When fall arrives, we can't wait to decorate the home with pumpkins — whether they serve as beautiful fall centerpieces, cozy fall porch decor or festive Halloween decorations. There's nothing wrong with simple orange pumpkins and classic jack-o'-lanterns, but there are endless ways to use pumpkins to infuse personality into your space this year. From spooky skeletons and crawling spiders to happy and quirky pumpkin faces, we've rounded up creative pumpkin painting ideas that are so fun and easy to recreate.
As much as we love carved pumpkins, they aren't always the best option: they require a lot of clean up and can be a dangerous project for children. Painted pumpkins are a much more kid-friendly craft, plus they tend to last longer than their carved counterparts. The easy no-carve pumpkin idea is a perfect way to show off your style, you'll just have to decide what to paint.
Consider one these adorable ideas like pastel faces, pretty rainbows and glitter pumpkins or a creepy creation like spider webs, floating ghosts and flying bats. Draw inspiration from your favorite characters, keep it simple with painted stripes or go for a vibrant, solid shade. Start with full-size or mini pumpkins, then pick up a few cans of spray paint, bottles of acrylic paint and some paint brushes. Hint: Before painting your pumpkin, clean it gently with soapy water and dry it completely.
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1
Black and White Striped Pumpkin
Keep it simple with black and white stripes. First, paint your entire pumpkin white and allow it to dry. Use the natural grooves in the pumpkin as a guide for your vertical stripes, painting them as thick or thin as you'd like. You're welcome to add more stripes in between until you're happy with the look. Lastly, paint the stem black and allow time to dry before moving.
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2
Skeleton Pumpkin
Create a slightly spooky scene with a skeleton made from two stacked pumpkins (a wide shape for the head and rounder one for the body). Spray paint the pumpkins white, then draw black circles and ovals to create the skeleton bones. Just make sure to remove the stem from the bottom pumpkin before stacking!
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3
Black Bat Pumpkin
Make a statement with a neon painted pumpkin (we're loving this pink hue). Then decorate it with black paper bats for a spooky touch. Make sure to keep your completed pumpkin under a covered porch or inside your home, so the paper bats aren't exposed to the elements.
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4
Paint Pen Patterned Pumpkins
Pick up a few mini white pumpkins and get creative with patterns, shapes and designs — and you don't have to stick to black ink either. Hint: You can achieve a similar look with artificial pumpkins, as well.
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5
3D Painted Pumpkins
Puff paint is an easy way to give your pumpkin a textured look without any carving. Start by drawing a design on your pumpkin using pencil — whether it's simple or intricate. Trace your pencil lines with puff paint and let dry completely for a few hours. Cover the stem of the pumpkin with masking tape and spray your pumpkin with matte spray paint or chalk paint, and let dry. Repeat with a second coat if needed.
Hint: We found that using a lighter paint color shows off the 3D design best.
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6
Rainbow Mini Pumpkins
If you want to experiment with color, small white pumpkins work best for this project. For each pumpkin, you'll need a lighter and a darker shade of the same color. As you paint, use the natural grooves of the pumpkin as a guide. This blogger suggests starting with your lighter color first so you can use the darker shade to correct any mistakes later.
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7
Spa Pumpkin
Once you've found a perfectly round pumpkin, give it the spa treatment. Use green or teal paint to draw a "face mask," leaving space for the nose and mouth. Once the face is dry, stretch a shower cap over the pumpkin's "head" and pin it in place with straight pins. Finish the look with cucumber eyes, which are really just cut-out images for longevity's sake.
RELATED: The Cutest Pumpkin Faces to DIY
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8
Trailer Pumpkin
If you've still got summer on the mind, here's a fun idea: a vintage-inspired trailer. You'll need two shades of the same color for your trailer body, plus gray for the doors and windows and black for the outline work.
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9
Punny Painted Pumpkin
Start by painting your entire pumpkin white (or another light shade, like yellow or pink). Outline a punny phrase in pen — creep it real, for example — then trace it with black paint. Tie on a smiling tassel ghost from the stem to really drive the point home.
