25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (2024)

Home » Holidays » Halloween

ByHeidi Kundin Posted on Updated on

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.

25+ Easy Pumpkin Painting Ideas to get you ready for Halloween! These fun pumpkin painting ideas are great for kids and adults alike! Everyone loves painting pumpkins, and there are so many fun ideas on this list!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (1)

This post may contain affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from these sales at no additional cost to you!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cute and Easy Pumpkin Painting Ideas

Everyone of all ages will love these fun & easy pumpkin painting ideas for Halloween!

October is here, and now is the time to start planning your pumpkin display! If pumpkin carving has never really been you’re thing, you’re in luck! You can still create an amazing faux pumpkin with paint—no knife required! Create an awesome pumpkin display for indoors or outdoors with these fun and simple methods!

Don’t like to carve pumpkins? These pumpkin painting ideas are super easy and aren’t nearly as time-consuming as carving. Even more importantly, pumpkin painting is a great way for little kids to join in the fun and help make your Halloween decorations since you’re using paintbrushes instead of sharp carving tools.

Take a look through this list of the best pumpkin painting ideas, and see which ones strike a chord with you. You’re sure to find a creative pumpkin you like!

You May Also Like These Fun Halloween Ideas:

Halloween Minute to Win It Party Games

40+ Free Halloween Printables

Halloween Pumpkin Painting Ideas

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (2)

’90s Neon Splatter Painted Pumpkins

These ’90s Neon Splatter Painted Pumpkins from Kailo Chic are a fun and easy-to-make blast from the past! Add a punch of color to your Halloween!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (4)

Neon-Dipped Pumpkins

These Neon Paint Dipped Pumpkins from A Night Owl Blog are an awesome and easy way to add some bold color to your Halloween décor!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (5)

Painted Unicorn Pumpkin

This Painted Unicorn Pumpkin from Better Homes & Gardens is super cute! A fun painted pumpkin project that you’ll want to keep long after Halloween (we recommend using a craft pumpkin if you want to keep your creation indefinitely!)!

Pikachu and Pokeball Pokemon Painted Pumpkins

Pikachu and Pokeball Pokemon Painted Pumpkins from Happiness is Homemade: Pokemon fans are going to love our painted Pikachu and Pokeball pumpkins! It’s such a fun way to bring your favorite game to life for the Halloween season!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (7)

Donut Pumpkins

Everyone knows that we LOVE a good donut DIY around here, and these painted Donut Pumpkins from Studio DIY are seriously adorable! All it takes is a little craft paint to make the cutest pumpkins in the patch!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (8)

Emoji Pumpkins

These adorable Emoji Pumpkins from Cutefetti are so fun and easy, and you can create all of your favorite emojis! Which emoji is your favorite? Ours is the one with heart eyes!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (9)

Troll Pumpkins

Troll Pumpkins from Craft Create Cook: Trolls will be popular this upcoming Halloween season thanks to the most recent Trolls movie. But let’s face it; these colorful little creatures with crazy hair are always cute! The faux fur hair looks and feels just like the troll hair from when you were a kid, but if you can’t find faux fur, you could also use tulle instead.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (10)

Sports Painted Pumpkins

How cute are these Sports Painted Pumpkins featured on BHG.com? What a quick and easy way to give your pumpkins some BIG personality!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (11)

Harlequin Painted Pumpkins

Harlequin Painted Pumpkins from DIY Candy: If you’d like your pumpkins to last through November, it’s best to stay away from traditional Halloween décor and use something a little more suited to the entire fall season. These Harlequin painted pumpkins are a great choice!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (12)

Textured Painted Pumpkins

This awesome tutorial from The Country Chic Cottage will teach you a new painting trick and technique to Add Texture to Painted Pumpkins and make them look like cast concrete!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (13)

White Pumpkin Decor

White Pumpkin Decor from Making Manzanita: If you’re looking for something simple to go along with neutral fall décor, try this white pumpkin tutorial (perfect for faux pumpkins that you can reuse year after year!). Paint your family initial, when you were established as a family, a fall saying, or a pretty painted laurel wreath, etc.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (14)

Black and Gold Pumpkins

Black and Gold Pumpkins from As for Me and My Homestead:Another color combination that’s always a classic is black, white, and gold paint. Our favorite is the gold heart on the black and white striped pumpkin, but they’re all lovely.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (15)

Ice Cream Cone Pumpkin

This adorable Ice Cream Cone Pumpkin from Frugal Coupon Living is seriously one of the cutest pumpkin painting ideas EVER! Use a terracotta pot as the “cone” and add a squirt of spray insulation foam for the base of the ice cream scoop – easy peasy!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (16)

