Frida Kahlo Halloween Art Tutorial – Includes Free Printable

It’s *this close* to being October, so I’ve been trying to make our house a little more festive with a few tasteful Halloween decorations. This Frida Kahlo Halloween art has helped to add some graceful spookiness to our décor, and I hope it will do the same for yours! If you’re thinking that you could never make something like this, think again. Skeleton Frida comes to you today as a free printable that you need but trace over!

Why Frida Kahlo?

Why not? I’ve been really into Frida Kahlo lately … she was such a striking beauty. In fact, the other day, I started creating a Mexican tile motif on the chalkboard wall in my office, and I couldn’t help but think I needed to incorporate Frida somehow.

I so enjoyed drawing Frida that I decided to present her again — albeit in a different form — for today’s tutorial! I found inspiration in Frida Kahlo sugar skulls that I saw on Etsy and Pinterest. You can read the following instructions to create some striking Frida Kahlo Halloween art yourself!:

1. Choose a Nice Black Cardstock or Paper

I recently received some gorgeous cotton rag paper from Fabulous Fancy Pants. The paper was a gift from FFP proprietress and artisan Meredith to celebrate its launch (just in time for Halloween). This luxe black paper is what inspired today’s tutorial, but you can use plain black cardstock instead.

2. Print the Frida Kahlo Halloween Art Graphic

You can find the Frida Kahlo graphic by clicking here (it’s free). The image is designed to print off on an 8″x10″ (203 mm x  254 mm) piece of black paper, but it will also print beautifully on standard-sized papers.

3. Add Ink

Feel free to use whatever white ink you prefer (or a white gel pen) for this step! If you’re using liquid ink, grab a size 2 or 3 paintbrush and use it to fill in the flower centers and the headband.

Next, use a dip pen to trace over the flower outlines.

Once you’ve drawn the flowers, start making several stacked half-circles to represent hair.

Next, fill in the famous eyebrows with short, dramatic downstrokes.

Now, use a paintbrush to fill in the eyes and nose.

Use your paintbrush to fill in the earrings, then draw in the jaw and teeth with a dip pen.

Finish up by using a dip pen to trace over the chin, neck, and shoulders.

4. Paint the Flowers and Shoulders

I like to add some color to give the piece visual interest and emphasize Frida’s signature florals. You can use acrylic paint or gouache in any color that you prefer! I chose a striking red.

As you paint, be conscientious of the white outlines. Try to make sure the paint doesn’t touch any of them! Otherwise, you may accidentally paint over some of your artwork. Once the paint has dried, the piece is ready to display!

Making a Card

If you would prefer to use this tutorial to make a card instead, there’s a template for that! You can find it by clicking here. The steps are exactly the same, but the graphic is justified to the right and there are outside guidelines to cut so you can make a 5″x7″ (127 mm x 178 mm) card.

Giveaway

There’s hardly a better paper to draw Halloween graphics and calligraphy on than sumptuous cotton rag paper with deckled edges. The paper feels like cloth … it’s a tactile treat! In honor of Halloween and the launch of her Matte Black Cotton Rag paper, Meredith of Fabulous Fancy Pants has graciously offered to conduct an international giveaway here on the TPK website.

The winner of the giveaway will receive 3/4 pounds of first quality, super luxe black cotton rag paper in a variety of sizes with a minimum of 75 pieces (a $120 value). You can enter by using the Rafflecopter widget below! (If you aren’t on social media, feel free to just use the “Answer a Question” option to enter.) The giveaway will end on Monday, October 10th, at 12:00 AM. On the afternoon of October 10th, the winner will receive an email, and his or her first name and last initial will be announced on the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m wishing you the best of luck, and I’d like to say thanks to Meredith for making this giveaway possible and for creating the affordable “Try Me” packs! Have a great weekend, and thanks a million for reading TPK.

Warmly,