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Symbols

Free Leo SVG files: the glyph, the constellation and the lion

Free Leo SVG files for the fifth sign of the zodiac, 23 July to 22 August: the glyph with its curling tail, the constellation with the Sickle and Regulus, and the lion as a silhouette, a line drawing and a face in a mane of sun rays. Each is drawn by code as clean closed shapes.

13 designs. Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with them.

Leo in the zodiac

Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac and its figure is the lion. By the usual tropical dates the Sun is in Leo from 23 July to 22 August; the first and last day can move by one from year to year. Astrology counts Leo as a fire sign, and its ruler is the Sun.

The glyph is a small circle with a line that arches over and curls out like a tail. The constellation here is Leo, drawn from the catalogue positions of 9 of its stars on a map centred on the figure, so its proportions are those of the sky. The brightest of them, Regulus, is shown as a five-pointed star and the others as discs sized by brightness.

Cutting the Leo lion

The standing lion is a broad, heavy shape: the mane and body leave little that can tear. Every file is 100 mm on its longer side, and at that size the legs are about 6 mm wide and the tail about 3 mm, ending in a tuft. The tail is the only part to watch. In vinyl and card it holds at any size down to 50 mm; in plywood or acrylic keep the lion at 120 mm or more so the tail is not the first thing to snap.

The lion’s face in a sun mane has sixteen pointed rays. They taper to sharp tips, which weed cleanly in vinyl but can scorch on a laser at small sizes, so cut that design at 80 mm or more in wood. Backed with gold card it works as both a lion and a sun.

How to open the files

  • Cricut Design Space: choose Upload, pick the SVG, and add it to the canvas. Set the width you want; the shape is already welded.
  • Silhouette Studio: Designer Edition and above open the SVG. The free Basic Edition does not, so open the DXF instead.
  • LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge: import the SVG, then set the layer to cut, score or engrave.
  • Inkscape, Illustrator and Affinity: open the SVG. It is a plain filled path, so you can recolour it, add a stroke or combine it with your own work.
  • Printing or sublimation: use the PNG, which has a transparent background.

Each design page lists the file’s narrowest part at seven sizes, so you can tell whether it will survive at the size you plan to cut.

Questions

What are the dates for Leo?

By the usual tropical dates, 23 July to 22 August. The Sun does not cross into the sign at the same hour every year, so some calendars give a first or last day one earlier or later. No design here carries numerals: the badge has a blank band for the dates in your own lettering.

Which stars are in the Leo constellation design?

Nine. Regulus, the brightest, is the five-pointed star at the foot of the Sickle, the hook of six stars that makes the lion’s head and mane on the right. A line runs from Algieba in the Sickle to Zosma, and the triangle of Zosma, Chertan and Denebola at the left is the hindquarters and tail.

Why is the lion drawn with the Sun?

In astrology each sign has a ruling planet, and Leo’s ruler is the Sun, so a lion with a mane of rays is a common emblem for the sign. On that design the face is held to the mane by six bridges across the seam, at the top, the chin and two on each side, so it cuts as one piece.

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