How To Make A Wooden Scarecrow Face (With Printable Template!)

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These wooden scarecrow faces are so cute! If you are looking for an easy to make fall craft then you’ll love these easy wooden scarecrows that can be made from simple 1×6 boards or pallets. I’ve also included a free printable face template to make it even easier for you to get started.

Of all the seasons, fall has always been my favorite one. I just love the sight of the bright fall colors and the crisp air.

One of the fall decorations that I’ve always loved are scarecrows.

Maybe it’s because I’m a gardener who knows all too well what birds like to do to your garden, or maybe it’s from all the funny scarecrow cartoons I watched as a young child.

Either way, I love to use scarecrows to decorate our home and garden in the fall! If you do too, then you are going to love how easy this scarecrow craft is to make.

You can use any color scheme that matches your decor from bright blues and reds to soft moss green, to shades of tan if your decor is more of a farmhouse neutral style.

Easy DIY Wooden Scarecrow Face

These adorable scarecrows are so easy to make and pretty quick too! The longest part is waiting for the paint to dry in between coats.

But they are easy enough that we can make up batches of these each day for decorating our home and selling at the market.

We normally make these scarecrow faces using 1×6 boards because we find it’s just simpler to buy what we need.

Most of the pallets in our area use narrower boards but if you have some wide board pallets then go right ahead and use them. That would make this craft almost free.

The Quick Steps

1. Cut and sand a 1×6 for the face and a 1×4 for the hat brim.
2. Mark where the hat brim will go.
3. Stain the face and paint the hat.
4. Trace the face with the free template.
5. Paint the eyes and nose, then outline them and draw the mouth with a paint pen.
6. Seal it with polyurethane if it’s going outside.
7. Glue raffia hair under the brim and screw the brim on.
8. Decorate the hat and add a burlap collar.

Supplies

• 1×6 or wide pallet boards – cut to 31”
• 1×4 – cut to 12”
• 1 1/4″ Wood screws
• Raffia
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue
• Walnut stain
• White chalk paint
• Black chalk paint
• Chalk paint color for the hat and nose
• Black paint pen
• Foam Paintbrushes
• Polyurethane

Step 1. Cut And Sand The Wood

Cut the 1×6 to 31 inches in length and sand the edges smooth. Then cut out the hat brim 12 inches in length from the 1×4 size and sand.

Step 2. Measure The Hat Placement

Place the hat brim piece over the scarecrow face and adjust it until you like the placement. Sometimes we make them with a straight brimmed hat and sometimes on a slant.

Draw a line to mark where the bottom of the brim will be attached later.

Step 3. Stain The Face

Next, it’s time to stain the longer end of the 1×6 that will become the scarecrow’s face.

I like to use walnut stain because it’s just dark enough that it makes the painted face stand out well but you can still see the wood grain.

Using a foam brush, apply the stain to the face area remembering to also do the sides and bottom edge.

Then take a rag and wipe off the stain until you get the color you like. Set it aside to dry.

Step 4. Paint The Hat

After deciding what color you would like to use for the hat, paint the top part of the 1×4 from the edge of the stain up to the top. Remember to also paint the side edges and the top.

Paint the hat brim board to match and set aside until dry.

Step 5. Draw Or Trace The Scarecrow Face Make It Cute

Once the scarecrow has finished drying it’s time to start drawing on the face.

You can simply freehand a face, but faces are something I’m really not good at drawing by hand. So I created a face pattern in Illustrator that I could print off and use over and over again.

You’ll find my free scarecrow face template at the bottom of the page, just above the craft card.

Center your face template on the board and trace the edges of the eyes, nose and mouth starting points.

I like to use a different mouth shape on each scarecrow. One very easy way to do this is to take a large tomato sauce can and line it up to edges of the mouth and then trace the curved line.

Step 6. Paint The Scarecrow Face

Using the white chalk paint, start painting in the eyes. It may take 2 to 3 coats of paint. Remember to let them fully dry before starting the next coat.

Once the white of the eye looks good, fill in the pupil with the black chalk paint.

Next, paint the nose. You can use any color you like, but orange, yellow, or red colors are my favorites. Often I’ll match the nose color to the hat too.

After the eyes and nose have fully dried use a paint pen to trace around the edges and draw on the mouth shape.

Step 7. Seal The Wood If Using Outdoors

Allow the paint to fully dry and then spray all the wooden parts with a polyurethane sealer.

