Sugar Skull SVG Project

Colourful sugar skull SVG project to make with your Cricut or similar cutting machine - celebrate the Day of the Dead with this easy-to-make layered sugar skull design...

Sugar skull cut files to make this colourful Day of the Dead project

Get the files for the sugar skull project from my store here

Digital download

SVG, EPS, DXF & PNG file formats suitable for Cricut and most other cutting machines

For personal craft use and small-business commercial use (up to 200 units/products)

Physical/craft products only - no digital files, products or sharing

Full T&Cs here

It's fun to include the Day of the Dead in Fall celebrations, so I wanted to include a simple sugar skull SVG project to make - that's also colourful ...and beautiful, of course!

The 'Day of the Dead' or 'Dia de Muertos' or 'Dia de los Muertos' is a celebration close to Halloween, often November 1st and/or 2nd. It originated in Mexico but has spread across the world.

It's a day to remember those who are no longer with us, but it's a day of celebration, not of mourning - a time for joyful memories and time spent with family and friends - what better reason than to join in the celebrations, too...

The sugar skull is an important icon of this day - a sweet treat to share, but also a symbol of the vitality of the spirit of those now departed as well as those still living.

I'll share how to make the sugar skull project from my template, on this page, right below...

Colorful sugar skull SVG template for Cricut

Colorful sugar skull craft project for Cricut

You will be able to make the full-colour version (as above) or if you prefer, you can use just the top layer, to make a simple single-colour sugar skull (as below) that you can use to decorate your home, easy for vinyl crafting etc...

Simple sugar skull cut file - single-colour, uses top layer only

Sugar Skull SVG Crafting

The sugar skull SVG project is created using my hand-drawn cut file which you can get from my store here...

It's a layered file with five layers - that includes the intricate top layer, a full base-silhouette layer (use if you want to make a simple two-colour sugar skull) plus three more middle layers that give you all the different colours in the design.

Sugar skull cut file - showing all layers (left) and top layer only (right)

Showing all five layers to make the colorful sugar skull SVG (plus all layers together)

It's a really fun project, so I tried out an alternative colour too - one with a white (soft grey) skull/face (like in the template file) and one with a black skull/face - the other colours are all different too...

Trying out a different colour idea - black sugar skull and white sugar skull

Trying out different colour ideas - black sugar skull and white sugar skull - and lots of other colours!

I wanted to create lots of contrast so that the colours really stand out well, as the Day of the Dead is a really colourful celebration - so I added bright colours with the white skull/face and I added some softer and paler colours with the black skull/face which I think gives the sugar skull SVG quite a pretty and feminine look!

The white version with bright colours is included in the template - if you like the black version too (I really do) the colours I used are listed just below...

Black sugar skull version

Top layer - black
Layer 2 - pale-peach
Layer 3 - dark orange
Layer 4 - soft blue
Layer 5 (bottom) - pinky-peach

The cardstock I used for both the black and white versions is Sizzix 'Surfacez' textured cardstock - if you like the purple cardstock they're photographed on, that's Cricut cardstock from the Jewel tone set.

I'll be making the sugar skull SVG project in cardstock, but you can use another crafting material that's compatible with your cutting machine, if you wish.

What you'll need for your sugar skull project

Cardstock - in five different colours (see template for the colours for the white version, or the list above for the black version)

Paper glue - I'm using a glue stick - you could use glue dots, or double-sided sticky tabs if you want to make a 3D version

A way of cutting the design - I'm using my Cricut Maker. I cut the design using the 'intricate cardstock' setting on Cricut Design Space

The sugar skull SVG design file - you can download it from my store here if you don't already have it

Once you have your layers all cut out and ready to go, please follow along with the instructions just below...

Sugar Skull SVG Craft Tutorial

Let's get started making your sugar skull craft project - once you've cut out all the layers, get them ready, all together, and let's get going...

Prepare all your layers first - making the sugar skull SVG project

We'll work from the back, building up the layers to finish with the top, intricate cut layer with the main sugar skull design. So we'll start with the bottom two layers - that's the yellow and blue ones in this example (see below)...

Start with the bottom two layers of the sugar skull

Start with the yellow and blue layers - these are the bottom two layers of the sugar skull

Just cover the back of the blue layer with paper glue (remember to protect your work surface from getting sticky) - see below...

Add glue to the back of the blue layer

Then, all we need to do is just to align the edges all the way around the skull shape, and press down to glue the two layers together - your skull shape should look like the image below...

First two layers of the sugar skull are glued together

The yellow and blue layers are glued together

Next, is the pink layer (mine is a hot pink and looks red in the photos!) - again, just add your glue to the back of the layer (see below)...

Add glue to the back of the pink/red layer

Add glue to the back of this layer too

And once again, we just need to align the edges, all around, and press down to glue, once we're happy it's in position - it should look something like the image below...

Pink/red layer is in place - sugar skull project

The pink/red layer is glued in place (...and looks a little bit like a wrestling mask right at the moment!)

Then, glue the back of the green layer, align the edges and glue this on, too - your skull shape should be looking something like the image below...

Glue the green layer on too

Finally, it's all going to come together when we add the top layer - the one with the sugar skull design - once again, add glue to the back of the layer, being careful to get in around all the little edges (see below)...

Adding glue to the back of the top sugar skull cut layer

Add glue carefully to the back of the top layer with the sugar skull design - get in all those corners!

And now, all there is left to do is to align the edges and glue it in place - give it a little check over before you press down to glue it in place as some of the edges are quite close in places, so if you can see anything showing where it shouldn't, just give it a little wiggle until it's right... and when you're happy, press it down and it's done!

Completed sugar skull SVG crafting project

Colourful and fabulous! Completed sugar skill crafting project.

Use your new sugar skull to decorate your home, gift to someone special, or now you've got started, create more sugar skull crafts with your cutting machine!