Painting Pumpkins
It’s that time of year. Everyone is looking for memory-making activities. Moms are hoping it’s low-mess and low-stress.
I propose Pumpkin Painting!
It doesn’t involve sharp tools like carving
You don’t have to put your hand inside a pumpkin to remove “innards” and then figure out what to do with said innards!
It can take just 30 minutes or it can take 2-3 hours, depending on what you want to put on the pumpkin.
Supplies are relatively minimal.
Anyone can create...and simple art is classic.
I have been hosting a pumpkin painting party for friends for a couple of years now. This fall the opportunity arose to offer a party to co-workers as part of a decoration contest. I was all for it and ready!
I encouraged everyone to search “painted pumpkins” and select images. There are SO MANY ideas out there—something for the seasoned artist as well as the beginner. I started a PINTEREST board of Pumpkin Painting ideas to keep for inspiration.
We used Apple Barrel paints (I have several of their “sets” offering a nice variety of colors) and EcoTools cosmetic brushes. The makeup brushes do an excellent job of holding a good amount of paint and distributing it nicely, without clumps and streaks. I also had a pack of sponge dabbers (found in the craft section at Walmart, for creating circles with a foam tip/wooden handle).
We had a smaller group, just 6. Since we were doing it at our place of work, I put down plastic sheeting to protect the floor and more on the table for the same reason.
Once we got the table ready, we also got out some snacks. For snacks, we provided some cheese, meat, crackers, veggies, and candy! Did I mention we did this over dinner time?! Everyone started painting. Some needed to paint their whole pumpkin in a base coat before continuing, so those snacks came in handy, as did the fan for drying the paint faster.
My personal highlight was when a co-worker shared that he hasn’t ever really painted but he loved how focused he was getting and how cool his pumpkin turned out! Later in the week, after showing pictures to his family, they were painting pumpkins together at home!
Consider your own pumpkin painting party! Invite some friends/families. This is a great garage/backyard activity. Just have everyone dress in clothes/shoes that can get dirty.
Here is a link to the paints and brushes. They are available at many different locations.
