5 Painted Pumpkin Ideas with Step-by-Step Instructions

Have you ever wanted to paint your pumpkin instead of carve it? Here are 5 easy pumpkin painting ideas with easy to make, step-by-step instructions.

This year, I thought it would be fun to paint some of our pumpkins instead of carve them. We have a few sizes of white pumpkins that are the perfect specimens for a fun paint job! Using some black and gold paint and a black permanent marker, I was able to create 5 different painted pumpkin looks in less than an hour.

What kind of paint do you use on a pumpkin?

I used acrylic craft paint on my pumpkins, but you can also use latex or chalk style paint.

Can real pumpkins be painted?

They sure can! I found it easy to paint these real, white pumpkins with a simple craft paint brush and a permanent marker.

Do I need to seal a painted pumpkin?

I didn't seal my pumpkins, but you could seal your painted pumpkins with a poly sealant or Mod Podge.

Can you use Mod Podge on painted pumpkins?

If using Mod Podge to seal your painted pumpkins, make sure to use an outdoor variety if you're keeping the pumpkins outside. It's too cold to keep ours out here now, so I didn't seal mine.

Can you eat painted pumpkins?

Because paint can be toxic, I wouldn't recommend eating the pumpkins even if you're carefully removing the insides. Just in case!

Watch the video below for a step-by-step tutorial for these 5 painted pumpkin ideas:

Permanent marker vine pumpkin

To create this simple vine look, first draw vertical lines on your pumpkin with a permanent marker using the pumpkin's ridges as a guide. Then, draw simple rounded leaves on either side of each line.

Complete the look by using gold acrylic paint and a paint brush to fill in the leaf shapes.

Using a similar method, you could also create a spider web design which I think could look fantastic!

Dipped paint pumpkin

This painted pumpkin idea is so easy! For a paint dipped look, use a wide, flat paint brush to randomly paint on some gold acrylic paint to the bottom half of the pumpkin.

Polka dot painted pumpkin

Another simple idea is using gold acrylic paint and a small brush to paint polka dots all over a pumpkin. You can alternate with different paint colours, too!

Painted floral pumpkin

For a slightly more advanced look, use a wide, flat paint brush to paint uneven blobs of gold paint onto your pumpkin. I painted 3 blobs in 3 different sizes.

Then, once the gold paint is dry, use black acrylic paint and a small detail brush to outline floral shapes over the blobs.

Then, add vines with the black paint using a technique similar to the first vine pumpkin idea.

Finally, you can finish off the look by adding random dots over the design with the black acrylic paint.

Black cat permanent marker pumpkin

This final idea is so simple, but it might just be my favourite! Use a black permanent marker to draw small cat face shapes all over your pumpkin. I find my marker dried out quickly, so you may want to have a few on hand to switch back and forth.

Speaking of black cats, I tried SO HARD to have our black cat Luna a part of this photo shoot, but she's much too shy:

Even with cat treats sprinkled on the sofa, she didn't want any part of this!

Now tell me: What do you think of these painted pumpkin ideas? Which one do you want to try?

Love everything PUMPKIN? Here are more DIY ideas and pumpkin recipes.

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