Halloween Shadow Art Project For Kids

Creating art and craft projects is a creative way to enjoy Halloween for little ones. Today, we have a Halloween shadow art project that is super fun, creative and a bit messy.

You can download some Halloween cutouts to start with. You can also see what we have made with these, but possibilities are endless for creative minds.

The cutouts include ghost, bat, spooky face and pumpkin. Also, if you have a cutting machine, you can use the skeleton shape which turned out to be super spooky.

This can be a fun activity to do at home with kids or perfect as a Halloween activity in childcare or kindergartens as well.

This art project involves paint and many brush strokes, so it can be a little messy. Be ready for that. We had fun making this art, and the mess is worth it.

Supplies You Need

How To Make Halloween Shadow Art

STEP 1

Find a flat surface to work on and cover it with newspaper or an old tablecloth to catch any paint spills. As I mentioned, this could get messy.

Download the Halloween shapes down on the page, print them out and cut along to get the shapes.

If you are using watercolours make sure to use cardstock papers for the cutouts as well. You can print them on usual 80 gsm papers and stick to cardstock paper before cutting them out.

STEP 2

Place a cardstock paper on the table. This will be the background for your shadow art. Position the cutouts on the cardstock paper.

STEP 3

Paint the background using the paintbrush or sponge brush. Make sure the paint is not too watery.

Press the cutout tightly to the background and paint around the cutout properly.

Once you are happy with the work, remove the cutouts.

Optionally, you can add details to the shadow such as eyes, nose, teeth…

Other Variations

There are so many ways that you can create this art.

For example, we tried one on a wooden round. This one has separate shapes, so you have to do shapes one after the other.

You can also try with black canvas paper and use white paint to make it look like a real shadow.

Try with different combinations and let us know how they come up. You can even try the glow in the dark paint to make this art magical.

Also try with different strokes to make it artistic. Sponges or other small Halloween toys can be used as stamps to colour the background.

Shadow Art With Cutting Machines

If you have a Cricut or Silhouette cutting machine, then you can also try the following skeleton shape. The download includes compatible file formats (SVG and DXF) to import them to both designers.

Cut the shape in cardstock paper and paint like previously. This one is a bit tricky as it has small parts, but you can paint it slowly. Here is what we have come up with.

Download The Halloween Shapes

This printable includes Halloween shapes that you need to make this spooky and creative Halloween shadow art.

Other Crafts To Make With Preschoolers