Pumpkin Carving & Painting Ideas

Pumpkins come in a variety of sizes and shapes.

Prepare for the fall season by carving and painting regular pumpkins or fancy jack-o'-lanterns. A wide variety of pumpkins is available beginning around early October at your local grocery store or pumpkin patch. Wash and dry the pumpkins before beginning your pumpkin project. You can use freehand designs or pre-designed templates from online to decorate the pumpkins. Some pumpkins and a few ideas are all you need to get started.

Easy Ideas

Paint faces on pumpkins to create sad, happy, angry and laughing pumpkins. Use acrylic paint and a variety of paint brushes to paint the pumpkins. Carve out the eyes, mouth and nose of the pumpkin for added decoration. Children always should have adult supervision and help when using pumpkin carving tools. Place a small tea light candle inside the pumpkin to light up the face at night. Make a ballplayer pumpkin by placing a baseball cap on the top of the pumpkin. Paint two eyes, with a black line beneath each eye. Blow up a balloon and tape it where the mouth should go to resemble bubble gum.

Scary Ideas

You can print scary face templates online to make frightening pumpkins. Tape the template to the pumpkin and carve. Make different sizes of scary bat pumpkins using paint and black craft foam. Paint the entire pumpkin with black paint. Use white and black paint to create the eyes. Cut bat wings out of the craft foam and tape to the sides of the pumpkin using black electrical tape. You can also make spider pumpkins using black chenille stems to create the legs and large googly eyes.

Funny Ideas

Funny pumpkins add wit and humor to the scary Halloween holiday. Make a pumpkin that resembles a person getting sick by carving a face on the pumpkin with the mouth wide open. Use the pumpkin insides to spread around the mouth and coming out of it. Carve all the way around the outside of the pumpkin, leaving a "core" like an apple. Paint the outside of the pumpkin red and the stem dark brown. You can also paint a brown leaf on the top for added decoration. This pumpkin will resemble an eaten apple.

Other Ideas

Use templates to carve pictures of famous actors, presidents, sports players and cartoon characters on pumpkins. You can paint the picture or carve the pictures on the pumpkins. Cut the top of a pumpkin off and remove all the insides. Place several beverages in the pumpkin and fill with ice to create a pumpkin cooler. You can also use pumpkins to hold Halloween candy by gutting the pumpkins and cleaning them out. Fill with candy and let your guests enjoy.

References

• Family Fun: Pumpkin Carving Patterns
• Martha Stewart: Pumpkin Carving and Decorating Ideas