How to Paint a Pumpkin
Painted pumpkins make beautiful fall decorations, especially for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Add some creativity to a fall day with some fun pumpkin painting ideas to create your own one-of-a-kind painted pumpkin! Plan a pumpkin painting activity for a children’s play date, a girls get-together, a couple’s gathering or a way to bond with your kids. You can even make Halloween pumpkin painting the theme of a pre-Halloween party!
Once you have selected the perfect pumpkin, here are steps on how to paint a pumpkin:
- Wash the pumpkin to remove dirt and dry completely.
- Brainstorm ideas for pumpkin painting. Consider painted pumpkin faces, a cartoon character or a Halloween scene. You can even create a pretty outdoor decoration to spell out your family’s name or the word “Welcome.”
- Sketch your design directly on your pumpkin in pencil as a guideline.
- Use a brush and acrylic paints and paint a design on your pumpkin. Wait for each color to dry, then proceed with additional colors to prevent smudges and color runs.
- Seal the paint with a spray sealant. Once dry, embellish the pumpkin with additional decorations like a witches hat, eye patch, eye glasses, straw hair or jewelry.
If you need specific pumpkin painting decorating ideas, consider Halloween-inspired designs for Halloween pumpkin painting:
Frankenstein: Create a Frankenstein pumpkin with green, black, orange and white paint, along with two bolts. Paint the front of the pumpkin with green paint. Create a spiky, jagged hairline with black paint. Use black paint to create thick diagonally positioned eyebrows and a mouth. Create a circular nose with orange paint. Use black and white for the eyes. Finally, visit your local hardware store, and purchase two bolts for the sides of the pumpkin’s “neck.”
Scarecrow: Create either a male or female scarecrow pumpkin. Paint the front of the pumpkin with a pale beige color for the scarecrow’s face. Use black paint to make the eyes and mouth. Paint small vertical lines for the scarecrow’s mouth. Paint a triangular nose with orange paint. For a female scarecrow, use hay for the hair and gather into two pigtails.
Witch: Make a witch pumpkin with green paint, large googly eyes, black yarn and a small witch hat. Paint the front of the pumpkin green. Create the witch’s mouth with black paint and when it's dry, add two googly eyes. Drape black yarn across the top of the pumpkin for the witch’s hair and top it off with a witch’s hat.
Get creative, have fun and be sure to recruit a clean-up crew!
Love this article?Find vendors
