These Easy, No-Carve Painted Pumpkins Will Convince You to Ditch Your Knife
Jack-o’-lanterns are a Halloween decorating classic — for many people, there’s simply no way to celebrate the holiday without a carved pumpkin or two (or more!). But no-carve alternatives like painted pumpkins can get you in the Halloween mood without having to cover your kitchen in messy pumpkin seeds and goop.
Not sure where to start? Below, find 30 ways to paint your pumpkins that are just as festive as the classic jack-o’-lantern — but with a fresh twist. These painted pumpkins have tons of creative possibilities, while also making way less mess than your standard pumpkin carving does. So grab some paint and brushes, and let your imagination go wild.
1. Brat-Inspired Pumpkin
Let Brat Summer continue into October with a Charli XCX-inspired pumpkin. Apartment Therapy’s Tours Director, Adrienne Breaux, made this one by painting a faux pumpkin with fluorescent paint so it’s an extra-shocking neon green in daylight. Once that was dry, she added a cheeky “boo” in Brat-type font.
2. Constellation Pumpkin
Step one for this striking DIY pumpkin is to paint the whole thing black (although dark blue or purple would look fab, too). Once the paint’s dry, come back with a gold, silver, or white paint pen to draw the constellation of your choice. Decorate with stars and, if you like, the constellation name in pretty cursive. Apartment Therapy’s Associate Lifestyle Editor, Sofia Rivera, chose Leo to match her own star sign.
3. Disco Pumpkin
This is one project you’ll definitely want to use faux pumpkins for so that you don’t have to trash your decor at the end of the season. Start with a coat or two of silver spray paint, then follow with mirrored disco tiles for a festive look that catches the light in the most delightful way. Find more tips for DIY disco pumpkins here.
4. Checkerboard Pumpkin
The checkerboard trend is still going strong, and — if you’re up for the challenge — there’s no better place to show it off than on your front porch with a freshly painted pumpkin. While you can use painter’s tape to map this out in the way you’d map out a checkerboard painted wall, it’s probably easier to freehand it, says Apartment Therapy’s Executive Home Director, Danielle Blundell, who created the pumpkin above. Use a permanent marker to outline your grid, then fill it in with two paint colors of your choice.
5. Monochromatic Stripes
In case you haven’t heard, stripes are in this year — and this monochromatic look is super-easy to replicate with any color you want. Pick your favorite paint color, and just add a little bit of white paint to the color to get the two-tone look you’re after. Then, paint on alternating stripes by following the natural curves of your pumpkin.
6. Drippy Confetti Pumpkins
This painted pumpkin is easy to pull off but still has an extra glam feel, thanks to the large silver and gold confetti pieces. To make this pumpkin, Apartment Therapy Editorial Assistant, Tamieka Welsh, first dripped bright blue paint over the top of her pumpkin. While it was still wet, she sprinkled the confetti over top. Done!
7. 3D Squiggle Pumpkin
There’s no fancy freehand painting required for this unique pumpkin! Start by painting your pumpkin a solid color of your choice. Then, pick a string in a complementary or contrasting color to attach to the pumpkin in a swirly, squiggly pattern using dress pins or hot glue. Pro tip: You don’t have to buy colored string for this project. Instead, paint your string the color of your choice, let it dry, and get to sculpting.
8. Polka-Dot Mini Pumpkin
The secret to creating perfectly consistent spots on a mini pumpkin lies in something you already have: a pencil eraser! Start with a base coat in the color of your choice, then use the eraser of a classic wooden pencil to stamp on spots in a contrasting or complementary color, like Apartment Therapy’s Assistant Home Editor, Sarah Everett, did here.
9. Candy Corn Pumpkin
Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that candy corn is a classic October treat. Bring the look to a pumpkin — or here, an elongated gourd — by painting three blocks in yellow, orange, and white, respectively.
10. Bow Pumpkin
Before bow Christmas trees in December come bow pumpkins in October! This one is another super-easy painted pumpkin project that just involves a little bit of bow tying and pinning, too. Apartment Therapy’s Senior Style Editor, Blair Donovan, made this black-and-blue beauty by painting her entire pumpkin a robin’s egg blue, letting that dry, and then attaching bows to the pumpkin with dressmaker pins. Hers are all roughly the same size, but you could also vary the scale for a little bit of whimsy.
11. Memphis-Style Pumpkin
If the ’80s could be embodied in a single pumpkin, this would be it. Channel the fun and funky style of the iconic Memphis Group by choosing a selection of bright colors; then, cover your pumpkin in triangles, squiggles, and lines.
