Chalk Paint on Pumpkins a Sustainable Choice

Now is the best time to visit thrift stores to look for items to make fall crafts. Today, I’m sharing the painting process of chalk paint on pumpkins a sustainable choice with real stems. Wouldn’t purchasing plastic pumpkins from the Dollar Store and the local craft store and having them look like the real thing be fantastic? Let me guide you through different painting techniques to achieve the look of real pumpkins that will last a long time with this DIY project. 

Paint Ideas

Transform Decor Chalk Paint Pumpkin Ideas

I use chalk paint for various projects, including these pumpkin painting ideas I share.  I used chalk paint on this cabinet and natural elements I featured in my home tour.  Adding natural elements to our home decor is a favorite. This is the best time to mix rustic and elegant in our seasonal decor. The best part about using nature for fall decor through Christmas is that it’s FREE! 

Paint and Stems Real-Looking Pumpkins

I make it a point to save the stems of the pumpkins at the end of the fall season every year. Stems of the pumpkins, combined with chalk or acrylic paint, result in remarkably real-looking pumpkins. Acrylic paint or chalk paint are an excellent choice for any DIY project. Painting artificial pumpkins to look like real pumpkins is good for cost reasons too. The dollar signs add up quickly.

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Table of Contents

Why Not Real Pumpkins?

The Economical Choice

Since gourds and pumpkins often come with a hefty price tag, for cost reasons I only use them for outdoor seasonal decor. Chalk paint works well for many easy craft ideas.  The best part about painting pumpkins in different colors and using various painting techniques is making the color pumpkins match your fall color scheme.

I tend to lean towards a neutral fall color scheme and let the items I use from nature take center stage.  

A dry brushing technique in different colors of paint is easy to do on Styrofoam pumpkins and requires little paint. The fun part is adding dark and clear wax and seeing them achieve a real look. It’s amazing how adding a bit of paint and mixing colors and waxes brings these pumpkin ideas to life.

Where to Buy Plastic Pumpkins

• *Dollar Store
  *Dollar Tree
  *Home Depot
  *Hobby Lobby
  *Local craft store
  *Thrift stores

Why Use Chalk Paint?

Chalk Paint on Pumpkins The Sustainable Choice: Easy to Use

Annie Sloan chalk paint and acrylic have a matte look and come in many paint colors. Visit Home Depot for chalky finish paint this kind of paint offers many different paint colors. 

• *No priming before painting
• *I always have an assortment of Annie Sloan chalk paint
• *Adding clear wax and blending dark wax adds a realistic look to the artificial pumpkins
• *Create exact colors with these painting techniques for your home decor.

Can Acrylic Be Used to Paint Fake Pumpkins?

Yes, you can use acrylic.  Acrylic doesn’t have any problem sticking to shiny plastic pumpkins. The first step is to wipe the entire pumpkin with a damp cloth. before painting any project make sure to start with a clean surface. When it’s dry use acrylic or spray paint in the colors of your choice to paint the pumpkins

Can You Use Spray Paint?

Absolutely! Spray paint can be a convenient and efficient way to give your Styrofoam pumpkins a fresh and colorful look. I’d recommend a matte finish paint. If you want a textured look like pumpkins found in nature add wax or a light dry brush technique or stipple with raw umber and burnt umber acrylic paint. Dry brushing works with any kind of paint and is an easy process.

How to Use Spray Paint Plastic Pumpkins:

Spray Paint Instructions:

1. Preparation: Start by laying down a drop cloth or newspaper in a well-ventilated area. This will prevent paint from getting on surfaces you don’t want to paint.
2. Clean the Pumpkins: Before painting wipe the entire pumpkin with a damp cloth. Before any paint or craft project always begin with a clean surface. 
3. Base Coat: Begin by spraying a base coat of your desired color. A light, neutral color like linen white or chiffon cream works well as the first coat for the layers of paint added to faux pumpkins. The chalky finish paint is great and will give you a matte look. Hold the spray can 6-8 inches away from the pumpkin and apply the paint in even, light strokes. Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on to the second coat. Chalky finish paint from Rust-Oleum can be found at Hobby Lobby or Home Depot. 
4. Build the Colors: Once the first coat is dry, use different colors of orange and brown spray paint to create depth and dimension on the faux pumpkins. Start with the lighter shades and gradually add darker paint colors to achieve a real pumpkin look. Remember to apply the paint in thin, coats, allowing each layer to dry before adding another.
5. Add Details: If you want to enhance the look, of your artificial pumpkins use a bit of raw umber or burnt umber-colored craft paint to create shadows and contours around the faux pumpkins’ ridges and creases. This will give the pumpkins a more natural look and you more control over the details.

