Looking for easy DIY ideas for Halloween kids crafts….how about making your own printable Halloween Tattoos at home with an ordinary inkjet printer? You can turn pretty much any design into a temporary tattoo. If you think about it….there are a ton of fun possibilities! We’ve created a FREE downloadable printable Halloween tattoos PDF for you to try it at home. You don’t have to limit yourself to tattoos…you can also print these out on sticker paper to make your own stickers!
So what exactly are all the AMAZING possibilities for temporary tatttos….?
Maybe you’re actually thinking about getting a REAL tattoo? You can use this method to make a temporary version of your tattoo in order to size & place it appropriately (just ask your tattoo artist for a rendering or proof so that you can print a temporary tattoo at home).
What about kids parties? I’m always struggling to find easy, simple activity ideas for the kids to do….or little inexpensive things to stuff the party treat bags with. These temporary tattoos are perfect to keep the kids busy! What kid (or adult for that matter) wouldn’t love getting a cool temporary tattoo?
Need Halloween costume accessories? Terrible at applying make-up? Temporary tattoos may be your answer! You can print out scars, face make-up & the tattoos of your favorite characters for a more authentic costume. Don’t forget about the trick-or-treaters! They love temporary tattoos in their treat bags!
Or maybe you just want to pull an April Fools Day prank that involves a hideous tattoo? Can you imagine walking into your corporate job with a neck or face tattoo. Can you imagine the look on the faces of your boss and co-workers? I think this DIY will help you accomplish that!
I think you’ll love all the possibilities whether you are making these printable Halloween tattoos or using this as an inexpensive Halloween themed activity for the kids. So, lets take a look at the FREE printable halloween tattoo pages we’ve created for you to use!
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|FREE Printable Halloween Tattoo Previews|
We have two different FREE PRINTABLE temporary tattoos sheets to share with you! One is more spooky and gruesome (for the boys) and the other is more feminine (for the girls). For our demonstrations today we’ll be using the spooky & gruesome option but both are available in our printables library.
You’ll need temporary tattoo paper to use with this free printable. I live in a somewhat rural area and I haven’t found temporary tattoo paper anywhere but online. I’ve also ordered a few types of paper and there’s only one I can recommend and it’s Silhouette’s Temporary Tattoo Paper. Each package contains a total of 2 temporary tattoo paper sheets.
Every other product I’ve tried works poorly or not at all. There are a few pro-tips I’ll share with you to ensure complete success so be sure to read all the steps. I’ve hyperlinked to a few key supplies you’ll need for easy shopping.
I found the instructions inside the temporary tattoo paper package to be extremely confusing and the lack of photos or a link to a video or tutorial to be really frustrating. That’s partially why I put this tutorial together. I think this is a fun product but really lacks the technical support! Okay, that said…let’s get started!
Printable Halloween Tattoos Supplies & Tools:
Ink Jet OR Laser Jet Printer
Optional but not Required: Cricut Machine or Silhouette Machine
Silhouette Temporary Tattoo Paper
Dish of Water
Clean Towel
Download our FREE PDF file (download button located at the end of these instructions)
|Step 1: Download the FREE Printable Halloween Tattoos|
After downloading the free printable Halloween Tattoos page you’ll want to open the package of Silhouette tattoo paper and separate the white sheets from the green sheets. You will be printing on the glossy side of the white sheets. The green sheets are a carrier for the adhesive sheets you will use later on.
|Step 2: Adjust Printer Settings|
Adjust your printer settings to print “highest quality”. You’ll also want to adjust your printer settings to print on “glossy photo paper”. This slows the feed rate for your printer which is critical for getting a high quality print out with no printing gaps.
Place a single white, glossy sheet of Silhouette tattoo paper in your printer’s paper tray (DO NOT PLACE THE GREEN SHEETS IN THE PRINTER, you will use these later). Make sure that the sheet is situated such that the printer will print on the glossy side of the page.
Using the settings discussed you can click print to start printing the sheet of Halloween tattoos. You may elect to print multiple pages of your choice since there are multiple sheets per pack of Silhouette tattoo paper.
Make sure that you allow about 10 minutes for the ink to dry. When the sheet first comes out of the printer it can be very wet and will smudge easily!
*If you have a Cricut Machine or a Silhouette machine you can use the “print & cut” function to cut out the tattoos if you wish. During this tutorial we’ll be cutting everything out by hand so it’s not completely necessary.
|Step 3: Place Plastic Sheet|
After allowing the printed pages to dry for 10 mins you’ll want to move to a clean, dust free area. Grab a single green sheet and peel the small strip of adhesive backing located at one end.
Align and place the now exposed sticky top part of the green sheet over the printed sheet of tattoos. Minimize air bubbles as much as possible using the squeegee.
Use the squeegee or long side of the bone folder to work out any air bubbles as you peel….you’ll now begin to remove the green adhesive backing and adhere the adhesive sheet to the white printed sheet. If you can’t get an air bubble to go away completely just try to move it off of the printed tattoo area. This will fully distribute the adhesive over the printed areas. If the adhesive isn’t making contact with the printed area it won’t *grab* the print and transfer it to your skin.
|Step 4: Trim Tattoos to Size|
Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the tattoos. CUT AS CLOSE TO THE IMAGE AS POSSIBLE. If you leave a lot of material around the printed area this material will end up on your skin which isn’t always ideal. The more area you leave around the tattoo the higher the chance of peel in the future.
|Step 5: How to Place & Apply Tattoos|
Use scotch tape to place tattoos temporarily (and figure out where you want them). Clean the area of skin thoroughly where the tattoo will be placed.
When you’re confident on temporary tattoo placement you can simply peel off the clear plastic sheet and place the tattoo printed/sticky side down on your skin. It will stick nicely to your skin to stay in place. Use a heavily moistened paper towel to dab the paper back of the tattoo with water.
After about 30 seconds of holding the moist towel over the tattoo you can slowly remove the paper backing to expose the temporary tattoo. Lightly Dab the tattoo again with a moist paper towel to help . Do the same if any edges peel up in the future to re-adhere the tattoo. I’ve read on some reviews that you can dab the tattoo with a little baby oil to keep it moist and avoid cracking. The tattoos last about 2-3 days.
Don’t Forget to Check Out Our Other Fall | Halloween Posts Before You Leave:
I hope you enjoyed this DIY tutorial on printable Halloween tattoos! Just think of all the possibilities! How easy would it be to print out face make-up for a Halloween costume?!?! I’m really excited about creating some mermaid themed face make-up to punch up my Halloween costume this year.
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A glue gun in one hand, a whisk in the other- that's me in a nutshell! I'm the heart and soul behind acountrygirlslife.com. I've been crafty since childhood so I'm your go-to girl for everything crafty, delicious, and DIY. From clever crafts & printables to mouth-watering bakes- I believe in sprinkling a little handmade magic into every day. I'll help you find your creative niche at home!
That’s really interesting! I had no idea you could do this. My guys love temporary tattoos…how long do they last?
Hi Marissa- I would say it lasts 4-5 days on adults and maybe 2-3 days on those super active kids. It can depend on the area it’s placed. If it’s placed on any area with a lot of bending and movement it will come up faster. Hope that helps! Thanks for the note!