Looking for some pumpkin painting ideas? From ‘aesthetically pleasing’ designs that will totally elevate the look of your home to more ‘Halloween-y’ designs that are perfect for celebrating the spooky night, we’ve wrapped up all our favourite pumpkin painting ideas to help give you some ideas. We’ve quickly answered some pumpkin painting related frequently asked questions before getting started with our list of all the best pumpkin painting ideas to use for Halloween 2024!
What kind of paint should you use for pumpkin painting?
Most paint can be used for painting pumpkins, however, it is recommended that you use acrylic paint as it dries quicker and is easy to clean off if you make a mistake as opposed to oil-based paint which can take longer to set which is not ideal as your pumpkin may require multiple layers of paint (and you most likely don’t want to have to wait too long between layers).
How can you prep a pumpkin for painting?
To prep your pumpkin for painting you are probably going to want to wash it with a bit of water and maybe with a water-bleach solution in order to remove dirt and give you a clear surface for painting. Cleaning your pumpkin like this can also help keep your pumpkin from rotting longer.
Can you finger paint pumpkins?
Yes, you can finger paint pumpkins and there are so many cool designs that you can create for a pumpkin using finger painting such as number 15 in our list!
Can you use markers on a pumpkin?
Yes, you can use certain markers on a pumpkin. Permanent markers like POSCA paint pens should work well and allow you to draw more complex designs that you may not be able to paint as well.
Let’s get started with all the best pumpkin painting ideas to use for Halloween 2024:
1. Black & White Chequered
This is such an aesthetically pleasing design for your pumpkins and will totally elevate the look of your decor.
If you don’t consider yourself much of an artist, then this is a really great pumpkin painting idea which you should be able to recreate fairly easily.
2. Cute ‘Day of the Dead’ Skull
How cute and cool is this ‘Day of the Dead’ skull design? 🥹🫶
This is such a pretty yet also very ‘Halloween-y’ design that you are sure to have fun recreating.
3. Cute Pink & White Ghost Pumpkins
If you want an extra-aesthetically pleasing and girly set of pumpkins, then these pink and white pumpkins are the perfect inspiration for your Halloween 2024 pumpkins.
The gold stems on these pumpkins are just ‘chef’s kiss’ and are a must for your painted pumpkins.
4. Simply Ghost & Pumpkin Patterned Pumpkins
These are two really simple and classic pumpkin designs which are perfect if you want some cool quintessential ‘Halloween’ pumpkins.
These two designs are fairly easy to recreate but will likely require quite a bit of time but they are so worth investing the time for!
5. Granny Chic Blue & White Patterns
This definitely isn’t your typical look for pumpkins but is nonetheless super cool and is sure to be admired by your Halloween night visitors! 😌💅
If you are a fan of coastal decor or what people like to call it on Pinterest and TikTok, the ‘coastal granddaughter aesthetic’, then you are sure to love the look of these pumpkins and they will totally elevate your front door decor.
6. Jack Skellington
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ is such a classic Halloween movie and this pumpkin painting idea is such a cool reference to the main character which trick-or-treaters are sure to instantly recognise.
We also included a Jack Skellington design in our pumpkin carving ideas list but this painted version is really a lot easier (especially if you aren’t a ‘pro’ at pumpkin carving).
7. M&M’s
M&M’s pumpkins make for really cool and funny Halloween decor that is sure to be admired.
This is the kind of Halloween decor that you and your trick-or-treaters are sure to want to get a ton of pictures of.
8. Donut Pumpkins
The Homer donut one is such a must-recreate! 🥹🫶
This is such a fun and stylish look for your pumpkins which will give your Halloween decor a more ‘cheery’ feeling.
9. Black & White Striped With Gold Stem
Does it get more classy than these somehow elegant painted pumpkins? 🤭✨
This is such a chic look for your pumpkins which also just happens to be very easy to recreate.
10. S’mores Pumpkin
This is such a genius idea that would make for some really great Halloween dining room decor!
If you want a bit of decor for Halloween that is sure to wow your guests, then this is what you are looking for.
11. Spa Day Pumpkin
You are sure to have a lot of fun recreating this pumpkin! 🧖♀️💅
This is an ultra-pretty pumpkin which is sure to get a few laughs.
12. Pink With Ribbons & Pearls
This is perhaps the most glamorous pumpkin design you’ll ever see and is therefore perfect if you want to add a little bit of a ✨luxurious✨ look to your Halloween decor.
Pink, gold and pearls are always a pretty combination. 🤭💖
13. Vampire
Vampires are a classic Halloween character and this pumpkin is therefore perfect for your decor if you want to go for more of a classic Halloween look.
This is a relatively easy design to recreate and you can make it even easier for yourself if you use permanent markers to add the face details.
14. Leaf Vines
This is a really classy design for your pumpkins that will totally compliment your usual non-seasonal decor in your home.
The vines in this design aren’t exactly easy to paint so if you aren’t artistically gifted you may need to spend quite a bit of time to try get them right.
15. Fingerprint Flowers
Fingerprinted paint designs are always a lot easier to recreate and make for a really fun activity for little ones too!
This is a really cool design that you really can’t go wrong with. 💐🎃
16. Rainbow Pumpkins
To create these pumpkins all you really need is two shades of each colour so that you can do a striped pattern between the two shades.
Halloween decor doesn’t need to be dark and if you want a more colourful look for your Halloween 2024 decor, then this is a really great way to add colour to your decor.
17. Chanel Pumpkin
Chanel is such an iconic brand and if you want to give your decor a little glamorous edge then this is a really great way.
If you happen to have a Chanel ribbon lying around from a recent purchase then you could even use that for the bow of your pumpkin to make it all the more chic! 😌🩷
18. Harry Potter Pumpkin
This is such a cool pumpkin painting idea that you are sure to love if you are a Harry Potter fan.
The gryffindor scarf is such a cool addition to this design which just gives it *that* finishing touch.
19. Cow Pumpkin
This cow pumpkin painting design is just so cute and fun plus is sure to impress trick-or-treaters.
Moo-tastic, moo-abulous, moomazing… this cow pumpkin is all these things and so much more! 🐄
20. Poison Apple
The Evil Queen’s poison apple in Snow White makes for such a cool and ‘Halloween-y’ look.
This design is not as easy as you might think so be prepared to spend quite a bit of time on this one and perhaps opt to use markers for the black outline instead of paint.
21. Beetlejuice Pumpkin
With the release of the new Beetlejuice film in cinemas this year, this pumpkin design is particularly perfect for Halloween 2024.
Bonus: It also happens to be a fairly easy design to recreate (although you will need to be extra careful and precise when doing the lettering).
22. Light Blue With Ghosts
To finish off our list, we’ve chosen this baby blue pumpkin with ghosts on it as it is all the things you might want in a pumpkin painting design.
Not only is it ‘Halloween-y’ but it is also super easy to recreate and also extremely aesthetically pleasing. 👻🩵
Hope you liked these pumpkin painting ideas and have found some inspiration for how to paint your pumpkins for Halloween 2024! Thanks for reading! 🙂
