I hope you found this article helpful, and I could also give you inspiration for a new and stunning Fall or Halloween pumpkin for this season.
60 Easy Pumpkin Carving Ideas for Beginners That Are Oh-So-Cool
They may start promoting fall activities and putting the Halloween decorations on display as early as August, but with everything else the autumn brings, the true spooky season has a way of sneaking up on you.
So what do you do when you realize Halloween is right around the corner, you don’t have a costume and your front porch is devoid of expertly carved pumpkins? Do you have to abandon ship and settle for an array of uncarved pumpkins plucked from the bin at the supermarket? That’s an option (no judgment!). But as long as you have about 30 minutes to spare, there are plenty of easy pumpkin carving ideas you can pull off in a flash.
Have a couple of cookie cutters in your drawer? Those make excellent “hole punches” for instant cool designs—especially if you have bats, ghosts, and other Halloween shapes at your disposal. Even a little paint can take you most of the way, no artistic ability needed. For example, paint a pumpkin with a variety of mismatched shapes in different colors, then freehand a few additional cutouts, and you have yourself a Terrazzo pumpkin. And if you’d like to try something a little more advanced, you could even use tools like a power drill, a lino cutter, or a Dremel to make all kinds of perfectly uniform scores.
These unique (and cute!) ideas, which range from sweet and funny (hello, Disney characters!) to evil and downright scary, are simple enough for beginners or kids and quick enough to squeeze into even the busiest schedule.
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Terrazzo
Jojotastic
Paint will take you most of the way here. Then, all you have to do is cut out a few angular shapes of varying sizes to let the glowing light shine through.
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Terrarium
My Name Is Yeh
For a trendy yet Halloween-friendly centerpiece, carve a big hole into the front of your pumpkin, paint the edges, then fill it with cascading greenery.
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How to choose your pumpkins for painting?
You don’t need to be a pumpkin PRO to identify good pumpkins. For your craft, you do need and want to work with fresh pumpkins. Having a rotten art-piece after a couple of days is a big bummer, a waste of time, money, and energy.
There are a couple of things to look out for when choosing the ‘lucky one’. Search for fresh, firm pumpkins with hard skins. Soft spots and liquid leaking is a sign of rot. Avoid pumpkins with bruised, scratched, discolored, or damaged skin.
Always check the stem too; opt for a firm, and a few inches long. Small, loose or missing stems are a bad sign.
A foul odor is also an indication of rotten or overripe pumpkins (examine at the stem (top) and the blossom end (bottom).
What pumpkins are best for painting?
You may also wonder, is there a specific type that is best for painting or crafts in general?
According to wikiHow: most pumpkins are suitable for painting, but a few are especially good:
- Baby Pam,
- Sugar Pie,
- Neon,
- Lumina,
- Cotton Candy.
How to prepare pumpkins for painting?
If you are a crafter, you may already know that before painting anything, you need to prepare the surface so the paint has proper adherence.
Pumpkins have a glossy and non-porous surface, so the paint doesn’t have anything to adhere to. If the pumpkin is not primed, the color ultimately can rub off, crack, peel off, or wouldn’t stick or cover the surface well.
What you have to do?
- Clean the pumpkin gently with a damp cloth or wet wipes, then pat it dry. Avoid rubbing or brushing it vigorously that may damage the skin.
- Try not to wet the stem and the blossom end part, because it will make your pumpkin go bad faster.
- For better adhesion, use a craft sealant, acrylic ground, or gesso as a primer before painting. Although this step is optional, it may help the paint to stick to the surface. Add a light coat and let it dry completely before painting.
Also, be aware that over time your pumpkin may dry out and shrink and this will also affect your painting.
What kind of paint do you use on a pumpkin?
If only adults are involved in the painting process the best paint to use is acrylic paint (craft or artists acrylic paint) or spray paint.
I prefer using acrylic paint because they are available in a large variety of colors and also with different effects like metallic, pearl, or velvet. Everyone can find the best paint for their needs and style.
For a most distinct effect, you can also use chalkboard paint (you can write on the pumpkins notes, quotes, or draw fun things on it with chalk), or puff paint to create lace-like or henna tattoo designs.
Use permanent markers to add further patterns, doodles, or line art.
Painting pumpkins with kids is a little different. Never spray paint pumpkins with children around (it is toxic, and adults should also paint outside or in a well-ventilated room with masks). Even though most craft acrylic paints are non-toxic, I still wouldn’t use them with kids.
For kids, use washable paint or mix tempera with school glue to make it stick better (50/50 ratio). Activity paint is a good choice since it adheres to almost any surface and not prone to cracking.
