There are some wonderful vintage human skull drawings on Pictureboxblue that would look great framed for Halloween. I decided to take one of these vintage drawings up a notch, by creating some fun DIY skull decor for Halloween.
As Halloween is all about the night I thought it would be fun to frame and illuminate on of the skull drawings for some DIY Halloween wall decor.
I know we normally associate Halloween with the colors of black and orange. But I decided to give my DIY skull decor an extra twist by going for a pink color theme.
I used pink neon el wire to illuminate the skull and then framed it in a complementary pink frame.
This is a very affordable simple but unique Halloween decor for the home. As the skull is illuminated in pink, I think I will actually keep the decoration up on the wall beyond Halloween.
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What You Need
- Vintage skull drawing there is a lot to choose from on Pictureboxblue but I choose this one and printed it out on A3 sized paper.
- Picture frame – I happened to have an old pink frame but you can easily paint one up.
- Black craft foam board – You want the foam board to be large enough for your frame. Boards 3mm thick will work well with this skull decor.
- Craft paper cutting knife and mat
- El wire in neon pink – 2m of wire will be enough
- Gorilla Glue Brush and Nozzle superglue clear
- Wooden skewer
How To Make Illuminated Skull Decor
1.. Cut the foam board to fit the frame and place in the frame.
2. Next print out the human skull drawing on to A3 paper. Then cut out the skull illustration using a craft paper-knife and mat.
3. Then, using a glue stick, stick the skull to the center of the framed foam board.
4. Next, using a sharp-pointed object such as a wooden skewer, punch holes into the skull at the wire entry points. These are highlighted in pink on the diagram below.
Basically you need punch holes for the outline of the cranium, one for each eye, one for the nose, two for the cheeks and several for the teeth.
5. Next, starting with the skull outline, thread the el wire through the foam board from the back to the front. Then stick the wire down so that it outlines the skull and then thread the wire back through the hole.
Use the brush superglue to stick the wire to the skull outline as you go around. Brush a small amount of glue onto the skull at about every 2 inches. Hold the wire down onto the glue for about 20 seconds as it sets.
6. Next, thread the wire up through the left eye socket and glue it around the socket. Thread the wire back through the same hole before repeating again with the right eye socket.
7. Then repeat the same process of gluing the wire to around the nose followed by the teeth and cheeks.
I did not need to glue the wire when threading the teeth. The holes on the teeth were so close together they did not need glue to stay in place.
8. Finish off by taping any excess wire to the back of the frame to keep it in place.
All that is left to do is hang the DIY skull decor. I’m going to hang mine in the hallway of my home for now. But come Halloween, I’m going to hang him outside.
Finally, switch the lights on by pressing the button on the battery box. The lights have three different modes, on, slow flash, and fast flash. They look really good, especially in the dark.
I have other collections of vintage images on Pictureboxblue that I also think would look good illuminated with el wire for Halloween. These are the vintage skeleton illustrations and the spooky bat drawings.
Illuminate DIY Skull Decor
Use a wonderful vintage drawing of a human skull to create some fun Halloween decor for your wall. The pink illuminated skull decor will ad a bit for fun to your home.
Materials
- Skull Drawing - Free download
- Neon Pink El Wire
- Super brush glue
- Black Foamboard
- Frame
Tools
- Wooden skewer
- Paper cutting knife and mat
Instructions
- Select the vintage skull drawing you want from the collection on Pictureboxblue.
- Print out the skull and cut it out carefully using a paper cutting knife.
- Cut black foam board to fit the frame.
- Stick the cut out skull to the black foamboard using a glue stick
- Punch holes through the skull at key points around the outiside, eye sockets and mouth.
- Thread the El wire through the hole on the out sided of the skull from the back to the front.
- Using the superglue and brush, glue the El wire to the outside of the skull and then thread the El wire through to the back again.
- Next, thread the El wire up through the eye socket and glue the wire around the eye socket and then thread back through the same hole.
- Repeat with the other eye socket and then the nose. Finish off with the mouth.
- When the whole skull is outlined with the El wire, tape any excess wire and the battery pack to the back of the frame.
- Finally, the Halloween skull decor is ready to hang. Just press the button on the battery pack to illuminate the skull.
If you love the idea of illuminated Halloween decorations you should check out these upcycled Halloween bottles. Or if your just a fan of pink neon lights, then check out this neon pink heart for Valentines.
You can find more Halloween craft ideas here.
Claire, that’s fabulous !!! A pink skull is a first for me – I think your technique is fascinating and I’m really enjoying the pink look. Thank you for linking with us at Meraki Link Party.
Naush
Thank you, I thought I’ mix it up a bit for Halloween.
How fun! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
Thank you, I had fun making it.
Have not seen/heard of this wire before; great project. Betcha get a lot of compliments on Halloween!
Thank you, the wire is very versatile and cheap so fun to craft with.
I will definitely have to check out this neon cord, Claire – BRILLIANT!!
I’d love for you to share over at our weekly Wednesday Creative Crafts Linky Party https://creativelybeth.com/creative-crafts-linky-party-8-join-in-the-fun/
Have a great week!
Creatively, Beth
Thank you Beth, it is fun stuff to work with.
Such a great project! I have never worked with the type of wire before but I like how you used it. Thanks so much for sharing. #HomeMattersParty
Thank you, it’s great fun to create with and it comes in lots of colours.