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Easy Pumpkin Painting Idea – Paint Pour Technique
Create stunning fall decor. This easy pumpkin painting idea uses the paint pour technique to create vibrant pumpkins in no time at all!
“Wait a minute! I thought your pumpkins were orange.” Not this year, instead it’s a super fun paint pouring project to create a navy and gold marbleized paint pour pumpkin! When it’s time to decorate the table for fall, standard orange pumpkins can sometimes be too boring! Enter my new favorite past time, creating these super easy paint pour pumpkins.
Be sure to pin this for later!
Easy Pumpkin Painting Idea
I prefer really easy crafts that you can do without a lot of thought. Arts and crafts should be fun! This easy pumpkin painting idea is so much fun. It uses lots of paint, but it is definitely worth it!
The inspiration for this project hit me when I was out looking for pumpkins. As I was shopping around for fall decor, I noticed most pumpkins were neutral colored. I decided navy and gold would be my colors of choice! With mixed metals trending in the wide world of home decor, antique gold quickly became my choice for fall accent colors!
All the steps and supplies for this craft are listed in the printable craft card at the end of this post. First, I have a video, pictures, and some tips that will help you out.
WATCH THE PAINT POUR PUMPKIN VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE
I wanted to create an interesting texture so mixing and marbleizing two different paint colors sounded like a fun way to go–Navy and Gold pumpkins for the win! Watch the quick video tutorial on this fun DIY project.
Supplies for easy pumpkin painting
Click here to view the full supply list for creating your very own version of these super easy pumpkins.
- Any orange styrofoam pumpkin (mine were from Hobby Lobby, but I believe Walmart has them as well)
- Several toothpicks
- Foil Lid or tray (this is the top of a foil casserole dish)
- Any acrylic paint colors of choice (mine were from Hobby Lobby, but any paint at all will do just fine)
Craft Tips and Pictures
Here are my best tips and some step-by-step pictures too. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll answer them as soon as I can.
1. Create legs for your pumpkin
First, insert toothpicks into the bottom of the styrofoam pumpkin. This will provide a sort of ‘legs’ for your pumpkins and help stabilize them as they dry so that the bottom does not stick to your surface.
2. Pour your paint into a disposable cup
Now you are ready to prepare your paint for the pouring. To do this, pour the dominant paint choice into the bottom of a disposable cup. This will be the color you want to show up the most on your paint pour pumpkin.
3. Swirl Paints Together
Next, pour any accent paints in a swirling motion on top of the first paint. Get creative with this, it’s the fun part. Feel free to add multiple accent paint colors to create more of a tie-dyed effect. Be sure to swirl it around as you pour it in the top, but don’t swirl so much that it ‘muddies’ it up or blends the colors too much or it will not turn out the way you are hoping for.
In the photo above, you can see how I took the gold paint and poured it as my secondary paint color on top of the navy blue paint.
When you pour the second paint on top, don’t overmix it. You want it to look lightly marbled.
4. Pour the paint on the pumpkin
Pick up the pumpkin by the stem and pour the paint over the pumpkin as you turn it around. This is the satisfying part of the project if you like to see transformations. Continue to pour the paint until the pumpkin is completely covered. If you run out of paint in your cup, see the next step below.
5. Save your paint
Take excess paint from the tray and pour it back into the cup. This is the easiest way to save your paint and make it work for you. Be sure to add more accent colors as needed.
6. Add More Paint
Add additional paint a second time for any areas that were missed during the first pour and remember, there is absolutely no way you can mess this up. Leave pumpkin to dry sitting on the toothpicks in your tray for several hours. Overnight is best, trust me on this one and ask me how I know.
Once the mess was cleaned up and the paint had dried, a quick trip (is there really such a thing? LOL) back to Hobby Lobby was in order! I picked out some gold napkins, a navy buffalo check piece of cotton material (about three yards), a gold mesh piece, galvanized chargers, a few stems, and then a TON of stuff NOT on my list of course! The rest of the tablescape was made of ‘finds’ around the house I already had.
