Halloween Garage Door Silhouette

Intro: Halloween Garage Door Silhouette

I love Halloween, and I've been looking for an excuse to try out the Dremel tool my husband gave me. I thought an eerie Halloween scene covering my garage door would have a lot of impact. Rather than a standard cut-out pasted on, I wanted to add some extra spook factor by lighting it from behind. So a silhouette was a perfect choice.

I'll apologize up front for the photography. These photos just don't do it justice. I wish I knew how to get better Halloween photos at night. Something to work on for the next instructable!

I've no special talents with drawing or tools, just a dogged determination to make something I've envisioned come to life. This took some work, but the result is well worth it. It's a traffic stopper on my street!

Also, our garage door is an old wooden one, and we don't mind screwing things like this into it. I don't think this woul d work with a roll-up panel door. Perhaps it could be mounted on a large wall, or staked into the yard with lights behind it.

You'll need:

drawing materials

roll of paper for a pattern

sharpie

tape

2 4' x 8' sheets of material. I used a 3/16th inch thick plywood I found at Lowe's. Fairly lightweight and easy to cut with the Dremel tool.

Cutting tool such as the Dremel

Sand paper (or use the Dremel again)

Black paint

Several 1" x 2"s and screws for mounting

2 to 3 strings of lights. I used 2 70-bulb strings of orange.

plastic spider

STEP 1: Prepare the Pattern and Transfer to Pattern Paper

When drawing my design, I considered the size of my display space (a 2-car garage door), as well as the material I would be using. I used 2 sheets of thin plywood. One sheet runs horizontally, 8 feet wide and 4 feet tall. I had this cut into 2- 4x4 pieces at the store. Each side piece started as a 2 x 6 piece, cut from the other sheet. This gave me some height, and also frames the scene nicely.

I had the cuts made strategically, so that seams would not be too visible. One seam bisects the cauldron, one is between the 2 jack-o-lanterns, and the third is between the cat and the tree.

I drew the design on 8 1/"2 x 11" paper, then used the grid method to enlarge it to the proper size, which I drew on kraft paper, and then cut out. You could, of course, skip the pattern and draw the enlargement (in reverse) straight onto the back of the plywood. Or, if you'll be painting it black, you could draw it right onto the front, as any drawing lines will be covered by black paint.

Using a sharpie, I traced the pattern onto the back of the plywood. The entire design is 12 feet wide and 6 feet tall in the tallest places.

STEP 2: Cut Out the Design

Use the Dremel tool to cut out the design. If you have not use this tool before, practice on some scrap. It's not too difficult, but it does take some practice. It can get away from you. Luckily, Halloween designs are very forgiving. A few jagged edges can make it look better! Nothing should be too perfect.

It took me between 1 1/2 and 2 hours to cut out this design. I thought the trees were going to be difficult, but they weren't too bad.

Apparently my cat looks very realistic, at least my dog thought so.

Use coarse sandpaper or the Dremel to sand off the rough edges. Again, no need to be too perfect. People will view this from at least 10 feet away, and probably more.

STEP 3: Paint the Cut-outs

Paint the front of the cut-outs. Don't forget the edges, because they will show.

no need to paint the back. Mine were pre-primed. A small roller will make quick work of it.

STEP 4: Prepare for Mounting

While the paint is drying, you can add the mounting cleats to the garage door. We ended up screwing in one set of 1" x 2 " boards against the door, and a second set of boards on top of those. We thought this was easier as we could use much shorter screws. Place cleats where two pieces of the cut-out meet. This will help to avoid light seeping through the seams. I also painted these black, in case they show through at all.

STEP 5: Add Lights and Install

Put the cut-outs face down on a soft surface, or on something that won't scrape them up. Lay out your light strings, then begin taping them on. I tried to point the bulbs toward the center of the design, to cast the most light that way. I also did not go all the way to the top of the pieces, which put more light toward the bottom where the cauldron is, and gives a look of more heat at the bottom, where a fire would be. Sort of an ombre effect.

Now you're ready to mount the silhouette. You may need help with this step. Line the pieces up with the pre-installed cleats. Make sure cords and bulbs are not in the way. Also check that you will be able to reach the ends of the light strings, so you'll be able to plug them together. Also, the bulbs should not show when looking straight at the piece. Just their glow. Make your adjustments and screw the plywood pieces into the cleats.

As a final touch, I dangled a plastic spider from the witch's hand. It was just too delicate a shape to cut out of wood.

STEP 6: Plug It in and Enjoy

Plug in (careful of the cord and the movement of the garage door).

Enjoy the intensifying light effects as daylight fades. I like this design because it's very noticeable in daylight, but it really comes to life in the dark.

It's a traffic-stopper for sure. Can't wait for Halloween!

Comments

[avcope]

I saw in the comments questions about a template. I used Adobe Illustrator to Live Trace the image on this website and then I did a little tweaking. Hopefully this will help some of you. I plan to use a projector to enlarge the image on the plywood to trace it.

[whodatbedare]

Absolute Champion! Does anyone have a cad file of this? yes there is another intractable like this with a cad file but that cad file is way to squiggly to make it feasible to pay a cnc company. Although its great if you have your own cnc.

[charlessenf-gm]

Thanks, very hep full! I use irfanview free version 4.54

[jessyratfink]

Thank you for providing the pattern and a suggestion for blowing it up. You're awesome! :D

[avcope]

You are welcom.

I haven't come back to this post in a while. I LOVE what other folks have done. This is still one of my favorites to pull out at Halloween. It is just so big and stands out.

[DanaJ17]

Love this idea! TY for sharing.

[Leah5185]

Where is the template for this?

[MaryKayK]

It is best to paint the back too. If you leave it unfinished it can warp and delaminate. Any plywood outside should be totally painted or sealed. Otherwise amazing!!!

[mcorbin]

Yes, you are right. Paint the back and the edges. My plywood had some sort of coating on the back. And it's outside for about 2 weeks every year in a place that gets little rain. I made this is in 2014, and it has held up fairly well.

[whodatbedare]

Absolute Champion!
Had this converted to CAD file.
Enjoy.

[BarryS41]

With lights at night

[mcorbin]

Awesome!

[LADY DIXIE T]

Just a wonderful idea indeed! I love all the comments and I don't think I have ever seen so many "I made it" responses before. BRAVO!

[kayakdiver]

This is great! Your scene really captures the essence of Halloween, and the orange glow is awesome!

Unrelated to your iBle, but something I thought you might enjoy, is my Nosferatu costume I made. I could easily fold the 17 foot wings and tuck them under my cape. Perhaps I should make an iBle of this. Meanwhile, I do see this blank canvas right behind me in the photo!

[LADY DIXIE T]

what a fun idea! If your having a party this would be great for everyone taking pictures vs a photo booth.

[mcorbin]

That is a fabulous costume

[LenSolomon]

This is fabulous. It's a really evocative design, and so well executed. Your explanations of your process were great too. I also think your photos came out really well; I took a screenshot for my desktop! Happy Halloween, 2021.

[mcorbin]

Thanks!

[Tarantula3]

Very well done mate

[MarieM97]

Absolutely fabulous!