Are you tired of doing the same old orange and white pumpkins on your fall front porch? Instead of sticking to tried and true warm autumn colors, I used house paint to create an elegant and unexpected color scheme for our front porch. You don’t need any crafty or artistic skill to make yourself a set of these eye-catching purple and bronze ombre paint drip pumpkins.
OMBRE PAINT DRIP PUMPKINS
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE OMBRE PUMPKINS
I recommend using house paint for this project for a few reasons. First, it’s already a better pouring consistency than acrylic paint. If you use craft paint, you will likely need to mix it with a pouring medium in a disposable cup in order to get it to the right consistency. Using house paint saves you that step and some mess.
I also think exterior house paint holds up to the elements more than craft paint, so you don’t have to worry about displaying your painted pumpkins outdoors. Acrylic paint has a tendency to peel right off of real pumpkins.
You can either use old house paint that you might have sitting in your garage, or you can buy small testers of paint to save some money. I picked up three sample sizes of MARQUEE Paint and Primer in shades of purple. Illusionist is the darkest purple, the medium shade is called Showstopper, and the pale violet color is called Such Melodrama.
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- pumpkins (real or faux)
- wet rag
- spray paint
- house paint in a gradient of color
- tarp or another way to protect your work area
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HOW TO PAINT POUR ON PUMPKINS
You will do what is called a clean pour for these pumpkins rather than a dirty pour. This paint pour technique consists of just pouring small amounts of paint onto a surface, in this case, your pumpkins, and letting it drip naturally. It’s so easy anyone can do it!
Paint Pour Pumpkins Tutorial
- If you are using real pumpkins, you will need to start by wiping the pumpkins down with a wet rag to remove any dirt or grime from their surface.
Make sure the pumpkins are completely dry before moving on to the next step.
- Place your pumpkins on a tarp or cardboard to protect your work area.
I recommend working outside so that you have good ventilation.
- Give the pumpkins a coat or two of spray paint in the color of your choice.
I used Third Place Metallic from Plutonium, but any outdoor spray paint will do. The spray paint will adhere well to the pumpkin and give the house paint a surface to stick to.
- After the spray paint has completely dried, you can start pouring the paint on the pumpkins. Start by pouring one color of paint onto the top of the pumpkin around the stem.
- Hold on to the pumpkin’s stem and slowly rotate and tilt the pumpkin to allow the paint to flow down the side of the pumpkin.
Let the excess paint flow down onto whatever you have used to protect your work area.
- While that paint is still wet, pour on the second color of paint using the same technique.
The paint will flow and move over the pumpkin’s shape and contours.
- Continue until you have achieved your desired look with the paint.
Allow the paint to dry completely before handling or moving the pumpkins.
DECORATING WITH PAINTED PUMPKINS
Some of the lightest purple paint crackled as it dried since I forget to stir that sample before I used it. I *love* the crackles, though, so it was a happy accident. I really like the way the spray-painted bronze stems peek out of the poured paint too.
You can use this technique on real or fake pumpkins, on large or smaller pumpkins. It is so much fun to make the pour paint pumpkins, and it’s a great way to switch it up from the normal neutral colors that people use for fall decorations.
I displayed my finished pumpkins with some pretty purple mums in the bronze pedestal planters I made myself. These painted pumpkins would work just as well indoors to bring some unexpected fall color into your home!
Check out the rest of my fall porch decor this year:
