70 Cool Pumpkin Painting Ideas That Are So Cute (and Just a Little Bit Scary) (2024)

70 Cool Pumpkin Painting Ideas That Are So Cute (and Just a Little Bit Scary) (1)

It's a tough call between which Halloween tradition inspires more creative brainstorming sessions: Deciding on your family Halloween costume or coming up with the perfect Jack-o'-Lantern design. Sure, you want to look spook-tactular come October 31, but you probably also want to impress trick-or-treaters with your pumpkin decorating skills. And if you want to wow the crowds without spending hours carving intricate designs, you'll want to choose one of these pumpkin painting ideas.

That's right: You can say goodbye to cumbersome carving tools and hello to paintbrushes and pens thanks to these no-carve pumpkin designs, which are fun for all ages and make great Halloween crafts for the kids. Without the sharp edges of carving knives to worry about, you can rest assured that these painted pumpkins instructions are kid-friendly and easy to follow. All you'll need to do is make sure you have the right supplies on hand, including an array of paint brushes and sponges, Sharpies, and acrylic paint. From colorful patterns to spooky faces to funny characters, these creative pumpkin painting ideas guarantee a good time for all this Halloween season.

So this year skip the pumpkin carving and dig into our list of painted pumpkin ideas. Not only will your pumpkin last longer when left uncarved, but you'll also delight your neighbors with these cute and spooky faces as they approach your front door. They're some of the easiest Halloween decorations out there!

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Galaxy Painted Pumpkin

70 Cool Pumpkin Painting Ideas That Are So Cute (and Just a Little Bit Scary) (2)

For an out of this world Jack-o'-Lantern, travel no further thank this cosmic design that employs an old toothbrush to add bright stars to your very own galaxy.

Get the Galaxy Pumpkin tutorial at Dream a Little Bigger.

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Painted Mummy Pumpkin

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Start by painting your pumpkin completely white, then use a pen to freehand a mummy-style wrap design on it. Etch the lines using a linoleum-cutting tool. To create the eyes, glue googly eyes to two Ping-Pong balls and hand-draw red veins using a red Sharpie, then insert into two carved "eye sockets."

Shop Linoleum Cutters

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DIY Pop Art Pumpkins

70 Cool Pumpkin Painting Ideas That Are So Cute (and Just a Little Bit Scary) (4)

Inspired by pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, these animated pumpkins are sure to make your Halloween decor, well, pop!

Get the DIY Pop Art Pumpkins tutorial at Dream a Little Bigger.

Shop Black Paint Pens

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Gold Spider Painted Pumpkin

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Spray paint your pumpkin white and let dry, then hot-glue three long strips of ¼-inch glittered ribbon to to create radial threads of web. Measure, cut, and glue 12 shorter ribbon strips to complete the web. Spray paint several fake spiders gold, then hot-glue to your "web."

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No-Carve Eyeball Pumpkins

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This 15-minute craft is easy enough for even the least skilled among us. But don't be fooled, if you nestle a pair of these eyeballs in a tree or bush near the front of your house, you'll definitely shock any passersby.

Get the No-Carve Eyeball Pumpkins tutorial at Dream a Little Bigger.

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So Retro Painted Pumpkins

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These fun retro designs are an homage to decades gone by.

Get the So Retro Painted Pumpkins tutorial.

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Skull Painted Pumpkin

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Use a skull stencil, then grab black spray paint or matte acrylic paint to cover the rest of your pumpkin in the dark hue.

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Pretty Paintings Pumpkin

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Exercise your artistic side by painting a picture on your pumpkin. Simply apply washable poster paints to a clean pumpkin in your desired design for a decoration you can display all season.

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Glitter Decorated Pumpkin

70 Cool Pumpkin Painting Ideas That Are So Cute (and Just a Little Bit Scary) (10)

Add glitter on top of painted designs for an easy way to make your pumpkin sparkle.

Get the Glitter Decorated Pumpkin tutorial at The Inspiration Board.

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Chalk It Up Pumpkin

Create noteworthy designs on your pumpkin using chalkboard paint. Paint the whole pumpkin to make a message board, craft a silhouette, or let your kids add features to the characters using chalk.

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Zodiac Constellation Pumpkin Luminaries

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This painting idea will definitely need adult supervision as you will have to drill holes into your pumpkins. But after that step is done, the kids can have fun drawing dots and lines to connect their zodiac constellation.

Get the Zodiac Constellation Pumpkin Luminaries tutorial at Lia Griffith.

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Plaid Painted Pumpkins

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Paint fall's favorite pattern onto any smooth gourd. For the best effect, choose two or three colors and use duct tape to create fine and thick lines.

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Pour Over Pumpkin

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Be sure you have space to make a mess before you start this kid-friendly project! Pouring paint from the can on top creates the coolest design, and each kid will have a unique look that's all their own.

Get the Pour Over Pumpkin tutorial at Dream A Little Bigger.

