• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Albion Gould

Albion Gould

makes & travels

  • make
  • travel
  • stitch
  • live
  • eat
  • wear

Light-Up Halloween Artwork

September 15, 2014 by Albion

There is nothing I love more than decorating for a holiday, and Halloween is at the top of the list. This is our second Halloween in this house and I’m still feeling my way around how to decorate it. We have a giant mantel that is just screaming for awesome decor. I started pulling out my fall and Halloween decorations, but it was still missing something.

Halloween Artwork

As much as I love my pumpkins, there was a giant space calling for something more.

Fall Mantel

Fall Mantel

There is a nail in the bricks from the previous owners, so I decided some Halloween artwork was called for. I love any excuse to paint, and this was an easy one! I grabbed a canvas and my Americana paints and got to it.

paints

I like foam brushes for this kind of project. There isn’t any kind of precision required and it makes blending easy. I started by brushing on some black as the base. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but I suggest brushing from side to side.

black paint

I followed it up with a blue on the top and green on the bottom. I used the same brush and made sure to fill in the white spaces. Make sure you paint the sides, as well.

blue

green

Next, I cut out some spooky shapes on my Cricut Explore. I used some scrap vinyl. It doesn’t matter what color you use because it won’t be a permanent part of this painting. I chose a haunted house, flying witch, and a spooky tree. You can use as many shapes as you want. Now, before you yell at me, you can do this without a Cricut. Any spooky shapes will work. You can cut out shapes from anything, like a coloring book or a printable online. I liked using vinyl because it stuck to the canvas, but if you use paper or anything else, just make sure it doesn’t move around while you paint.

vinyl

Once the shapes were cut out, I put them on the canvas (once it was dry!). I used different colors to paint over the shapes, making sure all the edges were covered, while blending it in with the rest of the canvas.

haunted house

paint the house

I carefully removed the vinyl.

haunted house

You can see that the paint isn’t perfect. I went back in and fixed some of the lines with the original black. I was too impatient and didn’t wait for the first coat to dry, which was a big mistake.

witch and tree

The final step is my favorite. Grab a strand of battery operated LED lights. I say battery operated because of the mess of needing to use an extension cord for something hanging on a wall. LEDs are necessary because they won’t burn hot against the canvas.

lights

Affix the lights to the canvas.

lights

The artwork is fun on its own…

Halloween Artwork…but I love seeing those lights twinkle through! These pictures don’t do it justice, but it’s a lot of fun. And because the painting is hanging on bricks, we got spikes of light coming out the sides.

Light-Up Halloween Artwork

Happy Halloween!!

Related Posts:

  • Fabulous DIY Fall Wreaths
    Fabulous DIY Fall Wreaths
  • DIY Pumpkin Crafts and Home Decor
    DIY Pumpkin Crafts and Home Decor
  • Last Minute Halloween Decor Roundup
    Last Minute Halloween Decor Roundup
  • Rustic Glitter Woodland Pumpkins
    Rustic Glitter Woodland Pumpkins
  • Inspiring Fall Centerpieces
    Inspiring Fall Centerpieces
  • Holiday Banner Trio
    Holiday Banner Trio
  • Firefly River Tam Quote Banner and SVG
    Firefly River Tam Quote Banner and SVG
  • Something Wicked This Way Comes Banner
    Something Wicked This Way Comes Banner
Category: makeTag: cricut, DecoArt, Halloween, light, paint, vinyl

About Albion

I’ve wanted to be an archaeologist, in theatre, a judge and to run a museum. I’m now in my mid-30s and have no idea what I want to be when I grow up.

Previous Post:Chole with Naan
Next Post:Woodland Drink Charms DIY

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Asmara

    September 15, 2014 at 5:21 pm

    Love the idea!
    Did u try covering up the back of the painting with a thick paper to keep the light from coming out the back onto the brick wall?

    Asmara

    Reply
    • Albion

      September 15, 2014 at 5:24 pm

      I didn’t, only because I kinda like the light escaping. That’s a great idea, though! Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Cori

    September 15, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    How FUN! I love what you did with the Cricut shapes — SO clever.
    Cori recently posted…15 Fall Picks from World Market for our New HomeMy Profile

    Reply
  3. laura londergan

    September 16, 2014 at 12:11 pm

    what a fun idea! Looks great on your mantel!
    laura londergan recently posted…HOME|MADE :: Tween Bedroom Wall DecorMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Heidi @ Happiness is Homemade

    September 16, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    I totally love this idea! I have a few blank canvases that are just screaming to be turned into Hallowen decor like this!
    Heidi @ Happiness is Homemade recently posted…Healthy Lunch Options with Hillshire Farm NaturalsMy Profile

    Reply
  5. [email protected]

    September 18, 2014 at 12:35 am

    How clever! I love the idea of lighting it up. Canvases are so fun to go crazy on with paint!
    [email protected] recently posted…N Fonts … 30 of my top picks!My Profile

    Reply
  6. Tracey @Let's Go Junking

    September 18, 2014 at 9:06 pm

    I just love this!
    Tracey @Let’s Go Junking recently posted…Who Doesn’t Love a Front Porch?My Profile

    Reply
  7. Mrs Major Hoff (sara)

    September 21, 2014 at 12:27 am

    Very neat! I’m so not an artist, but you make me feel like I could do this! Thanks!
    Mrs Major Hoff (sara) recently posted…How to make Custom Boutique Style Aprons with Iron On Glitter VinylMy Profile

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Show more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sidebar

Welcome

about me

I’ve wanted to be an archaeologist, in theatre, a judge, and to run a museum. While I try to decide what I want to be when I grow up, I spend my time crafting and exploring the world. Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

Copyright © 2023 · Albion Gould · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT