Giant Raven Outdoor Halloween Decoration

Create a foreboding larger-than-life raven cut-out for your front yard to give trick-or-treaters and Halloween guests a fright.
Raven and pumpkin in front of fence

Giant Raven Outdoor Halloween Decoration

Create a foreboding larger-than-life raven cut-out for your front yard to give trick-or-treaters and Halloween guests a fright.

Create a foreboding larger-than-life raven cut-out for your front yard to give trick-or-treaters and Halloween guests a fright.

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Materials Needed:

  • 2 'x 2' piece of plywood
  • jigsaw
  • fine-toothed wood-cutting jigsaw blade
  • electric drill with an extra-large drill bit
  • two 18" wood landscaping stakes
  • pneumatic nail gun and nails

Print and Cut Out Template

To create an oversized raven, have a local copy shop print out a 2' x 2' version of this template. Using scissors, cut out pattern.

Tip: If you'd prefer, you can create smaller versions of the raven using templates printed onto standard printer paper.

Using scissors to cut out raven template

Cut Out Raven Pattern

To create an oversized raven, have a local copy shop print out a 2' x 2' version of this template. Using scissors, cut out pattern.

Trace Template

Use a pencil to trace the raven template onto a 2' x 2' piece of plywood.

Man tracing pattern onto plywood

Trace Raven Pattern onto Wood

Use a pencil to trace the raven template onto a 2' x 2' piece of plywood.

Cut Raven Out

Use a jigsaw equipped with a fine-toothed wood-cutting blade to cut the raven out by slowly following your pencil lines.

Jigsaw cutting traced raven out of plywood

Cut the Raven

Use a jigsaw equipped with a fine-toothed wood-cutting blade to cut the raven out by slowly following your pencil lines.

Create an Eye Hole

Create a starter hole in the center of the eye using an extra-large drill bit. Insert the jigsaw into the drilled hole and continue cutting out the eye.

Using drill to cut eye holes

Drill Out Raven Eyes

Create a starter hole in the center of the eye using an extra-large drill bit

Attach Stake

Apply construction adhesive to the upper portion of a wooden landscaping stake and attach the stake to the back of the raven's legs (Image 1). Flip the raven over, and use a pneumatic nailer to further secure the stake to the raven from the front side. Flip the raven over again, and hammer down the ends of any nails that are sticking through the back (Image 2).

Sand, Then Paint

Use a sanding block to smooth rough edges (Image 1). Coat both the front and back sides of the raven and stake in black exterior paint and allow to dry (Image 2).

Place in Yard

Select an outdoor location for the raven and use a second wooden stake to create a shallow starter hole in the ground. Remove the stake, then position the raven, firmly pushing its stake down into the started hole.

Hammering stake into ground

Place in Yard

Select an outdoor location for the raven and use a second wooden stake to create a shallow starter hole in the ground. Remove the stake, then position the raven, firmly pushing its stake down into the started hole.

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