Squeeze Paint Pumpkins

Squeeze Paint Pumpkins from Hello, Wonderful: Kids of all ages will have a blast trying their hands at squeeze painting. It’s just like it sounds—squeezing paint over the object you’re painting. There’s no wrong way to do it. Just put paint in coordinating colors in squeeze bottles, and let the squeezing begin. The paint will create unique patterns as it drips down the pumpkin.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (17)

Squeeze Paint Turkey Pumpkin

Squeeze Paint Turkey Pumpkin from Hello, Wonderful: Once Halloween is done, turn those squeeze-painted pumpkins into colorful turkeys by adding a rainbow of tail feathers, a beard, beak, feet, and googly eyes. This turkey sure is looking snazzy!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (18)

Galaxy Pumpkin

These amazing Galaxy Pumpkin from Dream a Little Bigger takes pumpkin painting to the next level by adding lighting elements – SO cool!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (19)

Ghost Handprint Pumpkin

Ghost Handprint Pumpkin from Fun Handprint Art: Painting with handprints is a fun way to get toddlers and preschoolers involved in the Halloween festivities. Turn your toddler’s handprints into a spooky ghost or silly spider printed on the pumpkin.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (20)

Marshmallow Painted Pumpkins

Marshmallow Painted Pumpkins from Glitter on a Dime: This may sound a little crazy, but have you ever painted with marshmallows? They’re perfect for stamping out nice, big polka dots, as you can see here. It’s a terrific art technique for your preschooler to try.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (21)

Painted Pumpkin Lego Heads

Painted Pumpkin Lego Heads from Handmade Charlotte: LEGO fans will think these figure heads are a hoot! These pumpkin ideas are super easy, too, so it’s easy for the kids to do mostly independently. Paint the pumpkin a solid color and grab a paint pen to add the face! Which LEGO face is your favorite?

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (22)

Cactus Painted Pumpkin

Cactus Painted Pumpkin from Craft Create Cook: We love how easy and cute this cactus pumpkin is! Paint the pumpkin green; add pipe cleaner “needles,” and don’t forget some pretty blooms on top. This would be really cute for a southwestern-themed party, too!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (23)

Q-Tip Painted Pumpkins

Q-Tip Painted Pumpkins from Projects with Kids: Exploring different painting techniques with the kids is a fun experience and encourages creative thinking. One of the easiest ways to get young kids involved is using bright colors to make Q-tip painted pumpkins this year. They’re simple enough for all ages and will look cute on your table. It’s best to use small or mini pumpkins with younger children, so that they don’t get overwhelmed with covering it up in dots. Older kids may enjoy making more detailed patterns with Q-tips on larger pumpkins.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (24)

Bat Pumpkin

Bat Pumpkin from Glue Sticks & Gumdrops: This painted pumpkin idea is super easy to implement. Simply use black paint, add some wings made from construction paper, cardstock, or poster board (depending on how big your pumpkin is), and then add googly eyes.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (25)

Green Pumpkins

Green Pumpkins from Gluesticks: Here’s another fun pumpkin idea that’s great for neutral or farmhouse décor, and you can use real or fake pumpkins. If you’re using real pumpkins, you may want to go over the whole pumpkin with a primer first before applying the green paint.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (26)

Stencil Painted Pumpkins

Stencil Painted Pumpkins from Handmade Charlotte: Use painters tape and stencils to create gorgeous, failproof designs that will really wow. Put your artistic skills to the test and create a floral pumpkin or a geometric pumpkin in lots of different colors! They’ll look amazing on your hearth, table, or outside on your porch. If you don’t have the steadiest hand or just think you’re “not the creative type,” stenciling can really save the day!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (27)

Starry Night Pumpkin

Starry Night Pumpkin from PMQ for Two: This black pumpkin with gold stars looks just like a dark, starry night. It’s incredibly easy to recreate this cute idea, and it’ll look great with almost any Halloween décor. Whether you’re going classic or whimsical, it’ll fit right in!

This collection of pumpkin painting ideas has something for everyone – there are so many creative ways to paint pumpkins! They’re all so much fun! Which idea was your favorite?

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (28)

Check Out These Other Halloween Ideas!

  • 75+ Easy Halloween Crafts for Kids
  • How to Make Harry Potter Floating Candles
  • Mummy Paper Plate: Halloween Craft for Kids
  • 13 Free Bat SVG Files for Halloween
  • Ouija Board Halloween Sign + SVG
  • DIY Foil Art Prints with the Cricut Foil Transfer System
  • Cauldron Halloween Bath Bombs
  • Halloween Rice Krispies Treats
  • Rainbow Heart Pumpkin
  • Easy Halloween Hoop Art with Cricut
  • Free Halloween SVGs
  • FREE Halloween SVG: I’m Just Here for the Candy!

