Wolf and moon shadow box SVG
A wolf howling from a crag with the full moon behind it, the pack on the slope below and dark pines on either side. 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 “Blue dusk” set; cut them in any card you like.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Moon | A whole sheet with holes for: 6 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 25% |
| 2. Far peaks | A mountain range | over 2 mm | 7% |
| 3. Howling wolf | A mountain range, with: Howling wolf | over 2 mm | 9% |
| 4. Pack and pines | Rolling ground, with: Wolf family, Evergreen tree with even boughs and Classic pine tree | over 2 mm | 13% |
| 5. Near pines | A gentle slope, with: 2 × Tall pine tree, Bunch of grass and Grass silhouette | 2 mm | 30% |
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 | 1.5 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 2 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 2 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 2.3 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 2.5 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
This one depends on contrast: the wolf should be much darker than the moon behind it. With a light in the box, cut everything in white and let the moon do the work.
- 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 make the moon bigger?
Yes. Select the back sheet in the maker, pick the disc and drag its size up. It is a hole, so it can be as large as the window.
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.
Lighthouse beach 
Fairy garden 
Mountain lake 
Dinosaur valley 
Forest deer 
Christmas village