Hooo Wants to Make a Scary Halloween Shadow Tree?

Hooo wants to make Scary Halloween Shadow Tree?

I wanted to make a Halloween decoration that was a little different from the usual pumpkins, ghosts and skeletons.

The idea was to make a creepy, leafless tree with twisted branches, then hang a bunch of Halloween iconic pieces ... but the twist was to add a little light at the base so that when the room is dark, the tree casts a spooky silhouette on the wall behind it.

The tree itself is made from wood and cut with a scroll saw. The owl, bat and pumpkin are separate scrolled pieces that add a little more character to the design.

During the day, it looks like a small Halloween decoration. At night, the light and shadows give it a completely different look. The cool part is when the tree is moved further from the wall the shadow gets bigger and bigger.

This is a fun project if you enjoy scroll-saw work (or you can use card stock paper) and you can change the shape of the tree or the Halloween characters to make it your own.

Ready to make a little Halloween magic? Let's get started!

1. Wood for the tree silhouette
2. Thin wood for the owl, bat and pumpkin
3. A thicker piece of wood for the base (I used some drift wood)
4. Small LED tealight
5. Scroll saw (You can find low cost ones on Craigslist or FB Marketplace) or a Coping Saw
6. Scroll Saw blades
7. Coping Saw blades
8. Pin Vise Hand drill for starting internal cuts
9. Sandpaper
10. Wood glue, if needed
11. Paint or another finish for the tree
12. Wood stain or finish for the base
13. Spray Adhesive to attached paper pattern to wood
14. Pencil and paper for the patterns
15. Outdoor LED color flood light to create a ghoulish mode

*product links provided

I wanted the tree to look old, dead and a little sinister.

Instead of drawing a normal tree with evenly spaced branches, I made the branches twist, curl and point in different directions. Some reach upward, while others bend back toward the trunk.

The trunk needs to be thick enough to support the branches, but the overall silhouette should still look open and spindly.

I also kept the spaces between the branches fairly large. This makes the tree easier to cut and gives the light more room to pass through. Then sketch out your favorite Halloween pieces to hang off the tree.

One thing to keep in mind is that the tree branches needs to be strong enough to hang things off of so they don't break off.

Cut Out the Tree

Attached the pattern onto the wood using the spray adhesive. TIP: spray on the wood and wait 2-3 minutes, then apply and press the paper down. If spray the paper first, then it will be very soggy and your pattern will fade away.

I use a scroll saw for the outside shape and the openings between the branches. For internal cuts, drill a small starter hole using a pin vise, thread the blade through it, and reconnect the blade.

Take your time around the narrow branches and tight curves. It is better to leave a little extra material and sand it away than to cut too aggressively and break a branch.

Once the tree is cut out, lightly sand the edges to remove rough spots and splinters.

I made the Halloween figures as separate wooden pieces so I could position them on different branches.

The owl sits on a branch near the top of the tree. The pumpkin hangs from one side, and the bat hangs from another.

Keep the shapes simple enough to be recognizable from a distance. The owl's eyes, the pumpkin's face and the bat's wings are the details that make each silhouette work.

Before attaching anything, lay the pieces against the tree and experiment with their positions. You want the tree to look balanced without making it too symmetrical.

I finished the tree in dark brown to emphasize its creepy silhouette. A matte finish works well because it keeps the tree looking like a cutout rather than a shiny ornament.

The owl, bat and pumpkin were made of different wood types that I then applied mineral oil. You can also paint these pieces to give them more character.

Stain or seal the wooden base and allow everything to dry completely before assembling the final piece.

since my draft wood was oddly shaped and sculpted the tree base asl close to confirm to the drift wood then I hot glued it into place. an easer approach could be to use a square or round board with a miter slot and fit the tree into that but I liked the drift wood look since it made it more Halloweeny.

Next, position the owl on its branch and place the pumpkin and bat where they look best.

Depending on the design, the pieces can be glued directly to the tree or attached using thread.

Now place a small LED tealight (or better an outdoor LED color flood light ) on the base, positioned so that it illuminates the tree and can cast its silhouette onto the wall. Experiment with the light's position before fixing anything permanently. Even a small change in position can affect the appearance of the shadow. I recommend an LED tealight rather than an open flame for safety but if you are careful and don't stray away a candle looks very nice.

Show time. Place your Halloween masterpiece on a table a short distance from a wall. Then turn on the tealight and dim the room lights. Adjust the distance between the tree and the wall until you get the shadow you like. The twisted branches give the shadow its spooky appearance, and the owl, bat and pumpkin add recognizable Halloween shapes.

TIP: Moving the tree farther from the wall generally makes its shadow larger, while moving it closer makes the shadow smaller. My shadow tree grew 8 ft tall.

BTW, the finished decoration is designed to look good even when the room is lit, but the shadow is an extra feature that makes it more fun after dark.

I like projects that combine a straightforward woodworking technique with something unexpected. In this case, it is a simple wooden silhouette, a small light and the shadows they create. You can make the tree taller or shorter, add more branches, change the Halloween figures, or create your own version for next Halloween. The best part is that every tree will look a little different.

Thanks for checking out my project!