Spooky Outdoor Silhouettes for Halloween

• 1-inch-thick plywood
• Jigsaw
• Drill and drill bits
• Gray or black exterior primer and paintbrush
• Black flat exterior paint
• Pencil
• Glow-in-the-dark paint
• LED battery-operated candle lights
• Needle-nose pliers
• Silver or black duct tape
• Yellow cellophane
• Outdoor spotlight
• PVC pipe
• Metal pipe straps with screws
• 6-inch-long screws
• Garden lantern (with a hook)
• Battery-operated pillar candle

Figure 1

Figure 2

1. Download the free pattern(s) of your choice and use as a guide to draw shape(s) onto 1-inch plywood in desired size.

2. Using a jigsaw, cut out the shapes.

3. For cat and rat silhouette eyes, drill holes large enough to accommodate the LED bulb, referring to the yellow eye dots on the patterns for placement.

4. For features on the ghost, skeleton, and jack-o'-lanterns, create an opening by drilling a large hole in each space. Then insert the blade of your jigsaw and cut out the shape.

5. Coat all cutouts with primer and let it dry. Paint all cutouts with black paint. Let dry thoroughly.

6. For the skeleton: Referring to the pattern for guidance, draw the skeleton features with a pencil. With a small brush, apply glow-in-the-dark paint to the penciled lines. Let the paint dry.

7. For the light in the cat and rat eyes, remove and discard the candle tip from the bulb using needle-nose pliers. Insert the bulb into the eyehole, then tape over the back of the light to secure. (See Figures 1 and 2.)

8. To light the jack-o'-lantern eyes, cover the backs of the cutout features with yellow cellophane. Position an outdoor spotlight behind the cutout.

Figure 3

9. To secure larger pieces into the ground, attach a piece of PVC pipe to the back of the cutout (see Figure 3), allowing at least 12 inches of the pipe to extend below the bottom of the shape. Use pipe straps and screws to secure the pipe to the cutout. Paint the pipe and straps black.

10. To secure the rats and cats into the ground, screw the first 1-1/2 inches of 6-inch-long screws into the bottoms of the feet; then push the screws into the ground.

11. For the light on the lamppost, securely attach a garden lantern with a hook, then place a battery-operated pillar candle inside.