For a more 'visual' explanation, click here:

(https://youtu.be/MDzYGEHbKxA)

I had a piece of canvas lying around and I didn't know what to do with it. It's almost Halloween, so I decided to make something a bit scary :) This is quite an easy project and you'll only need the following things:

- a canvas
- some thick cardboard
- a piece of cereal box cardboard (any thin cardboard will work)
- spraypaint (I used green for the monster and gray for the back of the canvas, the last color is not necessary)
- acrylic paint (for skin details and eyes of monster. I used light green and a mix between yellow and white)
- paint brush
- black Sharpie / permanent marker (details monster)
- PVA / Elmers glue (or any other general purpose glue)
- hot glue gun / sticks
- Xacto knife / Hobby knife
- pair of scissors
- painters tape
- pencil or pen

I also used a needle to poke some small holes, but you can easily use a knife.

Step 1: Paint Canvas

The first thing I did was painting the back of the canvas with a 'neutral grey' colour. This step isn't really necessary, but I think it makes the rest of the piece pop.

Step 2: Cut and Glue Cardboard

You will need to make a surface to paint the monster on. I glued together two pieces of carboard, one thin and one thick piece, with the same length and width as the inside of the canvas frame. I also cut out six fingers of a different piece of thin cardboard.

Step 3: Cut Out Eye Masks

Because the eyes are of a lighter colour than the rest of the monster, they will need to be painted directly on the cardboard and not on the dark base colour. In order to achieve this, you will need to make some masks for the eyes. I simply put a few strips of masking tape down on my workbench and made sure they sticked to each other. Then I traced out the shape of the eye with a pencil and cut it out with an Xacto/Hobby knife. I repeated this proces one more time so I had two eye masks.

Step 4: Paint Cardboard

The next thing you will need to do is to paint the cardboard pieces. I painted the big rectangular piece and the six fingers a dark green, but you can use any colour you like. After all, it's your monster :) I also painted the back of the fingers with the neutral grey, but in the end this wasn't necessary.

Step 5: Paint Eyes

When you're done painting it's time to peel off the masks for the eyes. I mixed up some white and yellow acrylic paint to get a beige colour. I wanted the eyes to look a little bit like cat eyes, so after I had painted the main part of the eyes, I used a permanent marker to make a thin vertical pupil. In order to make the eyes pop I gave the eyes a thick contour.

Step 6: Add Details to Monster

After you've painted the big cardboard piece and the fingers, it's time to add some detail. Because my basecolour was a dark green, I used some light green acrylic paint to add some details. Adding a lighter/darker tone to your basecoat gives it more texture. I used a 'dry-brushing' technique when applying the paint. All that means is that you put some paint on your brush, get most of it off by brushing it on a piece of excess paper and then apply it to your workpiece. I think this gives the monster a nice skin effect.

I also painted the fingernails a greenish-grey colour so they seem a bit dirty. Finally, to give the monster a bit more skin texture and to give it a cartoony look (that's what I was going for) I drew some wrinkles on both the face and fingers of the monster.

Step 7: Making a Hole in the Canvas

In order to make this piece really pop, I made a hole in the center of the canvas through wich you can see the monster. I located the center of the canvas and marked it out with a pencil (on the back). Then I drew a vertical and a horizantal line about 8 cm long, going through the centerpoint and making a cross. After that I drew two 45 degree lines the same size as the other ones that also went through the centerpoint. I now had 4 lines evenly centered and spaced apart. I took my knife and cut out the lines. Then I turned the canvas around and folded the center out from the back to the front (see picture). I now had 8 triangular 'flaps'. I trimmed them to size and secured them to the front of the canvas with a little bit of hot glue.

Step 8: Glue on Monster Face

This step is an easy one. All you need to do is to glue the cardboard piece with the monster face to the inside of the canvas. Just put a few blobs of hot glue down on the inside of the canvas, then put the cardboard piece in through the back, with the face of the monster showing through the hole in the canvas.

I also put some wedges in that came with the canvas to keep the cardboard in place (see video).

Step 9: Glue on Fingers

You now need to glue on the fingers to the folded over pieces of canvas. I simply used some hot glue to secure three fingers on the left and three fingers on the right. I let the center finger overlap the other two on each hand.

Step 10: Start Spooking :)

You're done! Now you can scare of your neighbours with this creepy piece of art! Thanks for checking out my instructable! You can take a look at a few of my other instructables if you want to and while your at it, check out my youtube channel aswell ;)