threads off?
Only if the animal touches something else on its sheet. In the maker, move a fish until it overlaps seaweed or the frame and switch its thread off; the check tells you if it would fall out.
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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