Halloween Decor Part 3

Part three of my Halloween 2015 decor blog will cover how I did my Halloween signs. In years past, I only had one sign that hung on my front door to further indicate to trick-or-treaters that I was open for Halloween.
I designed the original sign on my computer and printed on 13"x19" paper. I affixed the paper to a larger piece of foam board. On the back of the foam board, I glued a small picture frame loop so I had the option of hanging the sign. For the total effort, I invested about two hours of work and maybe $3 for the paper, printer ink, and foam board.

The original Halloween sign I made a few years ago

 

The picture frame hook used on the back of the sign

This year I propped the sign in the window of my front porch instead of hanging it on the door. It complemented the new Halloween sign I made this year. 
I wasn't planning on making a new sign, but on a trip to the local craft store I found some unexpected inspiration. While wandering down the isles (a practice I've adopted to look for ideas and interesting products), I happened upon a display of deeply discounted wood cutouts. One was the shape of a typical Halloween cat. It was only $2 (normally $5) so I figured that was an inexpensive investment. I wasn't sure how I would use it, but when I got home, I remembered I had an 8x10 black canvas (these are widely available now and offer some interesting painting ideas). I put the cat against the canvas and the ideas started flowing. When I was done painting everything, the results were pretty entertaining:

The 2015 Halloween sign

 After I'd painted the cat black, I realized I needed to do something to the black canvas to make the cat stand out. I did a "glow" effect by layering different acrylic colors. I started with white, then yellow, then orange, then a mix of magenta and orange, and finished with magenta. I painted "Happy Halloween" in a spooky font with orange paint. To enhance the cat, I only painted his eyes, and I used silver paint to further define his legs, head, and tail. I was very happy with the results. I had about 3 hours of effort and roughly $8 invested in the new sign (the cat was $2 and the canvas (purchased a while ago) was about $6).
I propped up the sign in the window on the other side of the door on my front porch. With the two signs, it gave the house a festive pre-Halloween look. It also advertised ahead of time that I would be celebrating Halloween. I held off putting out the remaining decorations until Halloween afternoon.
I hope you enjoyed this installment of my 2015 Halloween decorating. Keep your eyes peeled for the remaining three installments.