Pumpkin Painting Tips For Kids
October 17, 2009 by Linette Gerlach
Filed under Arts and Crafts, holidays
The other day I talked about how much fun it is for kids to paint pumpkins instead of watching their parents carve them. I’m a big fan of painted pumpkins, we have a blast every year creating our painted pumpkins, and they last so much longer than their carved relatives. We had one of our painted pumpkins until after Christmas last year.
You can also use the insides of the pumpkins later for pies, if you just decorate the outside, so you get a double bonus.
Pumpkin painting can be very creative, and there are many different ways you can create your pumpkin masterpiece.
Today I have some fun pumpkin painting tips from Ms. Shell Herman of Kidz Art to share with you. Kidz Art helps kids of all ages explore their inner artistic potential, through after school classes, camps and birthday parties.
Herman offers some clever pumpkin art projects that will excite and inspire children to decorate their pumpkins, without the carving mess:
1.Stenciled Pumpkin Designs- Go online and peruse the hundreds of pumpkin template designs available. But instead of carving, kids can use a stencil to trace a pattern on the pumpkin. Use colored permanent markers (Sharpies® work well) to color, draw patterns, etc.
2. Glitter Pumpkins- For kids who love shimmer and sparkle, cover your gourds and pumpkins with a coating of glitter. Using craft glue that dries clear, “paint” the entire pumpkin with glue. While the glue is wet, sprinkle your favorite colored glitter over the pumpkin. Let it dry for an hour and shake off the excess sprinkles.
3. Pumpkin People- Kids can create ‘pumpkin people’ by using a variety of household items. Draw eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks on the dry, clean pumpkin. Or get creative and use fruits or vegetables for ears, eyes or a mouth, glue on raffia for hair, add a hat, a bandana, glasses, ribbons or felt to give each pumpkin its own personality.
4. Black on White- For a dramatic effect, kids will get a kick out of drawing with black Sharpies on a stark white pumpkin. Try tracing and coloring in simple black silhouettes like bats, cats and spiders!
For more creative art projects or for information on fall and winter art classes, visit the website to find the nearest KidzArt location.
Image: KidzArt.com
Is there a special kind of paint you need to use?
Most paints will work. I’d stick to acrylics, we’ve also used the paint markers and they work well. Have fun!
Fun stuff. We’ve painted pumpkins too, far less messy. You don’t really want to use any pumpkins for pie, only sugar pumpkins though