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
As an expert in home decor and pumpkin painting, I can provide you with information related to all the concepts used in this article.
Pumpkin Painting Ideas
Pumpkin painting is a popular and creative way to decorate your home for fall, whether it's for Halloween or simply to infuse personality into your space. Painting pumpkins offers several advantages over traditional carving, including easier clean-up and a longer lifespan for the pumpkins. In the article, various pumpkin painting ideas are presented, each with its own unique style and technique. Let's explore some of the concepts used in these ideas:
1. Black and White Striped Pumpkin: This idea involves painting the pumpkin white and creating vertical black stripes using the natural grooves of the pumpkin as a guide. It's a simple yet stylish design that can add a touch of elegance to your fall decor.
2. Skeleton Pumpkin: To create a spooky scene, two stacked pumpkins are used. The larger pumpkin serves as the head, while the smaller one forms the body. The pumpkins are spray-painted white, and black circles and ovals are drawn to represent the skeleton bones. It's important to remove the stem from the bottom pumpkin before stacking them.
3. Black Bat Pumpkin: This idea involves painting the pumpkin with a neon color, such as pink, and then decorating it with black paper bats. To protect the paper bats from the elements, it's recommended to keep the completed pumpkin under a covered porch or inside your home.
4. Paint Pen Patterned Pumpkins: Mini white pumpkins are used for this idea, and you can get creative with patterns, shapes, and designs using paint pens. Artificial pumpkins can be used as well to achieve a similar look.
5. 3D Painted Pumpkins: Instead of carving, you can use puff paint to give your pumpkin a textured look. Start by drawing a design on the pumpkin using pencil, then trace the lines with puff paint. After it dries, cover the stem with masking tape and spray the pumpkin with matte spray paint or chalk paint.
6. Rainbow Mini Pumpkins: This idea involves using small white pumpkins and painting them with two shades of the same color. The natural grooves of the pumpkin can serve as a guide for painting. It's suggested to start with the lighter shade and correct any mistakes with the darker shade.
7. Spa Pumpkin: For a unique twist, you can give your pumpkin a spa treatment. Paint the pumpkin with green or teal paint to create a "face mask" design. Then, stretch a shower cap over the pumpkin's "head" and pin it in place. You can also add cucumber eyes for added effect.
8. Trailer Pumpkin: This idea is inspired by vintage trailers. To create a trailer design on the pumpkin, you'll need two shades of the same color for the body, gray for the doors and windows, and black for the outline work.
9. Punny Painted Pumpkin: Start by painting the pumpkin white or another light shade. Outline a punny phrase in pen, such as "creep it real," and trace it with black paint. You can also tie on a smiling tassel ghost from the stem to enhance the design.
10. Pastel Face Pumpkins: These adorable pumpkins feature pastel faces. Start with matte spray paint for the base color, and then use acrylic paint to add quirky details to the face.
11. Rainbow Pumpkin: This idea involves playing with bright hues and cheerful shapes. Spray paint the entire pumpkin and let it dry before adding your favorite design, such as a rainbow.
12. Glitter Stem Pumpkin: After painting the pumpkin, add personality to the stem by covering it with glue and dipping it into craft glitter. This will give your pumpkin a splash of sparkle.
13. Googly Eye Pumpkin: Paint the pumpkin black and glue googly eyes all over it. This creates a funny and whimsical look.
14. Gold Leaf Checkerboard Pumpkin: For a glamorous touch, decorate your pumpkin with gold leaf paint. You can create a checkerboard pattern or a custom design.
15. Feather Pumpkin: Paint the pumpkin black and add faux feathers for texture. Stick the feathers to the pumpkin using Mod Podge and smooth them out with a brush.
16. Spider Web Pumpkins: To create a spider web pattern, use long strips of tape on the pumpkin. Then, spray paint the pumpkin and remove the tape to reveal the web. You can also add a fake spider for extra effect.
17. Tiny Bow Pumpkins: Add black bows to painted pumpkins for a unique touch. Cut equal lengths of ribbon, tie them into bows, and glue them onto the pumpkin's surface.
18. Black Cat Pumpkin: Use blue painter's tape to create feline features on an orange pumpkin, then paint it with black acrylic paint. Remove the stencils to reveal a cute cat design.
19. Pumpkin Kittens: Paint mini pumpkins black and add rhinestones for eyes, embroidery thread whiskers, and pom pom noses. Attach cat ears made from velour paper to toothpicks and stick them into the pumpkins.
20. Starry Galaxy Pumpkin: Splatter white paint on a pumpkin to create stars, and drill holes to allow light to shine through. This will give your pumpkin a starry night effect.
These are just some of the many creative pumpkin painting ideas you can try to decorate your home for fall. Whether you prefer spooky or adorable designs, there's a pumpkin painting idea for everyone.
