Free skeleton SVG files

Cutting a whole skeleton

A skeleton is all thin parts, so size matters more here than for most shapes. On the whole figures the ribs and limb bones are only 2 to 3 mm wide when the figure is 100 mm tall, and the fingers are finer still. Cut them at 150 mm or taller in vinyl and weed slowly from the feet up; in card, 200 mm is kinder. Every joint is welded, so the figure lifts as one piece, and the eye sockets, nose, teeth and the two holes in the pelvis are the only bits to pick out.

White or glow-in-the-dark material on a black background is the natural choice: the dark shows through the sockets and between the ribs, which is what makes it read as bone.

Hands, ribs and loose bones

The hands are sturdier than the figures, with finger bones that swell at each knuckle and narrow between. The open hand, the peace sign and the rock sign share the same wrist, so you can swap one for another without resizing. The rib cage is drawn to sit on the chest of a shirt: about 250 mm wide fills an adult front and 150 mm suits a child. The single bone and the crossed bones have no fine parts and cut well in wood, felt and acrylic.

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