Chalk Paint Fake Pumpkins

Best Time to Purchase Pumpkins

I find the best time to purchase faux or plastic pumpkins is late summer when the shelves are getting stocked for fall decor and crafts.  Or, it’s a good idea to look towards the end of the fall season.  Prices for fake pumpkins for this easy craft project can be very cheap at the end of the season, especially larger size pumpkins. If you see small pumpkins and mini pumpkins grab them. These are a good idea to add to your fall decor.

Tip: Add these to centerpieces in a dining room or the coffee table in the living room. Fill glass jars, a glass vase, baskets, and dough bowls. Add other natural elements such as real pumpkin stems, apples, pears, nuts, bittersweet, fall foliage, Indian corn (Flint corn), corn husks, acorns, and pine cones. 

Let’s begin to paint pumpkins, shall we?

Supplies List:

• *Artificial pumpkins of your choice
  *Hot glue gun
  *White, Folk Art mint green chalk paint, deeper orange color paint, Annie Sloan chalk paint Old White, Acrylic Paint, or acrylic pure pigment craft paint
  *Chip Brush
  *White wax
  *Clear and Dark wax or raw umber and burnt umber craft paint
  *Paper plate
  *Paint stick for mixing
  *Stencil brush
  *Wax brush

Painting Process

Step 1: Base Color Add Deeper Orange Color Painting Pumpkins

The first step before painting pumpkins is to clean them with a damp cloth.

Tip: Before beginning the painting process it’s important to begin with a clean surface. If you are painting orange color pumpkins, add a coat of primer. This will save you from using multiple coats of white chalk paint.

I purchased these plastic pumpkins last year for $8 at my local craft store.  This is the best part about hitting the craft stores at the right time. The shelves must have been recently stocked making these perfect for fall crafts.

Add a bit of raw umber pure pigment craft paint to the orange and mix.  This will make a deeper orange color for this DIY project.  

Paint half of the faux pumpkin, drying in between coats. This is the base color that will help to achieve the real pumpkin look.

Chalk Paint

Step 2: Pumpkins Magically Matte: Lighten the First Coat

For the next step, add white craft paint or white chalk paint.  This gives a lighter color to the look of a real pumpkin. Chiffon cream and linen white are great paint colors too. Home Depot offers similar paint colors in their chalk decorative paint. Look for Tin White or Farmhouse white. 

Add this over the orange, this adds another layer to give the chalk paint pumpkins a real look.

Paint half the pumpkin at a time.  This keeps the paint damp enough for stippling which adds texture that can be found on a real pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. 

Tip: A real pumpkin has texture and this is what we are trying to achieve and what makes these have the real pumpkin look.

Stippling

Pumpkin Texture: Stippling With Chip Brushes for a Realistic Look

Tip Stippling: Use the bristles tip on the chip brush and stipple or pounce lightly.  This gives the chalk paint on pumpkins a sustainable choice texture. Pouncing and stippling are hard on brushes and this is why I suggest chip brushes for cost reasons, they are .89 and will take a bit of abuse. Let the pumpkins dry. Once dry use the same process on the entire pumpkin. When stippling, if the deeper orange color is visible, don’t worry. Seeing the different colors is what adds to the look of real pumpkins.

White Wax

Step 3: A Softer Look Buffing White Wax 

Add the white wax a bit at a time and rub the wax into the paint well with the wax brush.  This is when your faux pumpkin begins to come to life. 

This is going to give your fake pumpkin the look of soft orange gourds that are costly.  

After applying wax in small sections lightly rub the wax into the paint on the faux pumpkin with a lint-free rag. Here’s the best part the white wax will add to the real look of those soft orange Heirloom gourds found at pumpkin farms. The transformation is AMAZING, promise!

Real Stems

Step 4: Dried Stems a Good Idea

Adding a stem from my collection of stems is the fun part and adds a realistic look to this easy craft project. It immediately makes them look like the real thing. When our family and friends came to our home last year, they thought they were real. It’s the simple things that can have a big impact.

I save the stems from my fall pumpkins every year. I have quite a collection of real stems.

Collection of Stems

Here’s one of the reasons I love natural elements in my collection of real pumpkin stems. It’s well established as you can see, and I add to it every year. Real pumpkin stems don’t have to be used just to make pumpkins look real.  

Tip: Add stems of the pumpkins to a bowl, dish, or tray with acorns and pinecones, star anise, and dried orange slices for seasonal decor and will add a rustic fall look.

It’s a good idea to store a collection of stems in a brown bag in a dry, dark place and well-ventilated area such as a basement, closet, or empty cabinet.

I share an easy tutorial for dried orange slices and whole oranges which is an easy  DIY project to add to fall decor through the winter.

Pumpkin Designs Fall Crafts

Step 1: Real Look Mini Pumpkins

Heat your glue gun on the low setting.  This is important because high heat glue will make the Styrofoam pumpkins break down.   

The glue gun on a low setting adds glue to your real stem. Add it to the top of your pumpkin and hold to set.  

Tip: Since this DIY project has dark and clear wax, I recommend not using the chalk paint pumpkins outside. However, if you spray them with several coats of matte polyurethane they should be fine.

SEE THE VIDEO HERE

Small Pumpkins Pumpkin Ideas

Step 2: Real Look Mini Pumpkins

This faux pumpkin has a great base color, so masking this looks like the soft green pumpkin we find at the pumpkin farm was easy. 

These painting techniques are easy and don’t take a long long time. First step, wipe them with a damp cloth to begin with a clean surface.

Use Folk Art mint green chalk paint and a chip brush. Use a drybrush technique for smaller pumpkins. I applied chalk paint to the entire pumpkin and added a stem from my collection of stems. This gave these smaller pumpkins a real look. 

Dry brushing is a fast process and works miracles on many easy craft ideas. The transformation of the fake pumpkin is perfect!

Tip: Dip the tip of your brush into the paint and wipe any excess paint on a paper towel, paper plate, or rag. You want very little paint on your chip brush when dry brushing. The dry brush technique with paint is hard on brushes, they take a bit of abuse so that’s why I recommend chip brushes.  Last year I shared a step-by-step tutorial on a dry brush technique for planters. The best part about this painting process, mixing different colors of paint. I had a good base color so using a dry brush technique went fast.   

Tip: No real stems, no problem, dry brush the plastic stem with a bit of raw umber pure pigment craft paint, or for a different look wrap them in jute or twine.  If you purchase small white pumpkins for outdoors save the stems.

White Chalk Paint

Step 3: Add Light Coats of Paint

Lastly,  paint these small white faux pumpkins found from Amazon. You can find these at Hobby Lobby or the Dollar Store too.  For this chalk-painted pumpkin, I dry brushed them with Annie Sloan in Old White chalk paint.  White craft paint will also work for these white pumpkins. This is optional, however, it adds texture and makes them look real.

Detail Work

Dark Wax

Adding a bit of clear wax and dark wax randomly by the real stem and in the creases makes white pumpkins look like real pumpkins in an instant. The stems of the pumpkins seal the deal when making Dollar Store or Hobby Lobby fake pumpkins look like the real thing.

Tip: When adding the waxes I add a light coat of clear wax first. This will help the darker wax not be too heavy. Dark wax tends to absorb into paint quickly. Adding a coat of clear will max the waxes’ combine perfectly. I always use a smaller wax brush or stencil brush for the detail work. The waxing process doesn’t take a long time and be sure to rub it in with a lint-free cloth. If you don’t wish to use waxes I suggest dipping the tip of a small chip brush in a combination of raw umber and pure pigment craft paint. Wipe the excess on a paper towel and use a stippling motion around the stem. A dry brush with dark umber paint will work in the creases of the pumpkin.

Transform Your Space: Cozy Decor Ideas for the Autumn Season

Adding these painted faux pumpkins to our fall dining room table with an assortment of walnuts, pinecones, and tea lights in bark candleholders looks pretty.

I add these to pedestals, bookshelves, centerpieces, crates, and baskets and anyone who visits our home during the fall season thinks they are a real pumpkin.

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Add other natural elements such as:

These are a good idea to add to the home for fall.  Fill glass jars, a vase, crates, baskets, and dough bowls.

• *Real Pumpkin stems
• *​Leaves
• *Indian corn (Flint corn)
• *Corns husks
• *Acorns
• *Pine Cones
• *Nuts
• *Branches
• *Birch logs
• *Candles
• *Dried artichoke

Add these to centerpieces on a dining room table or the living room coffee table.

Inspired

Inspired Transformations

I hope this has inspired you to consider using chalk paint on pumpkins as the sustainable choice for transforming your faux pumpkins into lifelike representations that beautifully adorn your dining table. With this eco-friendly approach, you can effortlessly make these faux pumpkins look remarkably real.

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