So you’re decorating for Halloween and the feeling you’re going for is something stylish, grown-up, and on-trend. SAME. Which is how Hallmark Designer Tuesday S. ended up flipping through our trends forecast and pulling together inspiration for a pumpkin-decorating workshop. The focus: Elegant Halloween pumpkins. We’ll let her take it from here.
Elegant Halloween pumpkins: Inspiration and supplies
Yeah, I got real deep for this pumpkin workshop.
I was going for something decadent, moody, and theatrical. So we began with limited colors of pumpkins and a set color palette—dark darks with vivid pops of color. I also encouraged thoughtful attachments, but nothing too bling-y or overpowering.
The only direction I gave them was that I wanted dramatic, fun and Halloween-y.
Sam L. starts with a black pumpkin and a simple, striking icon—a skeletal hand.
Marcos R. is wonderful at mark-making and always does some wildly fun patterns.
Amber G. is the lettering artist behind a lot of our favorite Instagram posts.
Felicia K.’s slinky, sinuous snake has a mystical vibe. She was the one who brought the attachments a lot of the artists used.
This one’s mine: a tall black pumpkin I’m covering with flowers in vivid colors.
Sam adds some lettering to the back of her skeleton hand.
Ken S. does these beautiful, whimsical florals. I just asked him to do his thing in our set color palette.
Lauren H. is great at sweet florals and fine line work.
Mirna S. added attachments in really fun and unexpected ways.
I considered the mix of artists and how the pumpkins would all work together as a collection.
Pro tips:
If you’re decorating a bunch of different pumpkins that you want to hold together, try limiting your elements—the color palette, materials, iconography. And a fun mix of mark-making, simple patterns, bold icons, and simple, pretty pumpkins make for a fantastically fun grouping.
Check out these amazing results!
What I love about his collection of artistically crafted pumpkins is that you still have your slithery snakes, creepy bugs, and eerie bones—all traditional to Halloween. And the pretty florals and sparkly accents make for an unexpected dramatic presentations, while still being playfully festive. If you’re traditional but adventurous, get busy adding carved, candle-lit pumpkins to the mix. After all, Halloween only creeps up once a year.
WANT MORE PUMPKIN IDEAS? TRY PAINTED PUMPKINS, DECORATING PUMPKINS WITH MARKERS, AND MONOCHROMATIC NO-CARVE PUMPKINS. AND CHECK OUT PUMPKINS BY KEEPSAKE ARTISTS AND SIGNATURE DESIGNERS AND PHOTO STYLISTS. THERE’S EVEN MORE FROM OUR FRIENDS AT IDEAS.
Show us your pumpkin photos! Share your favorite Halloween decorations with us on Facebook or tag us on Instagram!
Where did u find the blank pumpkins??
Hi Heather,
You can find them at your local craft store seasonally. Have fun! Don’t forget to share your results with us! 😉
What kind of paint did you use? What kind of markers? Thanks!
We used an assortment of paints, but craft paint will work from your local craft store! As for markers, try sharpies and acrylic paint markers.