Lit Shadow Box for WellChild

WellChild is a national charity that provides support to seriously ill children and their families, as well as funding scientific research. I was delighted to contribute by providing the prize for the winner of the 2017 Calendar Art Competition held for children and young people supported by WellChild. 

The winning design was done by Thomas, who made a wonderful Play-Doh scene of a forest full of magical creatures and fallen leaves. It reminded me of Where the Wild Things Are. I was expecting a drawing or a painting so I was pleasantly surprised when I received his winning entry to work on for my next project. After considering the nature of his artwork, I decided against making a plush and made a lit shadow box for Thomas. But first, here is Thomas!

Photo by Thomas' Family

This is his bio:

Hi my name is Thomas and I'm 4 years old. I love Play Doh so made my picture of autumn using Play Doh and Lego. I made the snake on the log all by myself with no help. :) Mummy helped me with the other forest animals but I twisted the trees and made the leaves. I couldn't post my entry so mummy took a picture on her phone. My mum is a member of the WellChild Family Tree and we are new to the charity so look forward to the future events.

Here is his winning submission. ​

Photo by Thomas' Family

I chose to make each of the creatures, including Thomas' snake, out of wool felt to be placed in the shadow box, along with the tree, tree stumps, and fallen leaves. The tree is made out of individual leaves strung together to form the foliage. The background is covered in wool felt, and dotted with glittery stars. Here are pictures of the shadow box, unlit and lit. 

Unlit box

Lit box

Here is a video of the shadow box. I think it's easier to get a feel for it from the video compared to the pictures. I hope Thomas and his mum, Emma, like the finished project!

Update 01/12/2016:

When I learned that Thomas' mum, Emma, wanted to mount the frame on the wall, Lars thought it was important that there be a place for the battery pack. So, I made this pocket in the shape of an acorn and placed it on the side of the frame.

Here is Thomas with his box! 

Photo by Thomas' Family

You can see a video of him opening up the box here (Video by Thomas' Family).  It made me so happy to see him squeal!