These super creative pumpkin painting ideas and other no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas are perfect for Halloween.
Painted pumpkins are so much fun to create. Have you ever painted a pumpkin before?
There are so many unique and creative ways to paint a pumpkin. I’d rather make a painted pumpkin any day than deal with carving a pumpkin and touching the gooey guts inside. This girl is a fan of less mess, no-carve pumpkins!
You can paint real pumpkins and fake craft pumpkins. The benefit of painting a fake pumpkin is that you can keep it from year to year to use as Halloween decor. And if you get tired of the paint one year, you can always re-paint the pumpkin with a new design! I love to have a pile of painted pumpkins by my front door and on my front porch all through the fall season.
How to Paint a Pumpkin – What kind of paint do I use on pumpkins?
Here are a few different types of paint you can use on pumpkins and the pros and cons of each:
- Acrylic Craft Paint – The little bottles of acrylic paint you can get at any craft store work great for painting pumpkins. They are inexpensive and come in a huge variety of colors. This is my go-to paint for pumpkins.
- Spray Paint – Spray paint works great on pumpkins for doing a base layer of color, but it’s not very easy to make detailed designs using spray paint.
- Chalk Paint – Chalk paint has great sticking power and a soft, matte finish and works really well on both fake and real pumpkins.
- Latex House Paint – If you already have some leftover house paint on hand, you can definitely use it on pumpkins, but it’s more expensive to buy, so I wouldn’t choose this paint otherwise.
- Kids Tempera Paint – Tempera paint is a great option for kids to use, especially if you buy a washable variety. It may scratch off the surface of real pumpkins, but if you don’t need it to last for a long time, it works just fine.
- Watercolor – Watercolor paint does technically work on a pumpkin, but because it’s so runny, it drips on the curved surface of the pumpkin, so it can be difficult to work with. Watercolor paint also tends to be quite see-through, so you would definitely need to use another kind of paint as a base coat.
You can apply the paint with paint brushes, sponges, or even finger paint! This is a great chance to get creative and to encourage kids to be creative.
This video tutorial shows you four fun ways to paint a pumpkin!
Pumpkin Painting Video Tutorial
I’ve also gathered over 30 pumpkin painting ideas to inspire you. There’s a style for everybody… spooky, colorful, sophisticated, whimsical. You’ll have a hard time choosing which painted pumpkin to make! Click on the text link with each picture to see the instructions to make each individual pumpkin idea.
Halloween Pumpkin Painting Ideas
Plaid Painted Pumpkin
Plaid just screams fall. Learn how to paint a simple buffalo check plaid onto pumpkins. If you can paint stripes, you can paint plaid!
Sharpie Watercolor Pumpkins
If you want to try painting an abstract design, this one is super fun. Get the look of watercolor by using Sharpie markers!
Black and White Pumpkins
These bold, graphic black-and-white pumpkins are really striking!
Marbled Pumpkins with Nail Polish
Have you seen hydro-dipping before? You mix paint in with water, then dip the pumpkin into the water and all the paint clings to it and you get a marbled effect. Super cool and fun to do.
Witch Legs
This next idea just makes me giggle. Paint two pumpkins to look like witch legs! I love the stripey tights and pointy shoes. Such a cute way to paint pumpkins!
Artsy Hand-Painted Pumpkins
Get creative by copying fabric patterns freehand with a few colors of craft paint and you’ll end up with some really beautiful painted pumpkins with that artsy vibe.
Folk Art Pumpkins
I adore the style of this next pumpkin. That folk art vibe is just so cute! Go blue and white for a Scandinavian vibe or black and orange for a more spooky Day of the Dead look. You’ve got to see both!
Gorgeous Floral Fall Painted Pumpkins
Paint a gorgeous floral leaf motif on pumpkins in pretty fall colors. Love the velvet bow too!
Spooky Word Painted Pumpkin
This painted pumpkin idea looks like an old witch’s spell book! It is easy to do and only takes a few craft supplies–black paint, gold paint and foam letter stickers!
Cinderella Glitter Pumpkin
For the princess lover, this glittery whimsical pumpkin is perfection. Cinderella does have a thing for pumpkins, after all. The sparkle!
Doodle Pumpkin
Did you doodle in your notebooks as a kid? I sure did! And that’s exactly what this next pumpkin painting idea reminds me of. Grab some paint and start doodling designs until the whole pumpkin is covered.
Bow Pumpkin
Paint a pumpkin, then add cute 3D bows for a darling coquette style pumpkin. You could also hand-paint bows onto a pumpkin, which I think could look equally as cute.
Neon Dipped Pumpkins
Dip white pumpkins in neon paint and let it drip for a great pop of color. So cute!