Pin These Halloween Pumpkin Painting Ideas For Later:

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (41)
25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (42)
25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (43)
25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (44)
25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (45)
25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (46)

Don’t forget to pin these unique pumpkin painting ideas so you’ll have all the ideas you need to create memorable Halloween pumpkins this year!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (47)

Heidi Kundin( Owner & Creative Director )

Heidi Kundin has captivated the hearts of millions with her colorful and inspiring approach to crafting, celebrations, and family fun. With over 15 years of experience, Happiness is Homemade has become a must-visit destination for those seeking quick and easy creative ideas and last-minute solutions. Heidi’s warm personality shines through her posts, inviting readers to join her on a creative journey that’s fun, rewarding, and achievable. Heidi is also the author of Homemade Bath Bombs & More and DIY Tie-Dye.

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (48)

Hi, I'm Heidi!

I collect quirky coffee mugs, dot-grid notebooks, rainbow Flair markers, and half-finished craft projects.

I’m so glad you’re here!

More About Me...

let's connect!

25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (49)
25+ Pumpkin Painting Ideas (2024)

FAQs

What paint stays best on pumpkins? ›

Thomas agrees and recommends acrylic paint instead of oil-based when painting pumpkins. "It's quick-drying, easy to use, and clean-up is a breeze," she says. "Because acrylic is water-based, if you mess up, you can wipe it off with a rag and start over! Oil-based paint takes a long time to dry and can be fumy.

What kind of brush is best for painting pumpkins? ›

When painting a pumpkin, you'll want to avoid hard, bristly brushes. Instead, opt for sponge brushes and brushes with softer bristles so you don't damage the skin or scratch your pumpkin. If your pumpkin is already pretty rough, though, bristly brushes might be best.

How to seal a pumpkin before painting? ›

Use a brush to apply a liberal coat of sealer evenly to the entire surface of the pumpkin, and allow to dry thoroughly. Clean this brush thoroughly if you plan on using it for painting. Give the sealer time to dry before you move on to paint the pumpkin.

How do you shade a pumpkin for painting? ›

Once you've painted the pumpkins, you can go back and add more dimension with shading. I use orange, white, and some brown paint. Together these colors add the perfect shadowing that really brings these pumpkins to life!!

How do you keep paint from peeling on a pumpkin? ›

Start with a pumpkin that's free of bruises. Wipe off any dirt. Coat the entire pumpkin with an acrylic sealer to keep the decorative paint from peeling.

How long do pumpkins last if painted? ›

The nice thing about painting pumpkins instead of carving them is that they last longer this way - for at least a month.

Do you prime pumpkin before painting? ›

Some people choose to paint or spray their pumpkin with a clear gesso, matte medium, or varnish. It's not necessary, but might preserve the pumpkin for longer and help the paint to stick to the surface better. Make sure you let it dry completely if you choose to do this step.

How do you keep a pumpkin from rotting after painting? ›

Let your pumpkin dry completely, then choose one of the options below to keep it fresh:
  1. Spray daily with a bleach solution (use ratio above)
  2. Spray daily with a pumpkin spray (either store bought or homemade)
  3. Spray with WD-40 (just once or after each soak)
  4. Rub with petroleum jelly (just once or after each soak)

What do you spray on painted pumpkins? ›

The last step is to seal your pumpkin. Give the whole pumpkin a few coats of clear sealant spray. I like using Krylon spray… it's not too expensive. AND they have tons of options, but I have these 2: glossy and matte.

Can you paint pumpkins with finger paint? ›

Next press fingers with paint stripes onto the pumpkin, working your way around the pumpkin until you are happy with the designs. Let dry completely. Once the pumpkin is dry, top it with a fun matching bow to finish your colorful candy corn design for pumpkins!

Does washable paint stay on pumpkins? ›

If you use washable paint, then yes! Washable kids paint comes right off the pumpkins, even after it's dried.

Will acrylic paint wash off a pumpkin? ›

Acrylic paint is made with a polymer resin that dries like plastic, making it water proof. It will stick to a pumpkin for the life of the pumpkin. It usually has a semi shinny finish. If you put your pumpkin outside during the autumn season it will withstand weather and rain, no paint will drip off or wash away.

Does Crayola paint stay on pumpkins? ›

Crayola Quick-Dry Paint Sticks and Take Note! Permanent Markers are formulated to allow you to create works of art on real or fake pumpkins. Feel free to explore all your creative options. Experiment with Crayola acrylic paints, washable paints and non-washable markers.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Trent Wehner

Last Updated:

Views: 6402

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (76 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Trent Wehner

Birthday: 1993-03-14

Address: 872 Kevin Squares, New Codyville, AK 01785-0416

Phone: +18698800304764

Job: Senior Farming Developer

Hobby: Paintball, Calligraphy, Hunting, Flying disc, Lapidary, Rafting, Inline skating

Introduction: My name is Trent Wehner, I am a talented, brainy, zealous, light, funny, gleaming, attractive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.