Grinch Christmas Cutout
With the Holiday season upon arriving I know a lot of people began Christmas decorating the day after Thanksgiving. I tend to take more of a more subtle (procrastinating) approach.’
This year I decided to go really simple and make a Grinch cutout lawn display that appears to be pulling down Christmas lights.
Total Project Cost: $70ish Template Available in the Store
Supplies Needed:
Jigsaw
Spray Adhesive
Plywood
Paint
Lawn Stake or U-Post
Optional Supplies:
Landscaping Spotlight
Black Silicon Sealant
I began this project by using a light coat of spray adhesive to my printed out template, and adhering it to a piece of left over plywood. I used 1/2 plywood for this but 3/4 wood be more robust in the long run.
Before removing the template I used an X-Acto knifee to score all the black lines. This enabled me to go over the entire grinch with a Sharpie marker to ensure I would still have accurate details.
The arm gets attached to a space block before final assembly which gives it some depth.
With the details now traced in Sharpie I painted the whole thing with a white matte spray paint in order to get the best base coat for my colors to go over.
I painted the arm first since it had the least amount of details need. I chose Valspar “Sassy Green” and “Quite Red” paint from the local big box store. While matching paint samples I felt these names called out “Grinch”
In between coats of colored paint I went over the detail lines with black acrylic to ensure I didn’t lose any detail. I ended up doing three coats of color to ensure I got the saturation I wanted.
After it was fully dried I used a gloss clear coat to seal the front and back.
Optional Step: I was a bit paranoid about moisture creeping in the edge of the plywood and causing de-lamination so I applied black silicon sealant all around the edges. I feel this also helps the cartoon look of the cutout really pop.
I then attached a 36″ landscaping U-Post in order to stake it to the ground.
With the cutout complete I just had to decorate. I hung a single strand of lights from halfway over the garage and draped it through the Grinch’s hand. I then positioned a 20 lumen solar powered landscaping spotlight pointed at the Grinch to ensure the display is easily seen by all my neighbors with their massive blowup snow globes and enormous December Electric bills.
November 28, 2020 @ 12:19 pm
Hello, I have a question how did you print the template out at home and piece it together or did you have it printed out at office depot?
December 12, 2020 @ 1:07 pm
Hi Jonathan. I had access to a wide format printer through work, but the template includes directions to print on individual pages and piece it together if you don’t have access or pay to have it printed somewhere
December 12, 2020 @ 12:46 pm
This looks awesome. How did you attach the garden stake?
December 12, 2020 @ 1:04 pm
Hi Jessica I actually just used some 3/4 or 1″ long screws to attach the stake. The stake can be driven itself so the screws are really just to hold the Grinch in place.
September 12, 2022 @ 11:11 am
What did you use for a block on the arm? What was the size of the block and how did you attach it ?
December 28, 2023 @ 11:13 am
I used just a small scrap of 3/4 plywood and I glued and nailed it in place.
January 7, 2023 @ 6:23 am
i loved this project, it has brought big smiles to young and old.
November 10, 2024 @ 6:20 am
How do you access the template when purchased?
November 10, 2024 @ 11:57 am
Hi Dorothy, thank you so much for your purchase. Templates are sent out automatically after purchased. On your order the email was bounced back multiple times due to your mailbox being full. We tried reaching you by phone unsuccessfully. If you could trying deleting some messages from your mailbox we can resend it if you have an alternative email address you’d like to use you can email us at contact@olmsteadworkshop.com please just include your name and mailing address so we can verify it is you. Thank you so much.