It turns out that pumpkins make fabulous canvases for creative projects, especially with paint — but there is a technique.
First, choose a pumpkin with no soft spots or blemishes. Before you paint your pumpkin, gently wipe off any dirt. Put the pumpkin in a sunny window for a week to cure if you have time.
Next, spray or brush a sealer on the surface to serve as a base coat. Mod Podge Acrylic Sealer works well, but you might have to apply to one half of the pumpkin at a time, giving the first half time to dry before you move on, according to Scraplifters.com.
When dry, use acrylic paints to cover the surface and allow each coat to dry completely. You might need a second coat for full coverage.
Paint a design on your pumpkin when the base layer is dry. Then be sure to seal again. You might use an outdoor sealing spray to protect your design from the elements.
Finishing ideas
Eyes: Craft store googly eyes, candy disks, button, puff paint, or push pins.
Hair: Corn husks, a bunch of lollipops, yarn, thread, feathers, big flowers (a use for those artificial ones). For a scruffy beard, stick toothpicks in at an angle. You might find that a pin prick makes a good guide for the toothpicks.
Edging: Try candy corn, beads, stickers, or stencils.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
