Around here, we’re known for pumpkin painting. Carving pumpkins is fun, but why not turn them into an easy Halloween craft instead? For us, it’s never a case of “Are we going to do pumpkin painting?” but more of a “What’s our take on painting pumpkins this year.” Hallmark Designer Lindsay T. is filling us in on all the tips and tricks, and final results, of this year’s take on painted pumpkins!
DIY Halloween Decorations
We absolutely loved the monochromatic gourds from 2014, and totally fell in love with the blingy pumpkins from 2015. But ya know what? We had to toss those beautiful painted pumpkin crafts a week after Halloween, and it broke our little hearts to let our fall centerpieces go. So this year we decided that saving our Halloween decorations and goggling our pumpkin patch year after year was priority – so we opted for plastic pumpkins.
For this Halloween craft activity, we wanted to add a matte texture base. To get this effect we spray-painted each pumpkin. It wasn’t too difficult.
How to Paint Pumpkins
- First, tape the pumpkin stem. You’ll want to keep the stem as real looking as possible, so avoid any color here.
- Secondly, wear gloves! This was a step we had to learn the hard way.
- Hold the pumpkin by the taped stem and slowly twist it as you spray paint for even coverage.
- Next, rest the pumpkin on top of the spray can lid for it to dry. Ours dried pretty quickly.
- Make sure to add a second coat. Our painted pumpkins each took two rounds of spray paint to get even paint coverage.
- If you have a white pumpkin, beware! The white ones were trickiest to paint. Plan on spending a little extra time (and maybe a couple more coats of spray paint) on white pumpkins.
Creative Halloween Pumpkin Ideas
Once you have your palette, and your pumpkins primed, it’s time to get creative! Grab some paints, paint pens, or good old-fashioned markers and let the Halloween fun begin. Autumn colors don’t have to be all about pumpkin spice. We meticulously painted a fall-inspired but super trend-forward palette in order to elevate the whole ordeal. Orange and white is one thing, but navy, gray, and sky blue? Don’t. Mind. If. We. Do!
You can see our artists really went for it – and we encourage you to do the same!
Share your painted pumpkins!
We’d love to see your take on pumpkin painting! Tag us on Instagram, @think.make.share.
Want more tricks and treats? Check out our Halloween section!
Photographer: Jake Johnson
Please tell me the steps on how to do this type of pumpkin decorating. What kind of spray paint should I use, and what kind of paint pens? Where can I buy these?
And are these real pumpkins? If so, how long will they last before rotting? Do I need to remove the flesh inside the pumpkins first?
Do I use some type of sealant spray after finishing the decorating? Specific instructions and product suggestions would certainly help me as a beginner in trying this. Thanks.
Thanks for your questions, Lori. We’re excited to hear that you want to try this! We used fake pumpkins to extend the life of our designs. If you intend to keep them for several years, we recommend using a spray primer before you paint. We used Krylon matte paints. You should be able to use any brand of spray paint you wish. There are a lot of great paint pens out there! Your local craft store probably has several brands to choose from. No sealant necessary!
Happy decorating!
I love ur pumpkins