By contributing writer Beth
Celebrate fall with this super easy and fun to make Hand Painted Pumpkin Craft. All your kids can join in the fun too.
This is a great project for a rainy day or a lazy Sunday afternoon. We were able to get these two pumpkins decorated in under 30 minutes plus drying time.
You can put these out as a welcoming addition on your front porch or as a warm touch on your fireplace mantle.
Supplies Needed
- Paper mache pumpkins
- Acrylic paint (I used an ivory, taupe, and a shimmery gold)
- Paintbrush (a foam brush works for the first pumpkin)
Ivory & Gold Pumpkin
Lay down newspaper to protect your work surface. Apply a light ivory acrylic paint to the first pumpkin. I like ivory better than white for fall because it’s warmer to match fall decor colors.
Add enough coats of paint to completely cover the entire surface and all surface imperfections.
Allow all coats to dry completely.
Drip the metallic gold paint over the stem of the pumpkin. Allow the paint to pool around the top of the pumpkin and use a brush to move the paint around the top so it’s not too thick.
Allow the paint to gently drip down the sides for a wet look. The shimmery paint will still have a glossy, glimmering finish, even when it’s dry.
Paint Splatter Pumpkin
Gather all three paints for the next pumpkin. This one is crazy fun for kids to do.
Gather enough paint brushes for everyone and make sure to cover your artists (how adorable is this DIY Art Smock!) and your surface. Any splattered acrylic paint can usually be easily cleaned up with a damp cloth.
You can do a base layer of color for your pumpkin, but I liked the natural color of the paper pumpkins that I picked up, so I just used that as a neutral base for the project.
Water down the paint in individual bowls so that the paint flows freely. It should be watered down enough to splatter and not clump or drip.
Dip your paintbrush into the first color and splatter away.
Let that first color dry so that it doesn’t blend with the next layer of color. If you do the next color while the first color is wet, the colors could mix together.
Continue to layer color splatters on top of each other until you’re satisfied with the finished product.
Allow to dry completely and display as desired.
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