Pumpkin Painting

Halloween Madness. ? What would Halloween be without decorative pumpkins? It wouldn't be the same. You will be the envy of your neighborhood.

First, let everyone pick out their own pumpkins. This will add to the enjoyment and create individuality. It also creates bonds between family members.

Now while out looking for the pumpkins that you want to carve or paint you will want to try to seek out the pumpkins that have at least one side that is a little more flat than round.

Time to start painting those pumpkins.

The secret to great pumpkin painting is getting the right type of paints. Most craft stores will have a simple paint that will get the job done. Acrylic paint might work well here. Be sure not to try to use watercolor or oil paints when painting your pumpkins as they will not so through and they can get expensive here.

Get crazy with the way you paint your pumpkins. There are many ways and designs available for that Halloween secret pumpkin painting that you want to do.

How to Paint a Pumpkin

Painting a pumpkin is a great project for a Festive Halloween. It's ideal if you have an artistic side or you just don't want the mess of carving a pumpkin.

Steps

1. First, you need a pumpkin. It should have a smooth, even surface.
   
2. Clean the pumpkin if necessary. Make sure it's dry before you start painting.
   
3. If you're afraid you'll mess up, you can draw a pattern of what you want on paper and cut it out.
   If you're using a pattern, hold it on the pumpkin and paint around the outline. Once the outlines are done, you can remove the pattern and fill in the outlines.
   
4. If you're using light colored paint, you may need to add additional coats. Make sure the existing paint is dry before you add any more paint.
   

Tips

• Acrylic paints work best because they adhere to the pumpkin and have vibrant color.
  
• Stick with simple pictures; there's only so much you can do on a pumpkin.
  

Warnings

• Never use watercolor; it's the worst paint you can possibly use on a pumpkin.
  

Things You'll Need

• Pumpkin
  
• Acrylic paint
  
• A variety of paintbrushes (for different effects)
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Paint a Pumpkin. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Why Carve When You Can Paint !

Dear Halloween-Lover,

Every year, my daughter's class would take a field trip to the Pumpkin Farm and every year I would google and google over the charming and whimsical painted pumpkins that were on display. Pumpkin Painting. How cool," I thought.

Then I looked at the high price tags and decided that those charming and whimsical little guys could stay right were they were, at the pumpkin farm. I couldn't believe that something that wouldn't last through Christmas could cost so much.

I thought many times about attempting to paint them myself, but for some reason, those little orange squashes intimidated the heck out of me. Finally, I gave it a try. I began to experiment with different paints, different processes, different types of pumpkins, different designs.
Our pumpkin painting mini-masterpieces turned out so well, that now they are our family's trademark for the Halloween season. Our house is the envy of the entire neighborhood. Families make special trips just to drive by to see the Painted Pumpkins! And every year, neighbors comment on how beautiful our home looks during the season.

So many people ask me how I do it. The results, you'll find in this short but mighty Guide that I affectionately call Pumpkin Painting, Anyone Can Do It. Really!