Who knew egg cartons could look this spooktacular?! These Halloween egg carton portraits are such a fun way to turn everyday recyclables into festive Halloween decorations. With just a bit of paint and imagination, you can transform those little cardboard cups into your favourite seasonal characters, like a jack-o-lantern or bat. They’re perfect for adding some handmade charm to the spooky season!
This easy Halloween craft is great for kids and adults alike, whether you’re decorating a classroom, planning a craft night, or just looking for a creative way to recycle. Each portrait gets its own frame, so your festive characters look like they belong in a haunted gallery. They’re quirky, colourful, and just the right mix of creepy and cute!
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How to Make Halloween Egg Carton Portraits
Materials:
- Egg carton
- Acrylic paint (orange and black)
- Black cardstock
- Glitter scrapbook paper
- Green cardstock
Equipment:
- Glue gun (or tacky glue)
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Cut an egg carton
- Cut an egg carton, removing one of the cup parts. You can use scissors or a craft knife.
- Trim the cup part down, creating a “bowl” shape with even edges.
Step 3: Paint the egg carton
- Paint the egg carton with your character’s base colour. Our jack-o-lantern is, of course, orange.Allow to dry and add a second coat, if necessary.
- Use a fine tip paintbrush and black paint to add the jack-o-lantern’s features. Start with the mouth, placing it on the side of the carton.
- Fill in the mouth with black paint, and then add the eyes on the opposite side of the egg cup. Finally, paint the triangle nose on the “top” of the carton.
Step 4: Make a picture frame
- Cut a piece of black cardstock to 3-1/2 inches square. Then use a white (or silver) paint pen to decorate the frame.We outlined the paper and then drew small lines the opposite way, going all the way around.
- Then for the background of the portrait, cut a piece of glitter scrapbook paper to 2-3/4 inches square.
- Use hot glue, or tacky glue, to attach and center it inside the “frame”.
Step 5: Attach the character to the frame
- Add a thin line of hot glue to the back of the jack-o-lantern.
- Center your Halloween character and attach it to the background.
- Cut a piece of green cardstock or construction paper into a long triangle with curved sides. This will be the pumpkin’s stem.
- Glue the stem at the top of the jack-o-lantern. Curve the top of it to the side, if you’d like.
- Your Halloween egg carton portrait is complete!
- Now have fun making more boo-tiful portraits for your gallery wall. You can get creative with different colours and cut frames in different sizes and shapes!
Helpful Tips:
- If you don’t have paint markers, a white or metallic gel pen will also create a nice border on the black paper.
- Pre-cut the egg carton shapes for younger kids, especially when working in a classroom or group. You can have the cups ready with an assortment of ears and other parts available.
What can I use to frame my Halloween egg carton portraits?
A layer of cardstock glued to scrapbook paper creates a sturdy frame for your Halloween characters. You can also paint cardboard from a cereal box or Amazon package.
Craft foam is another great option, you can glue popsicle sticks together as a background, or buy a small wooden plaque.
What paint is best for decorating Halloween egg carton portraits?
Acrylic craft paint is hands-down the easiest and most vibrant option. It sticks beautifully to the rough texture of the egg cartons and it dries quickly.
But if you’re crafting with younger kids, washable tempera paint also works for this craft. Though keep in mind that colours will be softer and may need more coats.
Markers and paint pens are fun for adding little details like stitches, fangs, or whiskers after the base coat dries. And bonus: they’re easier to control than a fine tipped paintbrush.
What other Halloween characters can I make?
The sky’s the limit when it comes to Halloween faces! In addition to the jack-o-lantern, skull, bat, Frankenstein, and black cat, you can also make:
- A witch with a green face and a pointy hat
- A ghost (just paint it white and add big black eyes!)
- A mummy with strips of white paper or gauze wrapped across the face
- A vampire with fangs and a widow’s peak
- A zombie with stitches and greenish skin
Mix and match paint colours and embellishments, and you’ll have a whole spooky gallery wall of egg carton portraits in no time!
These Halloween egg carton portraits are super cute and they make fang-tastic DIY Halloween decorations! Prop them on a mantel, hang them on a wall, or line them up as part of a playful centerpiece. They’re budget-friendly, eco-friendly, and such a fun way to reuse something that usually ends up in the recycling bin!
Whether you stick with the classics or invent your own creepy creatures, these egg carton characters are sure to bring smiles (and maybe a few giggles) to your spooky celebrations. So grab your paints, save those cartons, and create a haunted collection you’ll be proud to display year after year.
Here’s even more Halloween craft ideas:
Now available
Low-Mess Crafts for Kids Book
72 cute and fun crafts that kids and parents alike can enjoy. All with as little mess as possible!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
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