17 Halloween art projects to make today
Looking for something spooky to make for Halloween? We've got you covered with our pick of the best Halloween art projects for kids and adults to make!
As the weather turns colder, we love to embrace the season and everything that goes with it – including Halloween! Making Halloween art projects can be a lot of fun and help you get in the mood for our favourite time of year.
There are so many creative activities that you can try, from painting pumpkins to making your own spooky decor for your home. It's a great season for artists too and we've found lots of creepy Halloween art ideas to inspire you, including how to paint pumpkins and fabulously sinister Halloween rock painting ideas. Learn how to decorate autumn leaves, build your own spooky town cemetery scene and much more!
In this guide, we've included lots of Halloween art projects for kids, but there are plenty of ideas for adults to make too. These projects vary in difficulty, so there's something for everyone to make.
Looking for more Halloween craft or art ideas? Try our easy DIY Halloween costumes, Halloween crafts for kids or Halloween knitting patterns. If you're looking for ways to make your home look the part this autumn, check out our DIY Halloween decorations or learn how to carve a pumpkin.
Read on to explore our Halloween art projects…
17 best Halloween art projects
Pumpkin painting
Pumpkin painting is a popular Halloween trend at the moment and it's a fun alternative to carving the pumpkin. You can create stunning results with simple painting techniques. Learn how to paint pumpkins for Halloween with Becki Clark's step-by-step guide.
DIY skull string art
Create some fabulous artwork for your home with this brilliant string art technique from abeautifulmess.com. Simply place nails on a board to make the outline of the skull, then wrap the string around your design to make your own striking design. This one definitely isn't for kids!
Halloween rock painting
Rock painting is lots of fun for kids and adults alike! You can paint a simple design such as a pumpkin or a spider's web, or be more ambitious and cover your rock with a sinister Halloween scene. We love these cute little ghosts by @littleretromarket on Instagram. Explore our Halloween rock painting ideas for lots of inspiration!
Pumpkin painting
Create your own pumpkin scene using watercolour paints like this one by Elena Mozhvilo. Pumpkins come in different shades and varieties and some are even a beautiful blue-grey colour, so mix and match the colours and shapes to produce your own unique painting.
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Paper mache treat bowl
It's not Halloween without a few tasty treats and this bowl is the perfect place to keep them. You make the bowl using a balloon, paper and glue, then decorate it by painting on a spider's web. Find this Halloween art project in our paper mache ideas article.
Paper mache pumpkins
Combine painting and crafting to make this homemade paper mache pumpkin. This is a brilliant Halloween art project for kids! Learn how to make a paper mache pumpkin with Katie Dolan's tutorial.
Halloween face painting
Show off your artistic skills with face painting! Once you get the hang of the basics, you can create a whole host of stunning effects – and your child will love it too. We particularly like this spooky spider face painting look from familiesonline.co.uk. Explore our easy Halloween face paint ideas for more inspiration.
Painted leaves
Gather up some fallen leaves on your next walk so that you can make painted leaves for Halloween! This is a really stunning Halloween art project that's ideal for artists of all ages and abilities. We love this web design by @chanderskan on Instagram, but there are lots of brilliant ideas to discover if you search under #paintedleaves.
How to draw an owl
For many of us, owls conjure up memories of reading the Harry Potter series as kids. Bring Hogwarts into your home this Halloween by drawing your own faithful owl companion. Take a look at this brilliant owl drawing tutorial from thevirtualinstructor.com which explains how to draw an owl using pen and ink techniques.
Make a popsicle stick cemetery
Get painting and sticking to create your own haunting Halloween cemetery scene. This Halloween art project has some tricky elements, so children will need adult help to make it. Find out how to make a popsicle stick cemetery on lilblueboo.com.
Skeleton hand
Paint a skeletal hand in shades of blue, purple and green using watercolour paints for spooky results! We love this Halloween painting by @evierisebro on Instagram – have a go at painting your own version.
Wax resist spider's web
Wax resist drawing is a clever painting technique to try – and one that you can use for other art projects too. To get this stunning effect, simply draw onto watercolour paper with a white crayon and then paint over the top using watercolours. Find out how to make a wax resist spider's web painting with Zina Harrington of letslassothemoon.com.
Halloween cat collage
Brighten up your home with this fun black cat collage! For this project, you just need some coloured paper, scissors, glue and a white pencil. Cut the cat heads using straight lines for a cute angular look. Find out how to make your own Halloween cat collage on artprojectsforkids.org.
Spooky Halloween mansion
Use paints and cardboard tubes to build your own spooky Halloween mansion complete with glowing windows. You can even add some Fimo pumpkins at the front of your castle to complete the look. Find the tutorial and make your own Halloween mansion on www.tts-group.co.uk.
How to draw a cat
A little black cat is the perfect addition to any Halloween drawing. Don't worry if you've never drawn a cat before – it's a lot easier than it looks. Follow Matt Breen's how to draw a cat tutorial, which will show you how to sketch your own feline friend.
Salt painting
Add some texture to your paintings with this unusual Halloween art project for kids! You draw onto watercolour paper using glue, then cover it with salt. Once the glue has dried, dab the salt with watercolour paint or food colouring and watch the colours spread. Find out how to try this technique on onelittleproject.com.
Spooky tree painting
Create your own creepy artwork with this spooky tree painting tutorial by craftsbyamanda.com. The great thing about this is that you can reuse the painting year after year.
Authors
Sarah Orme is a UK-based linocut printmaker, digital editor, feature writer and award-winning podcaster. She's been editing the sewing and art sections of Gathered.how – and before that our sister website calmmoment.com – for over 3 years. She’s the host of Gathered’s We’ve Made It podcast and A Calmer Life podcast. She’s a keen crafter and artist and loves creating DIY tutorials for Gathered. Sarah has previously written features for The Guardian, In The Moment Magazine, Project Calm Magazine, countryfile.com, radiotimes.com and yourhomestyle.uk. She enjoys designing her own unique lino prints and dreams of opening her own online shop. She shares her work @sarahormeprints
