To complete this tutorial you will need the following:

Materials

Bare Paint

Brush

A4 Paper

Coloring Pencils or Crayons

Components

Surface Mount LEDs UK: Farnell / US: Digi-Key

3V Coin Cell Battery UK: Farnell / US: Digi-Key

Project Steps

Materials and Components

Bare Paint, Brush, A4 Paper, Coloring Pencils or Crayons, Surface Mount LEDs, and 3V Coin Cell Battery

* Make sure you buy several Batteries and LEDs for all your projects in advance to save on shipping charges!

Download and Print your Template

Download the template for your card here.

Once you have downloaded the template, print it out and make sure you read all the instructions carefully!

Color in your Card

Once you have printed out your template on your card paper, use pencils or crayons to color in the drawing.

Trace the Circuit with Bare Paint

Following the instructions on your sheet, trace over the RED lines with your Bare Paint to complete the conductive circuit.

Make sure there is a gap where the LEDs and battery will go. Don’t paint all the way through as this will cause a short circuit.

Attach the LEDs to the paint

Look carefully at the bottom of your LED and make sure you’ve identified the positive (+) and negative (-) sides. If you’re not sure which is which, test it by touching the ends to the battery’s positive (+) and negative (-) pins. Make sure you place the LEDs in the right direction. Otherwise they won’t light up!

Glue the LED to the paper using Bare Paint.

Make sure the paint doesn’t connect between the positive (+) and negative (-) legs!

Attach the Battery to the Paper

Look carefully at your 3V coin cell battery, and identify which side is positive (+) and which is negative (-). The positive (+) side may have a green line indicating its polarity.

Bend the legs of the battery so that they’re facing upwards, and stick them through the back of the paper so that they make contact with the paint on the other side. If the paint is not totally dry and you’re worried about making a mess, you can let the paint dry first; otherwise make sure you’re careful while handling the paper!

The back should look like the third image shown here.

Paint over the battery legs

Carefully bend the battery legs that are sticking out so that they are flush with the paper, and making contact with the Bare Paint circuit you painted previously.

Let the paint dry

Let the Bare Paint dry for 10 minutes. If you look carefully, you will notice that as time goes by the LEDs should get brighter! This happens because the paint increases in conductivity as it dries.

Fold your card

Once the paint has dried the LEDs should be glowing brightly! You can now fold your card over on the dashed line.

Congratulations!

You should now have a Halloween card with glowing lights! Well done!

If you would like to make another card, go here where you will find a range of other templates.

If you make any great drawings of your own please feel free to email them to the Bare team at info@bareconductive.com so we can showcase them on our website for everyone to enjoy!