Pumpkin Painting Ideas to Get Ready for Autumn

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It’s tradition for almost all households to have at least a pumpkin or two when autumn arrives. Some even hold pumpkin painting sessions for friends and family. As a kid, you’d add colored handprints or paint a little face onto it, displaying it on the porch with immense pride. 

As an adult, you’re much more steady-handed with how you execute your pumpkin painting ideas. Use the end results to enhance your overall fall decor and make your house look as pleasant as possible. on the block. 

Best Pumpkin Painting Ideas

From aesthetic to funny pumpkin painting ideas, the possibilities are endless. Find what captures your attention and execute it to your pumpkin harvest. Here are suggestions and how to achieve them. 

1. Classic Faces

Pumpkins with faces are one of the most classic yet creative ideas you could ever make. The traditional kinds with triangular eyes and a wide smile are iconic. However, other cuter variations with sparkling eyes and colored lips also work well.

Acrylic paint is ideal for pumpkins since it dries relatively quickly. Plus, it’s much easier to remove when you make a small mistake. Remember to pick up good-quality brushes for extra precision when drawing. 

2. Calligraphy

Calligraphy is an elegant pumpkin painting idea. For example, write “Welcome Home”, “Hello Autumn” or “Happy Thanksgiving” onto the surface in cursive. Pro-tip— you can add a coat of floor paint to keep rotting at bay. 

Acrylic paint is still good, though you may need extra layers if you’re looking to create thinner lines for your words. For the best results, focus on making the font as bold as possible. You can use a marker to outline the points before filling it in. 

3. Florals and Foliage

Autumn florals are so beautiful. If the real deal is unavailable, make the pumpkin your canvas and paint them on. Imagine having the dahlia, sunflowers and hydrangeas on the pumpkin. Use vibrant pinks and yellows to stand out from the pumpkins’ orange. 

You can’t have a fall without foliage either. Paint on different leaves onto the pumpkin, from oaks to dogwood to maple and more. You can also stick the leaves one by one with glue and make an art project out of it. 

4. Spooky Things

Fall is viewed as a cozy season, but Halloween is also right around the corner. Make spooky decor out of your pumpkins. For example, paint one fully white and add details for a fun skeleton. There are haunted houses, bats, vampires and so much more.

It’s up to you to make it as cute or creepy as you want. If children are in the house, you can skip the blood red paint and focus on making it more kid-friendly. Use more cartoon-like features instead of realism to avoid scaring them off.  

5. Two-Toned Pumpkin

Pumpkins are known for being orange, but painting them in a different hue is a novelty. Use your favorite color combinations, whether pink and blue or purple and green. You could even bring two metallic paints together to create a silver and gold fruit. 

When creating two-toned pumpkins, it’s easier to start at the center and circle the pumpkin. That way, you have a gradient of where each color should end. However, if you prefer a gradient, use a sponge and blend the colors in the middle. 

6. Splatter Paint Pumpkin

Splatter painting is one of the easiest ways to elevate your pumpkin painting sessions. Lay down sheets of newspaper on the ground and put your paint on. You can paint them in a different solid color or add a layer of orange to mimic their usual hue.

From there, dip your paintbrush in white. Flick the brush by tapping your wrist and allowing the color to go wherever. Do this a couple of times, along with other lighter colors. Your pumpkins will look artsy and festive in no time. 

7. Spray Paint Pumpkin

Spray paint is a wonderful way to coat your pumpkins quickly in a different color. You could also create an ombre effect by spraying different colors in layers. Pink and white go so well with orange, but try to think of your own combinations.

Remember to spray the fruits in an open area. Paint fumes cause headaches and irritation in your body, so it’s important to have plenty of ventilation. Keep your arm as far away from you during the application as well. 

8. Food and Desserts

Food-themed pumpkins bring a smile to any person’s face, as they’re silly yet impressive. You can make them look like donuts by painting the bottom beige. Add pink or brown at the top, along with a few other colors for sprinkles.

If your pumpkins are smaller, paint them into candy corn. Add white to the top and yellow at the bottom while keeping the entire middle bare. You can also make them into little ice cream scoops and stack them on top of one another. 

9. Marbled Pumpkins

If you have unused nail polishes, consider creating marbled pumpkins. You’ll use up extra supplies and end up with colorful and creative decor to display outdoors. Just add your fruits to a sheet and pour them on.

A water marbling technique works well too. You must use room-temperature water to ensure the polish stays wet while you add the droplets to the tub. Swirl it around with a toothpick and dip the pumpkins once you are satisfied with the look. 

10. Gingham Pumpkins

Gingham is a great pattern to use with your pumpkins. Granted, the curves and crevices can make it challenging to even get the paint. However, once you complete them, you get a quaint display that fits the autumn season. 

To achieve this, you need white and two paints that are the lighter and darker versions of each other. Blue is a classic gingham color, but yellow or pink would pop out more. Black, gray and white are also elegant and creative. 

Having a Pumpkin Painting Party

Find the best gourds from the patch and prepare the art supplies. Bring these pumpkin painting ideas to life and decorate your home with them. Autumn is a time for peak coziness, so emulate that energy in your space.