First, turn on your lights to make sure they work. You might have to remove a battery protector tab first.

The lights from my materials list are long enough to wrap around the inside of the shadow box three times. The more lights you attach, the better you can see the layers, so attach another row of lights directly below your first one. You will have to angle the strip down a bit at the beginning, but you can straighten it out after that. Place them in front of you face down with the four side pieces surrounding the center piece. The long tabs on the side pieces should face inward and none of the short tabs should overlap each other. Cricut graciously gifted me with both the BrightPad and the BrightPad Go in advance so I could review them for you (thanks, Cricut!) The Daylight Company Wafer 3 is the best lightbox for sketching large projects, its A2 size is rare on this list and it doesn't skimp on brightness or features either. As the name suggests, the Daylight Company specialises in lights that offer a 6,000 kelvin temperature, which is a cool white colour but importantly offers true colour matching. To use my box pattern, just cut it out, fold up the sides, and glue or tape the sides in place to form a box. There are two parts to the box — just sandwich your design between the two parts! Step 8: (Optional) Add LED lights.Then, place the layers face down inside your shadow box. If you want to add lights, proceed to Step 5. Lay a piece of butcher paper down to keep your frame pieces clean. Place your matching pieces together like they are on your reference sheet. Find Pieces A, B, and C, which will make up the front of the frame. This product offers an immense range of brightness (5,000 – 14,000 lux) across a 10 x 12 inch (~25 x ~30cm) surface. It’s highly compatible with drawing styles that require detail, such as storyboarding, children’s book illustration, fashion illustration, fashion design, and more. This wonderful home decor project is a special option for a wedding gift or unique birthday present! Just follow my paper cut light box tutorial video to change the focal point or image. It will be a great gift with your own unique feel! If you want the less expensive version and don’t mind the cord, go to your local Target (or Target.com) and get the corded Cricut BrightPad!

Look for images that are mostly solid with some areas of cutouts for interest. Silhouettes that are all one piece work great and are easy to drop in to your light box layers. And since we want to add a shape to our layer instead of cut it out of a solid section, there must be a solid outline around the edge to keep the details together. Your Custom Light Box is ready to cut if you're using a pre-made shadow box. It's a good idea to save your project now after all that work. Continue applying more 3D glue dots following the steps above until you have all six layers attached. You can customize your own Paper Cut Light Box by adding an image from Cricut Design Space. There are some things to look for when selecting an image for a light box, so let's go over the details.The Wafer 3 differs from other lightboxes by offering a dimmer switch with a memory function, so rather than specific settings you can adjust the brightness to your liking and project's needs. This means the Wafer 3 is a little more adaptable than some lightboxes if you're doing more than just sketching, and can include embossing and stencilling. Got more questions? I’d love to help! Leave a reply here or ask over on my Cricut Crafters & Makers group!

The BrightPad has a durable 6H hardness surface to protect the light box from scratches, scrapes and tools. Illuminate every detail, wherever you prefer to work – you’ll be able to maximise comfort and minimise the risk of eye strain. If you tend to vary between sitting and standing while you craft away (perfect for standing desk aficionados!), the box’s sloped surface makes it really comfortable to work on, no matter your angle. Here is me weeding green permanent vinyl on the Cricut BrightPad Go — see how you can see the light shining through the cut lines? This is at maximum brightness.Repeat the same steps for the rest of the mats. The mats with intricate details will take longer to cut. You can slide your spatula gently under those pieces to remove them. If you'd like to add lights to the DIY frame, you can use either frame file. However, you will get some light leaking out of the dashed cut lines if you use the "no-score-tool" version. A shadow box’s focal point, usually at the center, is the element you want to really stand out. It’s often the silhouette of a person or people, an animal, a character, a building, or something else meaningful and personal. This focal point isn’t likely to be very large, but the eye will be drawn to it. For the best results, your focal point should be clearly defined and without other layers touching it or overlapping it. The first thing you’ll want to do is find a design You can find different cut files all over the internet, but one of my favorite places to find beautiful designs is on Creative Fabrica. Apply glue to the outside of the larger section of each piece and adhere them to the inside of the frame's sides. The two small shelves will go on the left and right sides and the two large ones will go on the top and bottom. The long unfolded edge of each piece should be aligned at the very bottom of each side, which will leave about a half inch above the shelf for the design layers to rest on.