10 Easy Painted Pumpkins

Color Block Pumpkins

Here's an easy way to create a striking pumpkin display that works especially well with smaller varieties. Just put an inch of crafts paint in the bottom of a paper bowl, and mix in a little water until the paint is fluid but not watery. Dip the pumpkin and gently rotate. Set your pumpkins on waxed paper to dry.

Geometric Painted Pumpkin

You'll just need crafts paint, a bowl and electrical tape to create this striking mod pumpkin. Trace the circle with a bowl and use electrical tape to block out the stripes (the tape works well around the curves of a pumpkin). Paint in fun colors.

Chinoiserie Pumpkins

This blue and white pattern comes from an interpretation of traditional Chinese and other East Asian patterns found in decorative arts. Just paint a real or faux pumpkin blue or white, then add floral details.

Lace Works

Doilies used as stencils give a lacy look to orange pumpkins in the entry.

Patterned Pumpkins

Painted geometric patterns and a gold stem create eye-catching pumpkins.

Start with a white faux pumpkin or by painting your pumpkin white. Then, apply stripes of acrylic paint in black, tangerine, blue, lime, purple and orange. Gold metallic fabric paint with a painting tip can be used to outline bands and add fine lines and dots. One-step liquid gold-leaf paint turns the stem into a sparkling crown.

Inspired Design

A pretty set of pottery inspired the painted color and simple designs on these pumpkins.

Painted Leaf Art

Painted designs put the spotlight on your unusual squash or pumpkin cultivars, like this striking blue-green Jarrahdale pumpkin. Start with one that is clean and dry. Lightly sand the surface and apply paint sealer to prevent flaking. Create a design with stencils and acrylic paint, such as the leaf stencil and orange and white paints used here, then finish with a top-coat sealer.

Dotted Pumpkin

Decorate a natural or artificial pumpkin with painted-on dots for a playful look. To create dots, use the eraser end of a pencil or the rounded end of a paint brush.

Light Touch

Just a bit of pattern enhances this white 'Lumina' pumpkin; simple black accents look great on orange pumpkins, too.

Cool Cat

A painted black cat chases three mice on pumpkins lined up atop an outdoor wall.