I've always been a big fan of Halloween, and ever since I painted my car orange, I've felt the urge to do something Halloween themed with it. So, I decided to turn it into a Jack-O-Lantern. I was originally thinking of using sheet magnets, or a latex paint that would peel off, but I ultimately decided on using duck-brand colored duct tape.

At the time of writing this, it has been on my car for a little over a week, driving thruway to and from work every day. Its held up well so far, and I have gotten quite a few looks from other drivers, and people on the streets.

I imagine that I wont want to leave it on too long to avoid excessive goo removal when i finally take it off.

Although I think that the effect works better on Orange and Black vehicles, I think that it has the potential to work well on most any vehicle with a bit of creativity.

Happy Halloween!

Step 1: Materials

Chalk - to sketch out the design

Duct Tape - I used Orange and Black - the orange is Duck brand and the Black is Scotch Brand. This particular Duck brand seemed stickier than the Scotch. The Duck might stay put longer, The Scotch may come off cleaner / easier

Scissors - to cut the duct tape (exacto knife and a cutting matt may be required for more complex designs)

I purchased two rolls of the Orange Duck brand tape from a local hardware store for $5 / roll, and only used about half of one roll.
The black tape I already had.
I later saw the same tape at Walmart for $3.50 / roll.

Realistically, you should be able to do something similar for well under $10

Step 2: The Design

Large flat surfaces are easiest to work with, so hoods, and rear windows are likely the two best areas.

If you are worried about damaging the paint of your car, the rear window might be a better canvas for your masterpiece.
A good coat of wax prior to taping (combined with not leaving the tape on too long) should keep the tape from damaging the paint, but this will depend on a number of factors.

Tape lends itself well to straight lines, so depending on how much time you have / want to spend on it you'll want to choose / create your design accordingly.

I snapped a photo of my hood and sketched on it in Photoshop to figure out what design I wanted to go with - Microsoft Paint or other photo programs can work equally well - if you prefer analog formats, sketch some concepts on paper.

Step 3: Prep

Prepare the surface by cleaning, waxing if necessary, and allowing the surface to fully dry.

Step 4: Chalk It Up

Sketch out the outlines with chalk or something non-permanent like whiteboard marker or soap stone

Step 5: Corners

Mitering and overlapping the tape in the corners makes it much easier to get clean and finished looking edges as opposed to trying to use a cut edge for an outer line. Use the straight edge of the tape to your advantage when possible. If this doesn't make sense see the two pictures and maybe that will help communicate what I'm trying to say

Step 6: One Piece at a Time

Fill in the design piece by piece until your creation is complete.

Where applicable, black over the orange can save some complex cutting and make your life easier.

Good Luck, and please post pictures if you create your own Jack-O-Mobile, or if this inspires you to create something similar.

Happy Halloween!