Spooky DIY Bats Perfect for Halloween

Pumpkins, skeletons, witches, monsters, ghosts, black bats- Halloween is right around the corner and we can't wait! Whether you are adding a spooky touch to your front yard for trick or treaters or decorating your classroom, there is no better time to get your black-paper craft on then Halloween. This year we are crafting black paper bats for Halloween using construction paper and neon paint- in addition to our usual pumpkins and spiders! Using bright and fun neon colors, we painted unique designs on tiny pumpkins, phone covers, and our little one actually used the paint to decorate his door (was quite a surprise). Want to bring Halloween's spookiest creature into the light of day? Here's how:

Supplies Needed:

Neon Dot-A-Lot Paints The Paper Works Sketchbook Lil' Poster Paint Pods - Neon & Glitter Chalk-O-Rama Dustless Chalk Crayons Scissors Pencil Pipe Cleaners Tape

Step 1: Draw Your Paper Bat Outline

Draw a bat outline on black paper. No details, just a very basic outline. You can start with a #2 pencil, and you will be able to see your outline enough to follow. Next, you can trace that outline with chalk-o-rama dustless chalk crayons to give a nice border. We free handed these bats, but there are a ton of free halloween printables online that you can use!

Step 2: Cut Out Your Bat Shapes

Cut out the bat. If you want more than one bat, simply stack a few pieces of black paper together so when you cut out the bat you are actually cutting out multiple! And remember, not all of your bats have to be the same size or shape.

Step 3: Start Decorating!

It's time to have some fun! Once your bats are cut out you may begin to decorate.

We like green eyes and orange dots or purple eyes and green dots. With the dot-a-lot dot painting set it's easy to make different size dots, and even do patterns with the different colors. If your kid isn't into the neon colors, there are also Pearlescent Dot-A-Lot Paints available too. What's cool about these dots is that they are 3D, and add texture not just color!

Make sure to let the dots completely dry. This may take several hours.

Step 4: Let 'em Fly!

• Cut the pipe cleaners in half
• Tape one end of the pipe cleaner to the back of the bat
• Tape the other end to the wall
• Turn and maneuver the pipe cleaner to make the bat look like it's flying!

We placed our black-paper bats on top of our fireplace to make it look like they were flying out of a cave!

Here are other ways to create a spooky (but super cute) bat:

Try taping small bats to a long fishing line and tape them 3 inches apart on the line to look like they are flying in the air. Or you could punch a small hole on the bats head and then string them along the line. And if you want the bats to appear like they are hanging upside down, put the hole in their tail before stringing up.

OOLY has quite a few products that work on black paper, you can pick the ones that will work best for you. You might like to try Modern Metallic Colored Pencils or Oil Pastel Twisty Stix. The Color Lustre Metallic Brush Markers are super fun to use and have a great metallic shine to them. But my very favorite has to be the Chroma Blends Watercolor Paint Set in Neon and Pearlescent.

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Nicki Bradley - Family Travel, fun, healthy living, cooking, style, yoga and playroom designing - everything for MOMS! Visit me at Little Island Studios