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Scary Silhouettes Pumpkins

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Pull together a sophisticated setting with a group of painted silhouette pumpkins. Use adhesive stencils or free printable stencils to make orange bugs, birds and creepy crawly snakes pop against a matte black paint finish.

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Glitter Paint Pumpkins

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For something a bit more sophisticated and subtle, blast your pumpkins with glitter spray paint to create a charming front porch display. So easy!

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What a Gem Pumpkins

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Little hands can jazz up painted white pumpkins by popping on adhesive-backed jewels.

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DIY 90's Patterned Pumpkins

70 Cool Pumpkin Painting Ideas That Are So Cute (and Just a Little Bit Scary) (18)

Travel back in time an iconic decade and paint your gourds to match with neon squiggles, shapes, ghosts, and bats.

Get the DIY 90's Patterned Pumpkins tutorial at A Kailo Chic Life.

RELATED: 35 Best '90s Halloween Costumes to Celebrate an Outrageously Fun Decade

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Splatter Paint Pumpkins

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Flick a paint brush covered in gold acrylic paint onto a few white pumpkins — and paint the stems gold too, for an extra sparkling touch.

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Bewitched Pumpkin

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Set a sassy sorceress out front to welcome neighborhood nightwalkers. Paint on a witchy face, then glue on fake lashes to make this witch extra eye-catching!

Shop Fake Eyelashes

RELATED: 17 DIY Witch Costumes Perfect for a Wickedly Awesome Halloween

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Monster Mash Pumpkins

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Coiled aluminum-wire eyes that reflect light are a reminder that this ragtag team of ghouls is keeping watch over your house. Paint the body in your favorite patterns, stack a smaller pumpkin on top for the head, and add sticks for arms.

70 Cool Pumpkin Painting Ideas That Are So Cute (and Just a Little Bit Scary) (2024)

FAQs

How to decorate a pumpkin like a witch? ›

Wicked Witch Pumpkin
  1. Paint your pumpkin with a green base coat and allow to dry. ...
  2. I used a mix of green, metallic green, metallic white and metallic silver. ...
  3. Paint on eyes. ...
  4. Paint pupils and mouth with black paint and outline eyes with black paint and paint on eyebrows with black paint.

What's the best paint for pumpkins? ›

Thomas agrees and recommends acrylic paint instead of oil-based when painting pumpkins. "It's quick-drying, easy to use, and clean-up is a breeze," she says. "Because acrylic is water-based, if you mess up, you can wipe it off with a rag and start over! Oil-based paint takes a long time to dry and can be fumy.

What can kids use to draw on pumpkin? ›

Permanent Markers are formulated to allow you to create works of art on real or fake pumpkins. Feel free to explore all your creative options. Experiment with Crayola acrylic paints, washable paints and non-washable markers.

How do you paint a pumpkin like a cupcake? ›

Find yourself a baby pumpkin (the smallest one you can find) and flip it upside down to make the top of your cupcake. Paint the pumpkin using the color of your favorite icing, stick the pumpkin in a cupcake wrapper, and, while the paint is still drying, add sprinkles (you can also glue them on after the paint dries).

What can I paint a pumpkin? ›

Floral prints look great on pretty much everything—including fall pumpkins! Utilize craft paint and a few leaf-and-flower stencils to recreate one of these gorgeous, nature-inspired pumpkins. Just tape your stencils to an all-white pumpkin, grab a paintbrush, and dab on the paint.

How do you paint a pumpkin easy? ›

Start by drawing a design on your pumpkin using pencil — whether it's simple or intricate. Trace your pencil lines with puff paint and let dry completely for a few hours. Cover the stem of the pumpkin with masking tape and spray your pumpkin with matte spray paint or chalk paint, and let dry.

How do you paint a pumpkin easily? ›

Select your base color, then paint your pumpkin using your 3-inch paintbrush, covering it completely. Allow drying for at least an hour. Once the finish appears matte and free of any wet spots, you can add a second coat for extra coverage or go straight to painting on your pattern.

Will Sharpies write on pumpkins? ›

A lot less messy and still relaxing and fun! I love how they turned out.

How do you paint a pumpkin face? ›

3 STEP GUIDE

Fill the shape with orange paint and a damp sponge. Then with a small brush and black face paint, outline the pumpkin leaving a small space in the middle of the face for the stalk. Add three curved lines to the bottom of each side of the pumpkin and a triangle on the tip of the nose.

How do you paint a witch's face on a pumpkin? ›

How to paint a witch pumpkin. Paint one half of the pumpkin green (one full side or enough for a face). Outline the hair in grey: add triangular shapes for bangs, frame the face, and continue adding a random spiky border all the way around the back of the pumpkin (about halfway down). Fill in the hair with grey paint.

What is the pumpkin rule for Halloween? ›

The Pumpkin Rule:

Children (and supervising adults): Remember if a pumpkin is lit, a knock is welcome. If there is no pumpkin be respectful and do not knock.

How can I decorate a pumpkin? ›

For an innovative design, transform your pumpkin into a fruit. Paint your gourd a vibrant yellow and top it with various colors of green felt cutouts to make the leafy top.

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