Looking for some unconventional, colorful fall décor? Get ready to tackle the easiest DIY painted pumpkin craft!
Say hello to these Kate Spade-inspired color-blocked pumpkins! This is an easy pumpkin painting craft that looks great year after year!
DIY Painted Pumpkins: A Festive Non-Traditional Fall Decoration!
Much to my mother’s dismay, I’ve never been a huge fan of traditional fall colors when it comes to decorating our home.
As you know, our house is full of bright colors and patterns — so colors like rust, brown and burnt orange don’t blend well with the core color palette.
I’m more about bright colors and color-blocking (like the Kate Spade aesthetic). That’s why I came up with the idea to make my own DIY color-blocked pumpkins.
If you want to add some simple fall decorations to your home but aren’t in love with traditional fall colors, painting pumpkins is THE easiest (and most affordable) solution to making your home feel like fall.
You don’t have to use bright metallic colors as I did, but I think the colorblocking makes these pumpkins pop!
The nice thing about painting your own pumpkins is that you have full creative control over the colors and patterns YOU want to use.
Make your DIY painted pumpkin craft YOUR way—to match any décor or style.
Oh, and did I mention affordable? This DIY painted pumpkin craft is inexpensive and easy. It’s ideal for beginners.
Considering that the required supply list for this project literally consists of pumpkins (real or faux), acrylic paint, and a paintbrush, it’s an affordable way to create personalized fall decor.
Supplies Needed for this Colorblocked Painted Pumpkins Craft
This post contains affiliate links — thanks for supporting Kate Decorates. For more, please visit my privacy and disclosure policy.
As I mentioned before, the supply list for this pumpkin painting project is pretty short and inexpensive. To make this DIY painted pumpkin craft, you’ll need the following:
- pumpkin (real or craft-type)
- acrylic paint
- Paint brushes (foam or stiff medium-sized brushes)
The best type of paint for pumpkins is acrylic, especially if your pumpkins will be indoors. I purchased all my supplies for this fall craft project at Michaels Stores. Click below to purchase everything you need to make your own color-blocked painted pumpkins:
What Kind of Pumpkins Should I Use for this DIY Painted Pumpkin Craft?
You can use real or faux pumpkins if you want to liven them up with a bit of acrylic paint.
However, I haven’t personally painted real pumpkins (yet), so I can’t vouch for how long they’ll last throughout the season.
I use my color-blocked pumpkins indoors, so the best type of paint is acrylic. It’s inexpensive and available in many colors.
I prefer painting faux pumpkins designed for crafting so I can display them year after year. You could also do this craft with mini pumpkins too!
I recently painted several old plastic and foam pumpkins I bought a few years ago. (They’re good quality and always on sale — you can buy some of your own plastic pumpkins right here.)
I also upcycled some ceramic pumpkins with colorblocking.
No matter what type of pumpkin you choose to paint, you’ll get good results with this project.
What’s the Best Type of Paint for Pumpkins?
I prefer using acrylic paint for DIY painted pumpkins.
If you’re wondering what type of paint for pumpkins made of other materials, acrylic generally fits the bill.
I found that ceramic pumpkins also do very well with acrylic paint.
If you display your painted pumpkin craft outdoors (or you’re painting real pumpkins), you may want to seal it with a protectant to ensure it can withstand the weather.
You can try using spray paint to paint pumpkins as well, although I find that I have more control over the amount of paint I apply to the pumpkin when I use acrylics.
Because most pumpkins are relatively small, you risk over-spraying, and the paint clumps up on the pumpkin (yuck).
My Favorite Painted Pumpkins: DIY Color-Blocked Painted Pumpkins
Ready to learn how to make these adorable painted pumpkins? It could not be easier!
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
The first step is to gather all the supplies needed to paint your craft pumpkins.
I snagged a cute plastic pumpkin at Target a couple of years back. I loved the gold part of it, of course, but the cream color wasn’t really my cup of tea.
So, what’s a girl to do? Paint that ceramic pumpkin, obviously!
(Note: my ceramic pumpkin was already half gold. If you want to replicate this color-blocked pumpkin look, you’ll need two paint colors.)
Step 2: Paint the Pumpkins
Even though this pumpkin painting craft is a pretty straightforward project, I was nervous about painting a straight line around the pumpkin.
I discovered that using the thickest paintbrush in this brush set is the secret to success in keeping your lines straight.
Here’s what the colorblocked pumpkin looked like after my first coat of paint (I used three coats total, leaving dry time between each one):
And here’s the real after with the pumpkins displayed in our entryway:
See that green pumpkin next to the color-blocked one?
That’s a ceramic pumpkin that I painted in a solid color — then I painted the stem gold.
It’s such a simple DIY fall craft project, yet really pretty.
When you paint your own pumpkins, you can choose any style you like, and you can go wild with the color combos — or keep it classic — and paint pumpkins that blend seamlessly with your everyday decor.
Here’s one more photo of these pretty little painted pumpkins in our foyer.
They work really well with the rest of our decor, don’t you think?
More Easy Pumpkin Crafts for Fall
If you’re looking for more easy DIY pumpkin craft ideas, I’ve got a couple more projects for you.
The little ones can even help with some of these kid-friendly fall crafts, which is such a bonus!
Be sure to check out more easy pumpkin painting ideas here:
READ IT NOW: 15 of the cutest no-carve pumpkin ideas (yes, the kids can even help!)
READ IT NOW: A 10-minute no-carve colorful pumpkin decorating idea
Love this post? Pin it for later!
And if you liked this post, I’d love it if you’d pin it for later.
Just click the “pin it” button in the corner of the image below.
Thanks, friend!
Kelly
Saturday 10th of October 2020
I love this activity! I am definitely going to do it myself and with my kids. We have painted pumpkins at the pumpkin patch before but then they rot. This idea is so much better. I especially love the ones with just two solid colors. Great idea! Thank you!
Kate
Monday 12th of October 2020
I'm so glad you liked this DIY idea, Kelly! I love real pumpkins, of course, but prefer painting ceramic ones since it means I can display them year after year.