Pumpkin Painting Ideas / Use Acrylic and Spray Paint

Need some pumpkin painting ideas? If you are looking for some fall decorating ideas, I have a great DIY Pumpkins with metallic acrylic paint and spray paint project for you to try!  I was hoping to make these cheap, plastic pumpkins look a bit more classy so I could use them in my fall home decor.  In my opinion, this project did just that!

Pumpkin Painting Ideas:

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Supplies for Painting Pumpkins:

• Plastic pumpkins (You could use real pumpkins, too!)
• Spray paint (I used Krylon Matte White and Krylon Gray Primer.  The links attached are not the exact paints, but close.  Frankly, any white or gray paint would work well, just be sure to get a matte finish if you want them to look similar to mine).
• Metallic Acrylic Paint (I used Folk Art Metallic Sterling Silver and Folk Art Metallic Gold).
• Glitter glue or alternatively you could use Mod Podge and Glitter
• Small paint brushes
• Painter’s tape
• Drop cloth

My BEFORE pumpkins:

How to Paint Pumpkins:

You can see these are about as cheap quality as they come.  I got my pumpkins at the end of the fall season a couple of years ago.  I’m not certain where I got mine, but knowing me, they were on clearance!

I separated my pumpkins so I could paint some white and the others gray.  It took 2-3 light coats with the spray paint to get a decent coverage.

My Supplies:

I didn’t end up using all of the paints I first intended. The metallic silver and gold acrylic paints looked great to me, so I just stuck with those. Use ANY acrylic paint color you like!

You could also get really creative with other base color spray paint options. Chalk paint would work really well too for a base.

It took at least 10-15 minutes for each coat of spray paint to dry enough to handle lightly.  Be patient!  You’ll have to turn the pumpkins in various angles to ensure good coverage.

For some reason this picture made me laugh.  My neighbors don’t even bat an eye anymore when I start dragging out my painter’s drop cloth!

After the base coat is dry is when the fun begins!  Pour a little acrylic paint onto the pumpkin around the stem, then turn in various directions to allow it to run down the sides.

To finish the stems, I used a little bit of glitter glue to give it some extra pizzazz.  Simply squeeze a dab onto the stem and use a small paint brush to cover the entire stem.

On the below pumpkin, I covered the top portion of a white pumpkin (I think this one is actually a plastic gourd) with painter’s tape and sprayed the bottom half gray.

AFTER DIY Pumpkins with metallic acrylic paint and spray paint:

I hope you got some great pumpkin painting ideas to use in your home!

What do you think?  I kinda love them!  Grab a few of your old, plastic pumpkins and gourds and give it a try. These fun DIY pumpkins would look beautiful on a Burlap Fringe Table Runner (post by Stone Gable – she has amazing tablescapes!).

Looking for more fall decor ideas?

• Wine Cork Pumpkin
• DIY Fall Wreath for the Front Door
• 10 Easy Fall Crafts and DIY Ideas