Halloween Pumpkin-Decorating Project

I’ve been working on some Halloween crafts pretty early this year, so I wanted to start blogging about Halloween crafts and decorating ideas.  To start with, I am posting photos of 3 miniature pumpkins I decorated last year with black pens and Sharpies.

I liked this project a lot because:

-  there was no mess and therefore no clean-up required

-  since the pumpkins were drawn on and not carved, they lasted much longer than a traditional carved Jack-O’-Lantern, which would begin to rot after only a few days.

-  due to their durability it was not necessary to finish the project quickly, which meant that I could  work on a single pumpkin a little bit every day

-  the small pumpkins were very light, took up very little room and did not require a large working space, making it easy to complete this project in front of the television

 -  the completed project worked really well as an indoor Halloween decoration either grouped together or placed individually next to other decorations such as potion bottles

-  they could also be used as seasonal centrepieces for dinner tables during the season

Instructions

-  For the 3 pumpkins shown here, I drew on the pumpkins with a pencil very lightly, as I found it difficult to erase any mistakes if the pencil was too dark.  When happy with the design, I traced over it in black marker. 

-  For 2 pumpkins, I drew elaborate vines, which I thought was appropriate given that pumpkins grow on vines.

-  To draw the vine stencils can be used, but I found it much easier to copy the stencils or just improvise my own design rather than using stencils to trace a design on the pumpkin.  You can also use a pattern or design you already like as a guide and attempt to copy it.

-  On the last white pumpkin I drew a spider-web pattern, drawing the vertical lines inside the pumpkin’s natural grooves, and then gently drawing curved horizontal lines connecting them, each spaced further from the last.

Last but not least, I also drew on this Butternut Squash in the black marker, to make it look like a ghost.  This was extremely simple, as I simply drew 3 elongated, tear-like ovals. 

Further Suggestions

-  Instead of using just a black marker try using glitter-glue as a substitute, or create a design in black marker and embellish it with glitter-glue.

-  Instead of drawing on miniature pumpkins, try doing this with large pumpkins as a substitute for the traditional carved Jack-O’-Lantern.

-  Try drawing on something besides pumpkins, such as various squashes and gourds.

-  Try painting the small pumpkins different shades of orange, white, or even black!  You can even use several different colours on one pumpkin!