How to Decorate a Pumpkin Without Carving It
Draw a traditional Jack-o-Lantern face., Paint a less traditional Jack-o-Lantern face., Create other Halloween-themed faces., Use stencils., Sketch out geometric shapes., Use an autumn theme., Choose your color scheme wisely.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Draw a traditional Jack-o-Lantern face.
Sketch out a traditional Jack-o-Lantern face, using triangles for the eyes and nose, and a simple smile for a mouth.
Fill in the shapes using black acrylic paint.
As a variation on this, you could also give the pumpkin different expressions.
You could paint “angry” eyes or a mouth with jagged teeth, for instance.
Simply continue to use black paint in order to evoke the sense of a traditional Jack-o-Lantern face. , Use acrylic paints in multiple colors to paint a cartoonish face on the pumpkin.
Make the eyes white with colored irises and black pupils.
Consider giving the pumpkin eyelashes or eyebrows.
Paint a red mouth and a flesh-colored nose, if desired.
The face can be painted in any expression you desire.
You could make it friendly and happy, angry and threatening, sad, scared, or any other emotion you can imagine well enough to sketch out. , Use acrylic paint to decorate the pumpkin as a Halloween-oriented creature.
Create a black cat by painting the entire pumpkin black.
Give the cat almond-shaped green or gold eyes, a pink nose, gray whiskers, and a gray or pink mouth.
Paint triangle-shaped ears near or on the top of the pumpkin.
Create a black bat by painting the entire pumpkin black.
Sketch the outline of bat wings along the sides of the pumpkin in gray paint and give the bat white eyes and white fangs.
Create a ghost face by painting the entire pumpkin white.
Give the ghost black circles for eyes and a black mouth.
The mouth can be a circle or a smile. , Find paper or cardboard stencils that follow an appealing theme.
Fix the stencils to the pumpkin using painters tape and fill in the designs with acrylic paint or spray paint.
Look for Halloween-inspired stencils.
Consider generic designs, like leaf patterns, hearts, or geometric shapes.
Shop for stencils in the store or look for free stencil patterns that you can print from the Internet.
As a feminine variation on this idea, use a paper doily to create intricate, lace-like designs by filling in the space on the doily with black or dark brown acrylic paint., Geometric shapes are fairly easy to create even without stencils.
Create a checkerboard patterns by painting rectangles around the entire surface of the pumpkin, only connection the rectangles at their corners.
Create polka dots by painting large circles around the entire pumpkin.
Give the pumpkin vertical stripes in alternating colors. , Use acrylic paint to give the pumpkin an autumn-like appearance.
You could make a tall, skinny pumpkin look like candy corn by painting the bottom yellow and the top white, leaving a strip of orange in the middle.
Create a Halloween scene by painting ghosts, bats, skeletons, witches, or black cats on the pumpkin.
Paint leaf shapes on the pumpkin in reds, yellows, and browns to mimic the look of fallen leaves. , You could use black paint, autumn-themed colors, or metallics.
Black paint on an orange pumpkin makes use of the traditional black-and-orange color scheme associated with Halloween.
Autumn-themed colors include oranges, yellows, reds, and browns.
Using these colors will allow you to keep the pumpkin past Halloween for use as a generic fall decoration.
Metallic colors, like bronze and gold, have a uniquely elegant effect that presents an interesting contrast when used with something as down-to-earth as a pumpkin. -
Step 2: Paint a less traditional Jack-o-Lantern face.
-
Step 3: Create other Halloween-themed faces.
-
Step 4: Use stencils.
-
Step 5: Sketch out geometric shapes.
-
Step 6: Use an autumn theme.
-
Step 7: Choose your color scheme wisely.
Detailed Guide
Sketch out a traditional Jack-o-Lantern face, using triangles for the eyes and nose, and a simple smile for a mouth.
Fill in the shapes using black acrylic paint.
As a variation on this, you could also give the pumpkin different expressions.
You could paint “angry” eyes or a mouth with jagged teeth, for instance.
Simply continue to use black paint in order to evoke the sense of a traditional Jack-o-Lantern face. , Use acrylic paints in multiple colors to paint a cartoonish face on the pumpkin.
Make the eyes white with colored irises and black pupils.
Consider giving the pumpkin eyelashes or eyebrows.
Paint a red mouth and a flesh-colored nose, if desired.
The face can be painted in any expression you desire.
You could make it friendly and happy, angry and threatening, sad, scared, or any other emotion you can imagine well enough to sketch out. , Use acrylic paint to decorate the pumpkin as a Halloween-oriented creature.
Create a black cat by painting the entire pumpkin black.
Give the cat almond-shaped green or gold eyes, a pink nose, gray whiskers, and a gray or pink mouth.
Paint triangle-shaped ears near or on the top of the pumpkin.
Create a black bat by painting the entire pumpkin black.
Sketch the outline of bat wings along the sides of the pumpkin in gray paint and give the bat white eyes and white fangs.
Create a ghost face by painting the entire pumpkin white.
Give the ghost black circles for eyes and a black mouth.
The mouth can be a circle or a smile. , Find paper or cardboard stencils that follow an appealing theme.
Fix the stencils to the pumpkin using painters tape and fill in the designs with acrylic paint or spray paint.
Look for Halloween-inspired stencils.
Consider generic designs, like leaf patterns, hearts, or geometric shapes.
Shop for stencils in the store or look for free stencil patterns that you can print from the Internet.
As a feminine variation on this idea, use a paper doily to create intricate, lace-like designs by filling in the space on the doily with black or dark brown acrylic paint., Geometric shapes are fairly easy to create even without stencils.
Create a checkerboard patterns by painting rectangles around the entire surface of the pumpkin, only connection the rectangles at their corners.
Create polka dots by painting large circles around the entire pumpkin.
Give the pumpkin vertical stripes in alternating colors. , Use acrylic paint to give the pumpkin an autumn-like appearance.
You could make a tall, skinny pumpkin look like candy corn by painting the bottom yellow and the top white, leaving a strip of orange in the middle.
Create a Halloween scene by painting ghosts, bats, skeletons, witches, or black cats on the pumpkin.
Paint leaf shapes on the pumpkin in reds, yellows, and browns to mimic the look of fallen leaves. , You could use black paint, autumn-themed colors, or metallics.
Black paint on an orange pumpkin makes use of the traditional black-and-orange color scheme associated with Halloween.
Autumn-themed colors include oranges, yellows, reds, and browns.
Using these colors will allow you to keep the pumpkin past Halloween for use as a generic fall decoration.
Metallic colors, like bronze and gold, have a uniquely elegant effect that presents an interesting contrast when used with something as down-to-earth as a pumpkin.
About the Author
Kenneth Richardson
Kenneth Richardson is an experienced writer with over 13 years of expertise in telecommunications. Passionate about sharing practical knowledge, Kenneth creates easy-to-follow guides that help readers achieve their goals.
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