10 pumpkin painting ideas

You can use a base coat to turn your pumpkin a different colour or use the natural colour of the pumpkin as the background, whether that's white, green, yellow or orange. Acrylic paint is an easy paint to use as it's water based and easy to clean up. For a matte look, try a chalky acrylic paint. Both these paints should be easy to wash off the pumpkin, before putting it on the compost heap. Alternatively, you can put the pumpkin directly in a bin or use a biodegradable clay paint, which can be left on the pumpkin when it's composted. For a no waste halloween, carve out the inside of the pumpkin before painting it. You can then use the flesh for soup and dry and roast the seeds.

What you need to paint pumpkins

• Acrylic craft paint or biodegradable clay paint
• A range of paint brushes, including fine tipped

Optional accessories

• Paint palette
• Marker pens if you want to add words
• Spray paint – for easy all over coverage
• Acrylic paint pens
• Water based sealant or varnish (don't use this if composting your pumpkin)

Where to buy

• Buy acrylic paint pens from John Lewis
• Buy acrylic paint from Baker Ross
• Buy paint brushes from Robert Dyas

How to paint a pumpkin

1. Prepare the pumpkin by first wiping off any dirt with a damp cloth. Then dry the pumpkin
2. Place your pumpkin on a large sheet of newspaper
3. Depending on your design, paint on a base coat of paint (e.g. if you're painting your pumpkin all black)
4. Let the paint dry for an hour or so
5. Paint on your pattern or scary face
6. Use a sealant to give your pumpkin extra protection from the weather, but for a wildlife-friendly option, it's better to avoid sealant and place your pumpkin in a sheltered spot

Easy pumpkin painting ideas

Dip mini pumpkins

Fill a few bowls with different coloured paints and dip mini pumpkins in for either half and half colours or to completely cover them. Embellish with a face or patterns or leave them plain for a simple decoration.

Splatter your pumpkin
Before embarking on this one, prepare your painting area to avoid paint going everywhere. Put down newspaper or place your pumpkin in a cardboard box. Water down the paint a little and use the paintbrush to splash different colours on. This works well with white pumpkins and saves painting a base colour on.

Add a pattern
Choose an easy pattern such as dots, squares or dashes and repeat all over your pumpkin to create instant impact. You could also use a stencil for this to get a uniform effect.

Paint scary faces on pumpkins

Give your pumpkin a costume

There's plenty of options to choose from here – turn a squarish-shaped pumpkin into a green Frankenstein, or recreate vampires, witches, skeletons or zombies on orange or white pumpkins. It's easier to paint these than carve them and the results will last longer. If you're new to painting and drawing, why not scamp out a few designs on paper before you start?

Add extra decorations

To complete the look, you can embellish your pumpkins with extra decorations. There are now many biodegradable options, including plant-based glue, or use materials gathered from the garden such as sticks, moss and berries to create legs, hair and eyes.

Use simple halloween images
To make a scary pumpkin that doesn't need a base layer of paint, use a fine-tipped brush to add black bats, spiders, or little white ghosts. These will stand out against the orange pumpkin skin.

Creative pumpkin painting ideas

Paint silly faces

Halloween pumpkins needn't be scary, why not make a series of friendly and funny faced pumpkins for your doorstep? Let your children design their own silly faces for a colourful display that will entertain trick or treaters.

Theme your pumpkins
Choose a theme and decorate a few pumpkins in the same style – it could be Disney characters, superheroes, rainbow colours, animals – anything that makes a set.

White pumpkin painting ideas

Use bold colours on white pumpkins
Bright colours such as purple, green and orange, will stand out well on white pumpkins or pumpkins that have been painted white. You could even use the pumpkin to write a 'Happy Halloween' message.

Use black on a white background
Stick to black on white for instant impact. All you need to paint on is a simple face or bat and it will look impressive with little effort. Perfect for the doorstop on October 31st.

Frequently asked questions

Should I leave pumpkins out for wildlife?

After Halloween, many people leave their pumpkins out for wildlife, but this can be bad for them. Fresh pumpkin can be a healthy source of food for birds, badgers, foxes and squirrels, but pumpkins that have been left out for several days will be starting to rot, and if they have been used for Halloween they may contain traces of paint or candle wax, which should never be eaten. What's more, any pumpkin left on the ground can be extremely damaging to hedgehogs, as it causes an upset tummy and lead to dehydration.

If you want to leave pumpkins for squirrels and birds to eat then leave small portions of fresh pumpkin out of reach from hedgehogs, such as wedged in a fork of a tree or on a bird table, and make sure the pumpkin doesn't fall to the ground The best thing to do with a Halloween pumpkin is to dispose if it safely in a bin. Alternatively, remove any non-biodegradable items such as candles and googly eyes, wash off any paint and add it to your compost bin.