Create your own q-tip painted pumpkins
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Supplies
- White mini pumpkins
- Acrylic paint
- Q-tips
- Paint palette
Get started painting your pumpkins
1. First, prepare your pumpkins by making sure they are clean and dry. The ones we got had some dirt on them, so I washed them quickly and let them dry.
2. Prepare your paints and your q-tips. We used a large paint palette and I squeezed out small amounts of paint onto it but was careful not to have the paints too close together.
Use one q-tip per paint color. We used fall colors because my daughter wanted to use them as a Thanksgiving centerpiece for dinner but kids could choose any colors they like.
A rainbow-painted pumpkin would be beautiful! Or you could turn them into Halloween pumpkins and use orange, black and some purple. Whichever design kids choose they will be unique and look great!
3. Have kids start to paint their pumpkins with the q-tips. This is the fun part! Let kids get creative about how they want their pumpkins to look.
They can try making patterns, spacing the dots out in a certain way or just try a completely random pattern.
I liked to keep my pumpkin on the table and tilt it a bit when I was painting, my daughter liked to hold her pumpkin but had to be careful not to smudge the paint. We found that the paint dried really fast between colors.
4. When you are done painting your pumpkins set them aside to dry. If you are using them as a Thanksgiving table centerpiece, try placing some fall leaves underneath them. We used fabric leaves, but real pressed leaves would also work.
I loved how easy and quick these q-tip painted pumpkins were to make! They are fun for kids of all ages and require only a couple of supplies. They would be beautiful as a Thanksgiving table centerpiece and kids will love to see their craft on display!
We love making Thanksgiving table crafts, take a look at these beautiful pinecone place card holders and these cookie-cutter fall placemats for more great ideas!
More Thanksgiving crafts kids will love
Follow me on Pinterest for more amazing project ideas.
Pin this fall craft for later
Yield: Q-tip painted pumpkins
Easy Q-tip Painted Pumpkins for Kids
These q-tip painted pumpkins are absolutely adorable! They make such an easy and colorful fall craft for kids of all ages. A great Thanksgiving centerpiece idea that kids can make themselves.
Quick and easy pumpkin painting tips
This step-by-step pumpkin painting guide is going to be a simple sketchbook tutorial, which is just perfect for a beginner. It will help you practice a variety of simple watercolour techniques, which will include, colour layering, preserving highlights, and how to use complementary colours. We will also look at how to create watermarks and what the wet on wet technique actually is.
I’ll show how to capture the textures and contrasts of the shape and skin of the pumpkin. I worked from real life, which you can do too. Alternatively, you might want to find a pumpkin photo to use as a reference, or you can paint along just by looking at the photos I’ve provided.
One of the things I love about this pumpkin is it came from my very own allotment! It was just so bold and vibrant it really caught my eye, and I just couldn’t wait to get it back home to capture it in watercolour.
We’re going to use washes and colour layering to create a loose watercolour look. This is a quick sketchbook painting, so relax and have fun!
What you’ll need:
If you don’t have the equipment and paints I recommend, get creative and try with what you have handy.
- A pumpkin or photo as your reference.
- Mop paintbrushes – Rosemary & Co Size 2/0
- Daisy palette (for mixing watery paints)
- Water bowl
- Paper towel
- Watercolour paper (I recommend Arches cold pressed paper)
- Paints (see colour list below). I use Winsor and Newton paints.
Paint colours needed:
- A yellow colour of your choice (I used Windsor lemon)
- A green colour (I used Olive Green)
- A deep pink (I used Permanent Rose)
- A reddish-brown colour (I used Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna)
- A contrasting blue (I used Cobalt Blue)
Place your pumpkin (or reference image) as near as you can to your paper. This will help you to get as close up as possible to observe the shapes of colour and tonal variations as you paint.
Step 1: Mix a very watery mix of your yellow colour and start by outlining the shape of the pumpkin. It needs to be really watery so that you can work quickly to create the shape. Make sure to study the form of the pumpkin and drag the watery paint mix to create the shape and remember to always paint in the direction of the form. Whilst layering down the vibrant yellow hue, leave areas of white which will work as highlights on the pumpkin.
Lots of watermarks may start to appear, leave them, as they will add texture to your pumpkin.
*TOP TIP* – If you go too watery you can just dab it off with your kitchen towel.