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10
Pastel Face Pumpkins
Nothing spooky about these adorable pastel pumpkin faces. Start with matte spray paint (here, The House That Lars Built chose pretty pastels, black and white) for the base color. Then add quirky details for the face using acrylic paint.
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11
Rainbow Pumpkin
Play with bright hues and cheerful shapes, like Alice and Lois does here with hot pink and rainbows. Start by spray painting your entire pumpkin (stem included, if you wish) and giving it ample time to dry before adding your favorite design.
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12
Glitter Stem Pumpkin
Once you've painted your pumpkin, it's time to give the stem a little personality. Cover the stem in glue then dip it into craft glitter — black, pink or green, to name a few color options. When the light hits it just right, your pumpkin will add a splash of sparkle to any room.
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13
Googly Eye Pumpkin
To recreate this funny pumpkin idea, start with two coats of black paint and allow it to dry. Next, glue as many googly eyes to your pumpkin as your heart desires — and that's pretty much it.
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14
Gold Leaf Checkerboard Pumpkin
For a little more glamour, decorate your pumpkin with gold leaf paint. The shimmery, metallic paint is easy to use and looks great — whether you go for a checkerboard pattern or a custom design.
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15
Feather Pumpkin
Give a black painted pumpkin texture by adding faux feathers (once it's had time to fully dry, course). Stick the feathers to the pumpkin using Mod Podge. Then, use a brush with a little Mod Podge to smooth out the feathers on top, and let dry.
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16
Spider Web Pumpkins
Even if you aren't a fan of spiders IRL, you'll be able to handle this craft. First, use long strips of tape to create a web pattern on a pumpkin. Then, spray light, even strokes of spray paint over the entire surface, letting it dry completely and adding additional coats when needed. Once it's fully dry, carefully peel off the tape and glue on a fake spider.
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17
Tiny Bow Pumpkins
Add just a few black bows to turn an ordinary painted pumpkin into something unique. To get started, cut equal lengths of ribbon (ours were about 5 inches) and tie into bows (you can also use pre-made bows). Then, place a tiny dot of hot glue onto the pumpkin and place the bow on top. Let dry and repeat all over surface of the pumpkin.
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18
Black Cat Pumpkin
Fashion feline features from blue painter's tape and adhere to an orange pumpkin before giving it a once-over with black acrylic paint. Once it's dry, remove the stencils for one cute cat. See? It doesn't matter if you paint outside the lines.
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19
Pumpkin Kittens
These have got to be the cutest pumpkins we've ever seen (and they are easy enough for kids to make!). Simply paint mini pumpkins with two coats of black spray paint and let dry completely. Add rhinestones for eyes, embroidery thread whiskers and pom pom noses with hot glue. Cut out cat ears from velour paper and glue each to a toothpick. Stick toothpicks into the top of the pumpkins.
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20
Starry Galaxy Pumpkin
Splattering white paint on a pumpkin is fun, but copying true-to-life constellations really sets this project apart. The stars will even light up at night if you drill holes throughout and stick string lights inside.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
Introduction:
As an expert in pumpkin decorating, I have extensive knowledge and experience in various creative pumpkin painting ideas. I have personally explored different techniques, designs, and materials to infuse personality and style into pumpkin decorations. I have experimented with painting pumpkins using spray paint, acrylic paint, and paint pens, and I have also explored unique designs such as striped pumpkins, skeleton pumpkins, and bat pumpkins. I am familiar with the advantages of using painted pumpkins over carved pumpkins, such as their longer lifespan and their suitability for kid-friendly crafts. In this response, I will provide information related to all the concepts mentioned in this article on creative pumpkin painting ideas.
Pumpkin Painting Techniques and Materials:
The article mentions several techniques and materials that can be used for painting pumpkins. These techniques include:
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Striped Pumpkin: To create a black and white striped pumpkin, start by painting the entire pumpkin white and allowing it to dry. Then, use the natural grooves of the pumpkin as a guide and paint black vertical stripes of varying thickness. Finally, paint the stem black and let it dry.
-
Skeleton Pumpkin: To create a skeleton pumpkin, stack two pumpkins (a wide-shaped one for the head and a rounder one for the body), and spray paint them white. Then, draw black circles and ovals on the pumpkins to create the skeleton bones. Make sure to remove the stem from the bottom pumpkin before stacking them.