12. Rainbow Pumpkins
Keep your paint project simple by painting pumpkins in solid colors — but make it interesting by choosing a range of different colors. In this project from The House That Lars Built, pumpkins are painted in shades of the rainbow, but you could also go for various shades of the same color for all of yours. Get more instructions here.
13. Tiny Lettered Pumpkins
If your aesthetic leans more black-and-white, try these minimalist painted pumpkins from Lovely Indeed. The solid black paint job lets teeny-tiny white lettering pop, showcasing cute, festive phrases. Find the how-to here.
14. Alcohol Ink Pumpkins
You don’t necessarily need to use paint to get a painted effect. Case in point: These drippy, watercolor-y pink pumpkins from A Beautiful Mess, which are made with alcohol ink. Find the full instructions here.
15. Metallic Spotted Pumpkins
White mini pumpkins make for a perfect blank canvas for all sorts of designs, but it’s hard to name an easier one than this spotted pattern from Paper & Stitch. Metallic markers add a little glitz. Get the how-to here.
16. Faux Burger Mini Pumpkin
If you’re looking to craft something a little more whimsical, try making this mini pumpkin painted to look like a burger from Studio DIY. You’ll only need a few supplies to get this three-dimensional look. Find the instructions here.
17. Doughnut Painted Pumpkins
Want to give your burger pumpkin another food-themed companion? Try whipping up one (or six!) of these mini pumpkins painted to look like doughnuts. Puffy paint gives the sprinkles some believable dimension. Get the tutorial here.
18. Geometric Gold Mini Pumpkins
For a more glamorous look, go for an abstract geometric pattern in an eye-catching metallic paint. These, by Lovely Indeed, show that you don’t even have to paint a whole pumpkin to make a big impact. Find the how-to here.
19. Brushstroke Pumpkins
For an artistic take on painted pumpkins, try creating a repeating brushstroke pattern. These pumpkins, from The Merrythought, show how various paint brush sizes can create different effects. Get the instructions here.
20. Tone-on-Tone Painted Pumpkins
If you’re looking for a way to make classic Halloween patterns a little more sophisticated, try a tone-on-tone paint job. You can go with classic neutrals, as A Beautiful Mess did with these pumpkins, or even choose a light and a dark shade of a bolder color. Find the how-to here.
21. Bold Matisse-Style Painted Pumpkins
Does your style skew more colorful and whimsical? This Matisse-style painted pumpkin, from PMQ for Two, will have you seeing hearts. Get the instructions here.
22. Punny Painted Pumpkins
Let your pumpkin do the talking for you by adding a quippy saying on top of a bright base color, like Studio DIY did here. You can hand-write these phrases, but for a super-sharp look, take advantage of the free printables. Get those (and the how-to) here.
23. Minimalist Patterned Pumpkins
Mini pumpkins make patterns of small shapes totally doable — after all, there’s a lot less surface area to cover! For a chic, minimalist look, take inspiration from Lovely Indeed and stick to simple shapes and a black-and-white color palette. Find the instructions here.
24. Marbled Pumpkins
To get this cool, swirly effect on these pumpkins, Alice & Lois didn’t actually use paint at all — it’s actually nail polish! Read the tutorial here.
25. Hobnail Pumpkins
This cool textured look was made by covering a pumpkin with lines of quilting (or ball head) pins, then spray-painting white. The end product looks like vintage hobnail glass. Find the tutorial here.
26. Confetti-Dipped Pumpkins
Bold paint colors are just part of the equation in these festive pumpkin creations from Studio DIY. What makes them especially fun is the partial dip into gold confetti — the ultimate celebration! Get the instructions here.
27. Paint Splatter Pumpkins
Splatter paint doesn’t have to be relegated to kids’ crafts (although they’ll love it, too!). Here, splatter painted pumpkins from Homey Oh My look extra sophisticated, thanks to a palette of neutral paint colors. Find the how-to here.
28. Gold Botanicals Pumpkins
Simple botanical doodles look extra striking when done with metallic gold paint markers, as Lovely Indeed shows here. For a slightly different look, you could use rose gold, silver, or copper, too. Read the tutorial here.
29. Drippy Pumpkins
The drippy paint on these pumpkins, done by Paper & Stitch, gives a painterly effect that would be at-home in any art studio. This project would be a great way to use up any leftover paints you have on hand. Find the how-to here.
30. Terrazzo Pumpkins
Mid-century-modern-lovers, this one’s for you. Here, a few shades of paint and some strategically imperfect paint splotches turn a plain pumpkin into one with the look of speckled terrazzo. Get the instructions here.
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