Step 2: I am now going to put an indication of where the stalk will sit. So, mix up a very light mix of your burnt sienna colour, making sure you look at the pumpkin for reference and place the stalk shape on the paper. You can see that a lovely textured edge has occurred on the yellow base colour.
Step 3: Next, I have mixed some of my burnt sienna with some permanent rose and Windsor lemon, to make an orange mix (use the colours you have available to create your orange colour) This is a thicker consistency that we are going to drop into the pigment on the paper to create some of the markings of the pumpkin, this is the wet in wet technique. I am forming some of the shadows on the pumpkin where its plump ribs sit. In some places, I am just adding a touch of water so the paint spreads. I am allowing some of the yellow hues underneath to come through. Any watermarks that I like I will try to keep, and whilst the mix is still really wet, I am going to drop in some pure Windsor lemon as an extra enhancement to my pumpkin.
Step 4: While your pumpkin is drying, we are going to be really bold and mix up a really watery wash of the blue colour. This is our complementary colour and it will really enhance our pumpkin. Place the blue wash around the pumpkin to show positioning and enhance the hues contained in the pumpkin. Use the side of the brush to move the pigment around by adding more water. Here you can also drop in some thicker consistency blue to create more shadow. We may touch the edges of the pumpkin, but it doesn’t matter as it will blend into the background.
Step 5: Next, I am going to drop in some of my pure permanent rose where the orange is still drying, this will merge with the other orange colours and create a deeper shade to create more depth to the pumpkin. I am now going to leave the base colours to dry and settle before I move on to the next stage.
*Top Tip* It is really important to let the layers dry completely so that when you are putting down your new layer you can lift off any mistakes without disturbing the layers underneath
Step 6: I am now going to look at defining the stalk. To do this I am going to use my burnt umber mix. I am going to start by lightly defining the shape and any textures that have formed on the previous layer, which I will try to keep. Remember to keep referring to your pumpkin and don’t worry, it’s not about being accurate, it’s about capturing and defining the shapes of what you see. I am now going to mix up my olive green and I am going to drop that into the lower part of the stalk and then drag it out. (wet on wet technique)
Step7: Now it’s time to go back to working on the pumpkin shape. I am using my rusty brown and lovely vibrant orange mix to capture the shadows that are falling on the pumpkin. Dropping the pigment onto the lower part and moving it around to define the deepening colour and define the shapes of the ribs and the shadows. In some areas, I am dropping the pigment on before I soften it down to the bottom of the pumpkin where the shadows are at their heaviest. Using the thicker mix and a dryer brush I am adding texture with the paint.
*TOP TIP* – You can always make adjustments where you feel like you have gone over some of your colours, I decided to add in some yellow to add a bit more vibrancy
Step 8: Now I am going to deepen the blue background. Some of the colours of the pumpkin have merged into the blue. I love how it looks so I am going to keep those patterns, but I’m going to add a bit more blue to deepen the shade to create more shadow.
Step 9: Now moving on to the finishing touches. I am going to add some more detail to the stalk. I am dropping in some brown and some more green to create more roundness and add more character.
Step 10: Reassessing your painting. Now it’s time to look at where you may want to lighten colours or drop in some more pigment to deepen some of the shadows. I have decided to add some more brown to the right edge, using bold strokes. I am using a big brush so it does fill the area quickly.
And we are done As this is a sketchbook tutorial, you can add notes to your painting to highlight where you would like to make any changes to help with your main study, for example, how to create the texture or where to preserve the highlights.
This has been a quick and simple process to show you some of the main watercolour techniques that I use. I would love to hear your comments, on this sketchbook style.
Pumpkins store really well as long as they are not damaged, so if you are painting from real life, make sure you choose a pumpkin that has no splits or soft spots and you will have plenty of time to paint it. You can also change the composition and even paint two pumpkins if you want some more of a challenge.
I really hope this step-by-step guide has helped inspire you to paint your own pumpkin this autumn.
If you paint your own pumpkin, I’d love to see your results, so tag me on Instagram and use the hashtag #jenniferrosegallery so I can see how you got on. You can also find me on Facebook
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