20 Creative Painted Pumpkin Ideas

Why carve it if you can paint it?! A painted pumpkin will outlast a carved one, and if you use a faux pumpkin in your endeavor, you can continue to enjoy it year after year. While painting can make a mess, some prefer paint on their hands to the slimy feel of pumpkin innards! Or perhaps you relish the process of carving a pumpkin each year, and you paint one to go along with it. Whatever you have planned this Halloween, read on as we round up 20 of our favorite painted pumpkin ideas…

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Top Trends

Let’s start with pumpkins that showcase some of today’s top trends, such as abstract art and design! These Abstract Painted Pumpkins from A Subtle Revelry are super simple to create, thanks to an easy-to-follow tutorial:

Abstract style is alive and well on this DIY Decoupage Tissue Paper Pumpkin from Sarah Hearts. Paint is used as a base, and decoupage or tissue paper creates the design:

Bring on the ikat! This beautiful pumpkin by Decorgreat is a vision in mint and gold:

This Galaxy Art Pumpkin from Easy Pumpkin Ideas celebrates celestial style with an abundance of paint and glitter:

Mirror80’s DIY Terrazzo Pumpkins are inspired by the current terrazzo trend. After all, the glass and marble bits in terrazzo tile are irregular forms, so there’s no pressure to create perfect lines and angles for this project. Don’t be afraid to freehand the design! (full disclosure: Mirror80 is the personal blog of this author)

Homey Oh My’s DIY Cute Faced Mini Pumpkins celebrate the eye trend (winking eyes, open eyes and more – have you noticed eye motifs on manicures, pillows and other surfaces?!). A paint pen gets the job done, and you can even add eucalyptus “antlers”…

While these eye-opening pumpkins are technically tattooed rather than painted, we couldn’t resist putting them in our roundup. Free printable tattoos make the project a snap. See the full tutorial at Proper:

Add some gold leaf paint to your pumpkin and bring on the brassy style! This painted design from A Beautiful Mess lets the vertical lines of the pumpkin dictate the checkered pattern:

These New Memphis pumpkins from Mirror80 celebrate squiggles, curves, sprinkles and zigzags. Plus, the designs couldn’t be easier to create, thanks to the use of trusty paint pens. Learn more about Memphis-Milano style here.

Sugar & Cloth painted pumpkins to look like cacti in their Palm Springs-Inspired Halloween shoot. At one glance, they’re potted plants, and at another, they can’t help but channel Memphis style with a sprinkle motif. Fabulous all around!

Bring on the neon (and the nostalgia) with these DIY Label Maker Pumpkins from A Bubbly Life. If you can’t find plain white pumpkins, a painted white base really makes the labels pop:

Paper & Stitch created a collection of No-Carve Watercolor Pumpkins that showcase the beauty of painterly style. Sticking to three colors keeps the look of this project cohesive:

These Creepy Cute Pumpkins from Happy Mundane have been on our list of favorites since last year. Elements of pastel goth and kawaii combine as spray paint forms a pastel base, while drippy black acrylic paint dials up the goth factor. Get all the DIY details (including helpful pointers) here:

Proper’s DIY Marbled Pumpkins use marbling paint to their advantage. Bring on the marble and pastels!

Design Sponge invited Hank & Hunt to create these Malachite Pumpkins, and they couldn’t be more elegant. Layering paint is a key element of this chic project:

Is It a Pumpkin?

Our second group of pumpkins are painted to look like something else… Is it an ice cream cone or a pumpkin project?! We love that you have to look closely to tell. This deliciously adorable pumpkin painting endeavor is made possible by spray paint and vinyl adhesive. Find the full tutorial at Aww Sam:

Pumpkins or cherries? Either way, they look good enough to eat! Head on over to Design Sponge and learn how floral wire is your friend for this clever project created by Brittany Jepsen:

Could these Mini Lawn Flamingo Pumpkins from Aww Sam be any cuter?! Mini flamingos and pink paint take this project to the next level…

If you love to sew, this just might be the pumpkin project for you! We have Professor Pincushion to thank for this Pincushion Pumpkin, complete with the little strawberry that hangs off the tomato! Grab some red paint and get to work: