10+ Cute Ways to Paint on Pumpkins {Easy Designs!}

When our kids were little & way too young to actually carve a pumpkin for Halloween, we learned all about PAINTING PUMPKINS instead.

We did this for several years until they were old enough to use carving instruments.

But after putting paint on real pumpkins for a while, I kind of got used to the idea, and now I almost PREFER painting over carving pumpkins.

Using paint is a fun way decorate faux pumpkins and real ones alike!

My little guy, who is now 9, OBVIOUSLY still prefers to cut the pumpkins open to see their guts! LOL

But the girls and I can appreciate a beautiful piece of art. 🙂 

I asked my blogging friends if they could help me compile a cool list of beautifully designed pumpkins for you to see. 

Boy, did they deliver! Below are links to amazing tutorials & inspiration pics for you to consider creating & displaying in your home / on your front porch this year! 

Cute Pumpkin Painting Ideas

Keep reading to see some amazing Halloween pumpkin designs.

You can use these ideas with real or fake pumpkins. It doesn’t really matter!

Although most of these designs would be easier to achieve on medium or large sized pumpkins, you could try some of them on mini pumpkins.

Idea #1 – Go with a Cute Theme

I think a cute theme like these Disney pumpkins is a great idea!

This works especially well if you are doing multiple pumpkins to display all together. 🙂 

Photo used with permission by Kayla Peloquin on Instagram

I also think this Harry Potter themed pumpkin from Fun Money Mom is super cute!

Idea #2 – Mask Up! 

Okay so this is timely & kinda cute actually! 

Protect your pumpkins from the virus with masks! LOL

Idea #3 – Try a Simple Checkered Design

This is such a lovely idea that I think anyone can do – a checkered pattern! 

Don’t limit yourself to boring colors…check out this gorgeous white & greens design by Amanda Barkley Floral. 

Photo used with permission by Amanda Barkley Floral on Instagram

Idea #4 – Cover the Whole Pumpkin in Paint & Add Embellishments

Perhaps the easiest way to get good end results from painting a pumpkin is to cover up any imperfections with embellishments like sequins or buttons. 

In this example, the blue leaves and pink polka dots are made from vinyl! 

Posted with permission by The Country Chic Cottage

Idea #5 – Use Nail Polish

If you don’t have excess paint laying around & don’t want to spend any money, consider using nail polish! It can make a pretty impressive looking display!

Conservamome has a neat tutorial for using just water & nail polish to give your pumpkin a marbled look. Find out how to use the nail polish method here >> DIY Marbled Pumpins Tutorial  

Idea #6 – Go Wild with Toppers

Fun Money Mom also has an adorable unicorn pumpkin that’s just a basic white pumpkin topped with a crazy amount of embellishments to turn it into a unicorn!

I love this idea for how colorful it is!

Photo used with permission by Fun Money Mom

Idea #7 – Paint it White

Very little artistic skills are required to pull off this chic white pumpkin look. I have seen them covered in a single coat of white paint & nothing else….covered in white with sequins….or covered in white + polka dots of different colors.

For this project, it doesn’t really matter what kind of paint you use. You could totally use white acrylic paint or even actual leftover wall or trim paint from a household project.

April from Love Our Real Life has a great tutorial on getting your pumpkin a gorgeous shade of white using spray paint. Here white pumpkins below are just gorgeous!

Read more about white (& gold) pumpkins on Love Our Real Life >>

Idea #8 – Glitter Pumpkins!

What could be better than a little glam on your front porch for Halloween?! If you have a lot of leftover glitter from various craft projects like I do, then this would be a way to put it to good use!

I think it would be especially beautiful to draw glittery spider webs on your pumpkins. Just draw the spider webs using glue, then sprinkle on glitter in your color of choice and let it dry! So easy.

I also love this example of a jewel-toned glittery drip pumpkin.

Photo used with permission from Crafts by Amanda

Idea #9 – “Paint” on a Face with a Sharpie or Craft Paint

If you are reading this list because you are actually short on time, then grabbing a sharpie and drawing a funny, scary, or sad face is a great way to decorate a pumpkin quickly!

You could also use craft paint to achieve the same look…not a lot of effort required even to achieve some serious monster faces!

Idea #10 – Make Funny Faces

I think the easiest way to achieve this look would be to layer on some features with sharpies then fill in with paint pens. 

For a more textured look, you could even use puff paint like this. 10 year old me would have LOVED making this design with puffed up paint! 🙂

Idea #11 – Layers of Paint

This mosaic pumpkin is to die for! 

I can’t get enough of the beautifully coordinated layers of paint on this one. Really, you could go all out with many colors and still have good results with this method! 

Photo used with permission by EmilyNichols.art on Instagram

Easy & Beautiful Pumpkin Projects

I hope you liked these ideas! I hope you are able to create some beautiful pumpkins this year.

Now I’ve written about all of them, I feel like having a pumpkin painting party myself!

If I get up the motivation to actually carve out a pumpkin design, then I think I’ll try my hand at these pet pumpkin carving ideas!

Related Pumpkin Reading: 

• Free Printable Pumpkin Stencils
• 800+ Free Jack-o-Lantern Carving Templates
• 25+ Free Printable Pumpkin Stencils