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Looking for a fun, colorful project to get into the Thanksgiving spirit? You’re going to love this Gobble Turkey Door Hanger! This design is full of cheerful colors, and it’s simple enough for beginners to enjoy making it too.
Whether you cut your own wood blank or grab a ready-to-paint blank, I’ll walk you through everything step-by-step so you can create your own festive turkey. Keep scrolling to find the notes, or watch the video below for the full tutorial.
Supply List for Your Thanksgiving Turkey Door Hanger Tutorial
Here’s everything I used for this project:
Door hanger template and wood blank:
Paints (DecoArt Americana):
- Victorian Blue
- Laguna
- Sable Brown
- Burlap
- Primary Red
- Pumpkin Orange (Patio Paint – covers beautifully!)
- Sunset Gold (new color, similar to Marigold)
- Optional: Tiger Lily (reddish-orange alternative)
Where to find them: Shop these colors and more at decoart.com!
Brushes:
- Large flat-tip brush
- Small flat-tip brush
- Round-tip brush (for details)
- Tiny flat brush (for small areas and buckles)
Where to find them: You can grab these in my brush set on shopdoorhangers.com!
Tools & Extras:
- Pencil (for sketching details like the hat buckle)
- Baby wipes (for quick cleanups)
- Sponge pouncer (for polka dots)
- Sharpie or paint pen (for tracing lettering)
- Spray sealer (Rustoleum lacquer or DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze)
Where to find them: All of these products are available for purchase on my Amazon storefront.
Now Then, Let’s Paint Your Gobble Turkey!
You can paint this design a couple of different ways. Let your creativity guide you and see where it leads. Just remember, the most important thing is to have fun, not to be perfect!
Option #1: Use a Printable Template
Grab the Gobble Turkey Template, which comes with:
- A full-color mockup for reference
- A black-and-white printable for tracing
- Laser cutting files (if you have a laser cutter!)
You can print it, trace it onto your wood, and cut it out yourself. The shape is easy — it’s basically a circle, so a jigsaw or scroll saw will work great. Grab yours here!
Option #2: Ready-to-Paint Wood Cutout
If you just want to sit down and paint (no cutting required!), you can order a wood blank directly from our shop. Each piece comes with the design laser-etched on the surface, so you can see every detail as you paint. Grab yours here!
Your Step-by-Step Guide for Painting Your Gobble Turkey
Step #1: Paint the Background
Start with Victorian Blue for painting the background around your turkey’s feathers. Use a large flat brush and a little water to help the paint glide smoothly. To avoid getting paint on the back of your piece, start a little away from the edge and “flick” the brush outward.
Step #2: Paint the Turkey Body
Next, fill in the turkey’s body using Sable Brown. Don’t worry if you paint over the etched lines (if you’re using an etched door hanger blank from our shop), you’ll still be able to see them once the paint dries!
If you aren’t using an etched door hanger, you can always use a baby wipe to erase paint that made it over the lines. It works wonders!
Step #3: Add Feathers in Fun Fall Colors
Each feather gets its own pop of color:
- Primary Red
- Pumpkin Orange
- Sunset Gold
If your paint looks streaky or thin, add a second coat for a smooth, solid finish.
Step #4: Paint the Hat and Buckle
Sketch a small buckle on the turkey’s hat using a pencil, then fill in the hat with black and the buckle with yellow (Sunset Gold). A small brush works best here!
Step #5: Add Details
Now the fun part — details! Add the turkey’s beak using orange and the snood (that little dangly part by his beak) with Primary Red. You can also add polka dots to the feathers using a sponge pouncer. Try mixing up colors for a playful look!
Step #6: Paint the Lettering
If your design includes lettering (like “Gobble”), trace over the laser-etched lines with Laguna blue. A small silver-tip brush gives you great control for this part.
Step #7: Add the finishing touches
Once everything’s dry, use a 5mm Posca paint pen to outline your feathers and lettering. This helps tidy up any uneven spots and makes the whole design pop!
When that’s fully dry, seal your finished piece with a clear acrylic spray sealer for protection and a pretty shine. Even if you’re hanging your turkey indoors, a little sealer helps everything look polished and smooth.
Once it’s dry, your Gobble Turkey Door Hanger is ready to show off on your front door — or gift to a friend who loves Thanksgiving decor!
More Thanksgiving Tutorials This Way!
If you loved painting this Thanksgiving door hanger, there’s more where that came from! Check out the video below for your next project, then grab the door hanger template and wood blank at shopdoorhangers.com!
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