Ghost Water Gun Painting
- Jessie
- Sep 15
- 6 min read
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Looking for a spook-tacular craft that’s just as fun as it is messy? You’re going to love Ghost Water Gun Painting! This playful outdoor art project combines the thrill of Halloween with the giggles of a squirt gun showdown. If your kids love crafts that are big on creativity and surprise, this one is sure to be a hauntingly good time.
Ghost Water Gun Painting is the perfect mix of spooky and silly. Instead of painting with brushes, your kids get to fill up squirt guns with washable paint and blast it across a canvas or poster board. The magic happens when they peel away the ghost-shaped stickers or stencils to reveal crisp, bright ghost shapes peeking through all that colorful chaos!
One of the best parts about this project is that no two ghost paintings will ever be the same. Every squirt, spray, and splatter of paint makes a unique masterpiece that’s totally one-of-a-kind — just like real ghost sightings! Your little artists will love experimenting with different color combos, angles, and paint layers to create the coolest haunted art.
This craft is extra fun because it gets kids outside and moving. They’ll be running around the yard, aiming their squirt guns, and shrieking with delight when they see the paint splatter across their ghost shapes. It’s the perfect way to burn off some of that fall energy before trick-or-treating rolls around!
And don’t worry — Ghost Water Gun Painting is as easy to clean up as it is to set up. Just lay down a disposable tablecloth or old sheet under your canvases, grab some washable paint, and let the kids do their thing. Once they’re done, a quick rinse of the squirt guns (and maybe the kids, too!) and you’re good to go.
Want to make it even more fun? Turn your backyard into a mini Halloween art party! Set up a painting station, hand out ghost stencils and squirt guns, and watch your spooky masterpieces come to life. Add in some Halloween music, a few spooky snacks, and you’ve got the ultimate ghostly gathering.
If your kids love Halloween crafts, don’t stop here! Be sure to check out some of our other frightfully fun ideas, like our Mummy Paper Masks, Pumpkin Origami, or Coffee Filter Bats. You’ll have a whole collection of handmade Halloween decor ready to haunt your house this spooky season.
So grab those squirt guns, cut out your ghost shapes, and get ready for a paint-splattered adventure your kids will want to do again and again. Ghost Water Gun Painting is the perfect way to combine messy outdoor fun with Halloween magic — because who says ghosts can’t be colorful too?
Materials Needed:
Printable Ghost Template
Scissors
Vinyl Sticker Paper
Tempera paint (washable and non-toxic)
White acrylic paint
Water
Water guns (one for each color is extra fun!)
Canvas (8x10 or larger)
Plastic cups or squeeze bottles for mixing paint
Old clothes or paint smocks (things can get messy!)
Drop cloth or tarp (optional, to protect grass or fences)
Step-by-Step Directions to make Ghost Water Gun Painting
Step 1: Make Your Ghost
Start by printing the template provided at the bottom of this post onto 8.5” x 11” vinyl sticker paper. The vinyl works best because it helps resist moisture and holds its shape while your kids are squirting paint all over the canvas. Then carefully cut out the ghost.
Want to create your own template? No problem! You can also draw your own ghost directly onto the vinyl sticker paper or even onto masking tape and cut it out by hand.
Step 2: Place Your Ghost on the Canvas
Once you have the shape is cut out, it’s time to get creative! Carefully peel off the backing and place the sticker onto your canvas however you’d like. Play around with different placements — you can place it the middle or to a side. Press each sticker down firmly so the edges stick well — this helps the sticker resist the paint and stay crisp when you peel it off later.
Step 3: Seal the Ghost with White Paint
Now it’s time for a super important step that you do not want to skip! Once your sticker is stuck down, use white acrylic paint to brush over the canvas — make sure to cover the sticker and the edges all around each side.
Why is this step so crucial? Even though your vinyl sticker is flat, your canvas has a slight texture, which means there will be tiny gaps between the sticker and the canvas. If you skip this step, the paint from your squirt guns can seep underneath the sticker and ruin the crisp shape you worked so hard on!
The white paint acts like a sealer. It fills in any little gaps around the edges of the sticker and keeps the other colors from bleeding through. Once the first layer of white paint is dry, add another coat just to be extra safe. It’s a small step that makes a huge difference for keeping your edges sharp and clean when you peel the sticker off later!
Step 4: Prep Your Paint & Load Squirt Guns
In plastic cups or squeeze bottles, mix the tempera paint colors in different cups with a bit of water until it’s thin enough to squirt easily through the water gun. Each brand of paint is a little different, but a 50/50 ratio of paint to water is usually a good starting point. You’re aiming for a milk-like consistency — not too thick, not too runny! If the water gun is struggling to get the paint out, just add a little more water until it flows smoothly. Be careful not to add too much water though, or your colors might look too light and washed out.
Carefully pour each color into its own water gun. Kids love having one gun per color so they can switch up their designs and create bold, layered masterpieces. Make sure the caps are sealed tight so there are no leaks or surprise splashes! I even like to take a permanent marker and write what color is in each gun — it makes it easy for kids to grab the right shade without any mix-ups.
Step 5: Set Up Your Canvas
Set up your canvas outside. Tape it to a fence, easel, or lay them flat on the ground with a drop cloth underneath. The bigger the canvas, the bigger the blast zone for your little artists!
Step 6: Let the Fun Begin!
Hand over the squirt guns and let your kids go wild! Encourage them to try spraying from different angles and distances. Watch as they layer colors and create amazing splatter effects — no two paintings will ever be the same!
Step 7: Let It Dry & Peel Off the Star Stickers
When your little artists are done spraying, set the artwork aside to dry completely. You can clip the canvases to a clothesline, lean them against a fence, or just leave them flat in the sunshine — whatever works best to keep them safe while they dry.
Once the paint is totally dry, it’s time for the best part: peeling off the ghost sticker! Carefully lift each one to reveal bright, crisp white dragon that stayed protected while the rest of the canvas turned into a beautiful, splattered explosion of colors.
This step is always so satisfying for kids (and adults too!). Watching those bold ghost pop through the messy, colorful background is so exciting. It’s so much fun and each piece of art is truly unique.
The fun doesn’t stop here! At Artsy Kids Zone, we’ve got a whole bunch of creative projects waiting to be explored. From playful paper crafts to interactive printables, there are hundreds of hands-on activities to keep little artists busy, learning, and laughing.
Whether your kiddo wants to craft a pirate puppet, make a hatching dragon egg, or try their hand at magical crayon resist art, we’ve got something to spark every imagination. Our projects are made with kids in mind—easy to prep, fun to make, and perfect for classrooms, rainy days, or weekend adventures at the kitchen table. So don’t be shy—dig in, get messy, and let your child’s creativity run wild at Artsy Kids Zone!
How To Download Printable Ghost Template:
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