Pumpkin painting has become more than a casual hobby of mine. I count down the days till October to take out my pumpkin patch and decorate. This year, I didn’t even wait that long. 2020 calls for finding joy wherever you can and my pumpkin babies definitely bring all the joy.
Painting faux pumpkins lasts forever – hence the collection I’ve amassed. I’ve got some tips, tricks, and ideas I’ve learned along the way. I’m sharing that with you below!
For starters, where do you get the pumpkins? I generally purchase at Michaels Craft Store. They have a good selection and they go on sale pretty early in the season. After Halloween (and again after Thanksgiving) I go back and buy them on clearance and put them away for the following year. This year (pre-pandemic) I lucked out and found a whole box at a garage sale – what a score. You can also purchase them on Amazon here.
I use acrylic paint on the pumpkins. It usually can take a few coats to get a solid base, be patient. I also have a lot of house paint for our mural projects. I like using those for base coats which goes on more thick and even.
Bling bling: I used sticky gem stones to make swirl patterns on the maroon and teal pumpkins.
Gourd-geous: I like to get different sizes for my collection. I also branch out to gourds which have unique shapes and add dimension.
Name game: I used my Silhouette Cameo to print a vinyl stencil with our last name. I put it on the pumpkin and then traced out the wording with a pencil. I then removed the vinyl and used a sharpie and outlined over the original pencil sketch. I added a dark green velvet bow for a touch of glamour.
Get Graphic: Some of my favorites are these illustrated pumpkins. I sketched out the skull, silhouette, and swans and then painted each. The silhouette pumpkin was my very first – 10 years ago! I recently added the striped bow as an update.
Pattern play: There are endless options for patterns. I think that’s part of what has led me to make so many. I like to search Pinterest for prints and patterns – like ikat, cheetah, and modern stripes.
Floral: I sketched out the florals with a pencil and then added shades of pink and seafoam for leaves. I used a gold paint pen to outline the flowers and add depth to the pattern.
Pour it out: I painted the bases of the pumpkins and then poured a layer of white followed by metallic gold over the pumpkins. I put them over trash bags and let them sit for two days. I cut a small paper cup and placed the pumpkins on there so they weren’t directly on the trash bags. I didn’t want them to get stuck!
Teeny Tiny: Some times there’s nothing more fun than painting a miniature pumpkin. They’re fun and quick. Plus it can be a great challenge to shrink your pattern down to fit.
80s baby: An homage to the decade of my birth. All the neon, galaxy, and bold print brings back all the nostalgia.
All the details: I find a little planning can go a long way on the pumpkins. But in this case, a lot of planning went a long way. I sketched out a pattern over the whole pumpkin before I began painting. I painted in three layers – a Mediterranean blue, robins egg blue, and white on top.
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn money from the products mentioned in this post, but this is at no cost to you, and helps bring you more creative projects. Thank you for supporting Momlando.