This is an optional step if you are only displaying your cute scarecrows indoors but a must if you want to display them outside where they can pick up some moisture.

It also makes it easier to wipe off at some point if needed.

Step 8. Make The Hair

After the polyurethane has dried it’s time to get back to decorating your scarecrow. I like to add raffia under the hat brim it looks like really cute hair.

The simplest way is to line the hat brim up again on the scarecrow’s face and trace the edges where it meets the face piece. It is between these lines that you will glue on the raffia.

Cut a handful of raffia into lengths about 3 inches long. Place a small amount of hot glue on the back of the hat brim and press down some raffia being careful not to burn yourself.

I often use a craft stick (popsicle stick) to hold it down instead of my hands.

Continue gluing down the raffia along the hat in small bunches until you have covered the area where you want the hair.

For extra strength make a thin line of hot glue over the top of the raffia to help hold it in place.

Step 9. Attach The Hat Brim

Once the hot glue is dry, line up the hat brim on the face and screw the two pieces together.

Trim the scarecrow’s hair until it’s the way you like.

Step 10. Decorate The Hat With Flowers Or Bows

Next, I like to add some decoration to the hat. There are so many fun ways you can do this. One of my favorites is to glue on some fall colored leaves and flowers.

I bought a huge package of fall craft leaves and also picked up these cute yellow flowers at the dollar store.

Try a few different layouts before you start gluing down the leaves and flowers, believe me, it’s so much easier to get it right first than to try and fix it later.

Once I have them set the way I like, I lift the flowers off and set them aside and carefully lift up the edges of the leaves. Place some hot glue under them and press it down for a few seconds.

Remember to use a craft stick or something to hold the leaves down as the hot glue can be felt right through them.

Then apply a good covering of hot glue around the base of the flower and press them down until they have set.

Step 11. Add A Burlap And Raffia Collar

At this point, you can be finished with your scarecrow face but I love to add some decoration to the bottom too.

Take some wide burlap ribbon and hold it on the bottom. Once it’s where you like it, make a line about 1/2 an inch to 1 inch down from the top edge.

Just like you did for the hair, cut some lengths of raffia and glue them down along this line.

Then place the burlap ribbon back over top and apply hot glue down over it pressing firmly so that it goes through to the wood and raffia under the ribbon.

Once it’s dry, turn the scarecrow over and glue down the edge of the ribbon on the back. Wrap it around before finally gluing the second layer down on the back as well.

Trim the raffia as needed, and you’re done.

You now have a super cute scarecrow decoration to display on your porch. See, making your own wooden scarecrow face was really easy.

Tips For Success

• Let every coat dry. The longest part of this craft is waiting for paint to dry, but it’s worth it. Painting over wet paint can smudge your eyes and nose.
• Go easy on the raffia. Too much hair under the brim makes it harder to screw the hat on.
• Test your layout first. Try a few arrangements of leaves and flowers before you glue anything down. It’s much easier than fixing it later.
• Protect your fingers. Hot glue can be felt right through craft leaves and raffia. Use a craft stick to press them down.
• Seal it for outdoors. If your scarecrow is going on the porch or in the garden, spray it with polyurethane so moisture doesn’t ruin the paint.

Substitutions

• Wood: Use wide pallet boards instead of a 1×6 to make this almost free.
• Stain: Walnut stain makes the face stand out, but any stain color you like will work.
• Face: Freehand the face instead of using the template, or trace a large can for the smile.
• Hat decorations: Use bows instead of flowers and leaves.

Variations

• Hat colors: Paint the hat bright blue or red, soft moss green, or a farmhouse neutral tan to match your decor.
• Hat brim: Attach the brim straight across or on a slant for a different look.
• Smiles: Give each scarecrow a different mouth shape so every one has its own personality.
• Collar: Skip the burlap collar for a simpler scarecrow, or add one for extra charm.

FAQ’s

More Fun Fall Crafts:

• 30 DIY Fall Wreath Ideas You Will Love
• Fun Farmhouse DIY Fall Crafts
• How To Make Wooden Snowman Faces
• 11 Easy Fall Crafts To Make And Sell
• How To Paint Plastic Pumpkins
• Easy No Sew Velvet Pumpkins
• Fun Fall Crafts For Kids

Download The Free Scarecrow Face Template

Print the template, center it on your board, and trace the eyes, nose, and mouth. You can use it over and over again.

** Download the Scarecrow Face Template HERE **

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