DIY Painted Day of the Dead Skeleton Tutorial

I’ve been seeing these oversized, spooky skeletons pop up everywhere, and this year, I decided to put my own creative spin on one! Inspired by my love of Day of the Dead makeup and costumes (and the beloved movie Coco in our house), I wanted to bring a colorful and artistic skeleton to life!

This project took more time than I expected, but it was also the perfect chance to slow down and immerse myself in drawing and painting, something I don’t often get to do with a busy life. While there were a few bumps along the way—especially figuring out what kind of paint to use—I love how my 10 ft Day of the Dead skeleton turned out. Whether you’re tackling a large skeleton like mine or want to start with something smaller, this tutorial will walk you through the steps so you can create your own!

Supplies You’ll Need:

10 ft Skeleton
Multi-Surface Acrylic Paint in various colors
Black Light Neon Paint
Glow in the Dark Paint (optional, but I found it too transparent)
Sharpie Markers for outlining
Paintbrushes – various sizes for detail work
Rechargeable Cordless Black Light
Optional: Plug-in Black Light

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Find Your Inspiration

Before starting, I compiled a few inspiration images of Day of the Dead makeup and costumes. You can look for skull designs or floral patterns to guide your skeleton design. I wanted vibrant colors that would pop during the day and glow under a black light at night.

2. Prep Your Skeleton

Lay out your skeleton in a well-lit, comfortable workspace. If you’re painting a smaller one, this process will go faster, but with my 10 ft version, it was a bit more time-consuming!

3. Trial and Error with Paint

My first attempt was with glow-in-the-dark paint, but I quickly realized it was too transparent. The colors weren’t standing out as much as I wanted, especially in daylight. So, I wiped it off and tried again with multi-surface acrylic paint, which gave me much better results.

4. Draw Your Outlines

I started with the hips and worked my way up, free-handing the designs with a Sharpie marker. This allowed me to see my design clearly before adding any paint. If you’re not confident with free-hand drawing, you can sketch your design on paper first, or even use a stencil.

5. Painting the Base Colors

Once the outlines were in place, I began painting with multi-surface acrylic paint. I applied two coats to make sure the colors were bold and opaque. This paint works well on the skeleton’s surface and dries fairly quickly, so you can keep moving.

6. Add the Black Light Paint

After the base coats dried, I applied two more coats of black light neon paint on top. This gave the skeleton a glowing effect under a black light, which was exactly what I wanted. The key is layering—don’t skip the base coats of acrylic paint if you want the colors to pop both in daylight and under black light.

7. Set Up the Black Light

glow in the dark skeleton with acrylic paint

To bring the Day of the Dead skeleton to life at night, I used a rechargeable cordless black light. It’s strong enough to illuminate the entire 10 ft skeleton, but if you prefer, I’ve also linked a plug-in option for continuous light.

Day of the Dead Skeleton Tips & Ideas:

Smaller Skeletons: If a 10 ft skeleton seems like too big of a project, you can easily apply this same technique to smaller skeletons. In fact, painting a few different-sized skeletons with unique designs could make for a super fun Halloween display!
Posing or Dressing Them: Once your skeleton is painted, you can get creative with how you display it. Pose them in funny positions, or even dress them in costumes for an extra festive touch.
Indoor or Outdoor: This skeleton can be placed indoors or outdoors, but if you’re setting it up outside, make sure your black light is positioned to really make the colors glow in the dark.