DIY Easy Paint Pour Pumpkins

Have you seen all the AMAZING ink or acrylic paint pour videos out there? I always have to stop and watch the outcome every time! This painted pumpkin tutorial is so much fun! The best part is this family-friendly no-carve pumpkin craft is that it can be done in 10 minutes or less.

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When it came to painting our pumpkins as a family I knew that I really wanted to try to create colorful Halloween decorations! This project is perfect for those that do not carve our pumpkins. We like to paint pumpkins with our young children because who wants three kids under 5 using knives?

Paint Suggestion

The biggest thing to consider when wanting to create a paint pour is the fluidity of the paint. you do not want to use heavy-bodied acrylic paints. These will not spread as you want.

I did not want to spend a fortune on acrylic paint for a pumpkin that I wasn’t so sure would turn out. However, I love trying new and fun paint techniques.

You can’t be scared that they won’t turn out. One of my favorite “experiments” was another fun and easy painting technique on flower pots. I love how these turned out!

Another Paint Pour Resource

Here is a great article about using more advanced materials to create awesome abstract canvases and a resource I used even when experimenting with my own “dirty” paint pour pumpkin!

How To Make A Paint Pour Pumpkin In 5 Minutes

Order Of Paints Placed In The Cup

You can do this paint pour technique with any color of paint. It is best to pick colors that you think may mix well together. You would not want to put complementary colors (like red and green) together. You would chance them making a muddy brown.

Step 1: Add Acrylic Paint To Cup

I was nervous to add colors that I knew would not mix well together. For the first round of paint pour, I added in this order: blue, turquoise, yellow, and then white into a disposable cup.

Step 2: Flip Cup Over

Flip the cup over on one side and let it drip out a little. Once you remove the cup, you can tilt the pumpkin to encourage the paint to drip.

Step 3: Repeat Until All Sides Are Covered

You will need to probably do around 3 different pours to cover your pumpkin completely if you have a stem. If you don’t have a stem on the top of the pumpkin you may get away with one bigger pour right on top.

In the image, the final pour was placed on top of the stem so that it would go on all sides.

Optional: Add A Little Water

I tried 3 other similar, but different color combinations in the same cup and in different areas of the pumpkin. My favorite was adding about a tablespoon of water before adding more turquoise, blue, yellow and then black.

Common Mistake

I did make the mistake on the backside of this pumpkin by adding too much water. It simply looks like a turquoise wash down the side…not necessarily the paint pour pumpkin look I was going for.

Color Choice Idea If Allergy-Free Treats

Using teal to paint your pumpkin could help communicate with families that are concerned about food allergies.

Teal Pumpkin Project

By placing a teal pumpkin on your doorstep, you are saying that you are aware of food allergies and passing out “safe” treats. You can read more about the Teal Pumpkin Project here.

I just love how simple, easy and fun this painted pumpkin craft was. My toddlers were happily painting their own pumpkins while watching our fun pumpkin be created.

How-To FAQs

We can’t wait to make more painted pumpkins this Fall.