Metallic Painted Pumpkin
If you want something a little more shiny, try using metallic paint. I like how this one fades from one color to the other and that copper color? Perfect for fall!
Abstract Colorful Pumpkins
I’m digging these abstract pumpkins. I think they call this kind of art Memphis style? Whatever it’s called, it’s loads of fun!
No-Carve Owl Pumpkin
Here’s an idea for the kids. Turn a pumpkin into an adorable owl!
Mud Cloth Painted Pumpkins
Take inspiration from mud cloth fabric and make these cool boho style pumpkins. Using a paint pen makes it simple!
Muted Tones Painted Pumpkins
If you want something more sophisticated to use for decor, try painting pumpkins in varying shades of the same color. They turn out so pretty!
Blue Porcelain Painted Pumpkins
Okay, these are truly gorgeous. Paint pumpkins inspired by antique blue and white porcelain. I love these!
Mountain Landscape Painted Pumpkins
Paint a boho-inspired abstract mountain scene onto pumpkins for really cool landscape art. The trees were added using stencils. I love how the two pumpkins go together.
Vintage Chalk Paint Pumpkins
Using chalk paint will give you an ultra-matte finish that almost looks like velvet. Pretty neat!
Faux Bois Painted Pumpkins
Faux Bois is a painting technique that mimics the grain of wood. In black and white, it makes for a really eye-catching pattern on pumpkins!
Pour Art Painted Pumpkins
Have you tried pour art? It’s really fun to do and you never know just how your project will turn out. Try it on a pumpkin!
Melted Crayon Pumpkins
These pumpkins have a similar look to the pour art pumpkins, but you do it by melting crayons and letting the colorful wax drip down the sides. How fun!
Spooky Black and White Pumpkins
These black and white pumpkins are a lot spookier looking and would be really great to decorate for Halloween.
Artsy Painted Pumpkins
You can tell that the artist who painted these pumpkins was having a great time. I love the idea of a set of pumpkins painted cohesively like this. So pretty! Check out the link… she has a ton of other amazing ones!
Letterboard Pumpkin
Okay, technically this pumpkin isn’t painted, BUT it’s so cute I had to include it. Use letterboard letters on a pumpkin to spell out a cute fall saying!
Rock N Roll Pumpkins
These pumpkins have a rock and roll attitude that I just love!
Baseball Pumpkin
Have a sports lover in your house? Check out this baseball themed pumpkin!
Harry Potter No-Carve Painted Pumpkin
Paint a pumpkin to look like everybody’s favorite book character. It would be even more fun to make a bunch of the characters from the books and have a whole collection!
Funny “Pun”kins
PUN – kins. Get it? These pumpkins feature cheeky puns on them and I am here for it! Witch better have my candy. LOL
This might be the most beautiful painted floral pumpkin ever. I just love it! I love the color combination, the chunky brush strokes, the design… everything is perfection.
Pokeman Pumpkins
If you have a Pokeman lover in your house, look how cute the Pikachu and Pokeball painted pumpkins are!
Metallic Glitter Drip Pumpkins
They’re metallic. They’re glittery, They’re colorful. Triple win!
Glow in the Dark Dot Pumpkin
Check out the link to this post for really cool glow-in-the-dark pumpkin painting ideas. Then they look really good at night on your front porch and there are million different ways you could do the polka dots.
Taylor Swift Eras Painted Pumpkin
The perfect pumpkin for Swifties… Taylor Swift Eeas pumpkin! There’s no tutorial for this, just the idea, but it looks easy to pull off. Just paint sections around the pumpkin for each album and add art that goes with each era.
Colorful Fall Pumpkins
If you want a unique color scheme for fall decor, you’re going to want to paint your pumpkins to match. How cute is this whole fall mantel?!
No-Carve Pumpkins
Tons of no-carve pumpkin ideas all in one place, and these are specifically designed with kids in mind.
Watercolor Pumpkins with Glitter Stems
I love the idea of adding glitter to JUST the stem of pumpkins. It’s such a whimsical touch!
These next pumpkins are so cute. Use a paint pen or Sharpie to draw mandala-inspired owls onto your pumpkins!
Galaxy Pumpkin
Not only is this a really fun painting technique, but this galaxy pumpkin features lights that shine to make constellations! Pretty cool.
Muted Florals Painted Pumpkins
I totally love this set of hand-painted pumpkins. The color combination is darling and the floral patterns are so cute!
Poison Apple Painted Pumpkin
Turn a pumpkin into a poison apple. So clever!
There you have it… tons of creative pumpkin painting ideas. I am going to have a hard time choosing which ideas to do! Which was your favorite pumpkin?
Pin it so you don’t forget it!
Comments & Reviews
These are all amazing; thanks for the great roundup! I did the unicorn last year, and this year I am going to try the scarecrow!