Raise your hand if you’ve tried to decorate a pumpkin with the intention of transforming it into cute lil butterfly, but it turned out like... not a cute lil butterfly. (Yup, my hand is raised). If this is you, and you also have literally no artistique talent whatsoever, don't worry: There’s hope for us.
Thanks to this beautiful thing I like to call the internet, there are tons of tutorials that teach us left brainers out here exactly what to do. This ensures that we, you know, actually create a cute-looking pumpkin design that can be uploaded to the 'gram.
Oh, and did I mention none of these ideas involve carving? Because whomst actually enjoys sticking their hand into a pumpkin? Not this girl.
Below, find 27 super-cute and relatively easy pumpkin design ideas you should try this fall. And, hey, it's never too late to start practicing.
1. Stranger Things
Paint your pumpkin white. (Optional: Draw the floral wallpaper motif if you’re really into this.) Write the alphabet using black paint. Let the paint drip a bit for that authentic scary/nostalgic Netflix series effect. Wrap some Christmas lights around your pumpkin and plug it in!
2. Cupcake
Find yourself a baby pumpkin (the smallest one you can find) and flip it upside down to make the top of your cupcake. Paint the pumpkin using the color of your favorite icing, stick the pumpkin in a cupcake wrapper, and, while the paint is still drying, add sprinkles (you can also glue them on after the paint dries). I stuffed the cupcake wrapper with a little paper so the pumpkin would stay upright.
3. Ghostface Chillah
Drape a piece of white fabric over your pumpkin so the fabric is hanging roughly evenly on all sides. Then cut and paint paper to make the ghost’s eyes, mouth, and arms. Once the paint has dried, use hot glue to attach the paper to the fabric. It’s just like a regular ghost costume except cooler (chillah).
4. Mean Girls
All you need to make the Plastics are bunny, cat, and mouse headbands, a black wig, and a wedding veil. Pumpkin decorating for lazies!
5. Pizza
Find one of those super-squat pumpkins that is wider than it is tall. These already look like pizzas (the creases even look like slices), so all you have to do is paint your toppings on top and give it a nice brown crust.
6. Cactus
Desk cacti are so hot right now. Find another baby pumpkin and paint it green. Then use a lighter green paint to line the creases like a cactus. To make the cactus spines, I grabbed an old hairbrush, cut the bristles off, and then hot-glued them on.
7. Pokémon Go
This one speaks for itself. