Halloween Placecards

Scratch art Halloween placecards bring back fond memories of my childhood. When I was a kid, my brothers and sisters and I liked to make placecards for our family dinner table.

Not that we needed them. Everyone had his or her own regular place at the table which never changed except when, one by one, we kids left home to go off to college. No, we just liked making placecards because they were fun to make and we liked being creative.

The Halloween placecards shown above are similar in appearance to some we made back in those days of yore. But back then we used crayons to make them. You don't need crayons to make these beauties -- just a special kind of paper and something to scrape it with!

I am sure you really will enjoy this Halloween arts and crafts project. Here is how to make these colorful and fun placecards.

Materials

Scratch-Art® Multicolor Board (or similar product)

• This is a special posterboard with a black topcoat. Mine came in a pack with ten 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheets and a wooden stylus.

• When the black topcoat is scratched, colors from underneath are exposed. (See instructions below for more information.)

• For more product information and to purchase this paper online from Blick Art Supplies, click Multi-Colored.
  (See also this FTC disclosure information about my affiliate links.)

Ruler

Scissors or paper cutter (to cut outside edges of placecards)

Small, sharp scissors or exacto knife (if you make placecards with pictures that extend above the fold)

Pointed stick or stylus

• The scraper tool does not need to be anything special. It just needs to be "kind of" sharp but not "too" sharp. Chances are good you can find something around the house and will not need to buy anything.

• Packages of the special paper usually include one wooden stick. Mine did.

• If you need to buy a scraper, crafts stores and art supplies stores sell items such as the ones shown in the photos below. I recommend using pointed wooden sticks for this project. That's what I used for the Halloween placecards featured on this page.

• The metal blades (or nibs) shown in the photos are more appropriate for true scratchboard art than they are for this project. They are too sharp (especially the bottom blade in the photo on the right) and will gouge the paper.

Instructions

Using a ruler and scratching tool, draw the outline of the placecards.

• As shown in the photo below, I fit five Halloween placecards (measuring 3-1/2 x 5 inches each) on my sheet.

• I also made little marks on each to show where the fold would be.

• (The two portions that have Xs in them are left over space that will not be used.)

I find it easier to scratch the cards when the page is still intact. But if you prefer, you can cut the paper now into the five separate pieces.

Scrape your drawing and the person's name.

• Draw whatever you want and use whatever style of lettering you choose. As you can see, I drew bats, a witch on a broomstick, a jack-o'-lantern, a cat, and a ghost.

• Do not scrape areas you want to remain black, such as the witch in the Julie card.

• You can either place the entire design below where the fold will be (see the cards for Sue and Rick in the photo below) or draw the top part of your picture above where the fold will be (see the cards for Julie, Doug, and Francie in the photo below). If you choose this second option, be sure your drawing does not extend out to the edge on either side.

• As you scratch your placecard, be careful to avoid getting finger and hand prints on the paper. I usually rest my hand on a separate piece of white paper as I scratch my drawings.

When you have finished all your scratch work, cut out the five placecards.

If your placecards have the entire design below where the fold will be (like the cards for Sue and Rick), all you need to do is to fold the cards and you are finished.

If you are making placecards like the cards for Julie, Doug, and Francie, very carefully cut the outline of just the portion that will be above the fold. You will need small, sharp scissors or exacto knife for this step. Then fold the card.

The above photos show the finished Julie placecard from the front and back.

You can use this special paper to make placecards for occasions other than Halloween (or for no occasion at all!). But the colors in this particular paper do work especially well for Halloween placecards.

If you have fun making these vibrant Halloween placecards, you may also enjoy doing scratchboard art, particularly crayon etching.

For Christmas place cards, here's a great idea. Personalize plaster Christmas ornaments! Click Christmas Party Favors for more information.

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To make these fun, colorful Halloween Placecards, see the step-by-step tutorial and photos on the How To Arts and Crafts.com website.

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