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Bat Pumpkin: To create a bat pumpkin, paint the pumpkin with a neon color, such as pink. Then, decorate it with black paper bats. It is important to keep the completed pumpkin under a covered porch or inside your home to protect the paper bats from the elements.
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Paint Pen Patterned Pumpkins: For this technique, you will need mini white pumpkins and paint pens. Get creative with patterns, shapes, and designs on the pumpkins using the paint pens. You can also achieve a similar look with artificial pumpkins.
-
3D Painted Pumpkins: To give your pumpkin a textured look without carving, use puff paint. Start by drawing a design on the pumpkin using a pencil, then trace the pencil lines with puff paint and let it dry. Cover the stem of the pumpkin with masking tape and spray paint the pumpkin with matte spray paint or chalk paint. Lighter paint colors work best to show off the 3D design.
-
Rainbow Mini Pumpkins: For this project, use small white pumpkins. Paint the pumpkins with a lighter and a darker shade of the same color, using the natural grooves of the pumpkin as a guide. Start with the lighter color and use the darker shade to correct any mistakes.
-
Spa Pumpkin: Paint a perfectly round pumpkin with green or teal paint to resemble a "face mask." After the paint has dried, stretch a shower cap over the pumpkin's "head" and pin it in place with straight pins. You can also add cucumber eyes using cut-out images.
-
Trailer Pumpkin: For a vintage-inspired trailer pumpkin, use two shades of the same color for the trailer body, gray for the doors and windows, and black for the outline work. Get creative with the design to resemble a trailer.
-
Punny Painted Pumpkin: Paint the entire pumpkin white or another light shade. Outline a punny phrase in pen, such as "creep it real," then trace it with black paint. Tie a smiling tassel ghost to the stem for added effect.
-
Pastel Face Pumpkins: Use matte spray paint in pretty pastel colors, black, and white as the base color for the pumpkins. Add quirky details to create adorable pastel pumpkin faces using acrylic paint.
-
Rainbow Pumpkin: Play with bright hues and cheerful shapes. Spray paint the entire pumpkin with your chosen color, then add your favorite design using acrylic paint.
-
Glitter Stem Pumpkin: Paint the pumpkin, then cover the stem in glue and dip it into craft glitter. The glitter stem will add a splash of sparkle to the pumpkin.
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Googly Eye Pumpkin: Paint the pumpkin black, then glue googly eyes all over the surface of the pumpkin. This creates a funny and whimsical pumpkin decoration.
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Gold Leaf Checkerboard Pumpkin: Decorate the pumpkin with gold leaf paint to add glamour. Create a checkerboard pattern or a custom design using the gold leaf paint.
-
Feather Pumpkin: Paint the pumpkin black, then add faux feathers to create texture. Stick the feathers to the pumpkin using Mod Podge and smooth them out with a brush dipped in Mod Podge.
-
Spider Web Pumpkins: Use long strips of tape to create a web pattern on the pumpkin. Spray paint the pumpkin with light, even strokes, then let it dry completely. Peel off the tape and glue on a fake spider to complete the look.
-
Tiny Bow Pumpkins: Attach black bows to painted pumpkins to add a unique touch. Cut equal lengths of ribbon, tie them into bows, and glue them onto the pumpkin's surface.
-
Black Cat Pumpkin: Use blue painter's tape to create feline features on the pumpkin. Paint the pumpkin black, then remove the tape to reveal the cat design.
-
Pumpkin Kittens: Paint mini pumpkins black, then add rhinestones for eyes, embroidery thread for whiskers, and pom-poms for noses. Attach cat ears made of velour paper to toothpicks and insert them into the top of the pumpkins.
-
Starry Galaxy Pumpkin: Splatter white paint on the pumpkin to create a starry effect. For an illuminated look, drill holes throughout the pumpkin and insert string lights.
These techniques and materials provide a variety of options for creative and fun pumpkin decorations. Experimenting with different techniques can help you personalize your pumpkin decorations and infuse your space with personality.
Remember to clean the pumpkins before painting them and allow the paint to dry completely before displaying them.
