Halloween Pumpkin Painting Tips

Halloween is almost here and it's time to load all the kids up in the car and head on out to one of the local farms. Once there we'll sift through the piles of bright orange pumpkins to choose a few perfect ones to paint and use in our various scary Halloween scenes. Painting pumpkins is a much better option and safer alternative to allowing little kids to use carving tools. It's also considered a pretty good way for kids to decorate pumpkins because mom can avoid all the mess that comes along with allowing kids to carve the traditional Halloween pumpkin. Pumpkin painting can be a fun activity for kids as well as adults. To find those pumpkins which are good for decorating with paints you'll need to pay a visit to one of the local farms in your area or even a trip to the nearest grocery store should do the trick, as they have crates full this time of year. Make sure you choose those pumpkins which have a somewhat flat surface on one side, this makes it much easier when painting the funny, silly or scary faces on your pumpkin. Always choose acrylic paints which are available at the local craft stores and are much safer for children. You can even buy them in large containers and in a variety of colors, so that you have enough paint for everyone at your pumpkin painting party.

Before you get all the kids together make sure you have all the supplies you need on hand. What you'll need for painting pumpkins is pretty simple; brushes, paints, old clothes, newspapers, paper towels, and of course the pumpkins. Have a plan in mind of how you want each finished pumpkin to look, scary, silly or funny, you can capture whatever look you want by using the acrylic paints. Your pumpkins are like Mr. Potato Heads and you are the creator so be as inventive as you want to be. When prepping your pumpkin for painting, you can use dry erase markers to make your face before painting. This gives you a diagram of sorts to go by when using the paints. Or you could even use patterned templates or stencils to make designs on the pumpkin and then paint. Find a face or font on your computer that you particularly like, print it out and trace or gently transfer the image onto the pumpkin. Always remember to apply a paint sealer before and after painting, allowing to dry well each time. This helps your pumpkin to last much longer, so you'll be able to enjoy it long after Halloween is over.

Also choose those pumpkins which are blemish free, the pumpkins that are blemished tend to rotten faster. Before you begin to decorate make sure your pumpkin is clean by washing with plain water and drying well with paper towels. Don't try to paint a pumpkin that is wet or damp. Remember to use acrylic poster paints and those brushes which have soft bristles and are small enough for little hands. Always allow the paint to thoroughly dry before handling the pumpkin. Cover everything with old newspapers so the kids don't paint the furniture as well as the pumpkin. Encourage your children to be creative and remember that their work doesn't have to be perfect just allow them to have fun and let their creativity flow. If you need to create stripes or lines, which are hard to do with just paint; you can use masking tape by placing torn strips on the pumpkin and painting around them. If you plan on using twinkle or glitter in your decorating ideas you may want to apply an undercoat of paint in the same color. Allow this to dry and then add the glitter and any other decorating items you want to use.

Halloween just wouldn't be complete without the bright, orange pumpkins that decorate our yards and porches every year. Scenery that is filled with these orange wonders can bring carloads of kids past our house every year just wanting to see the wonders we've created using these natural, mother nature made orange miracles. Pumpkins are a great symbol of Halloween and every house should have at least one if not many. For more ideas on how to paint a pumpkin visit www.parents.com.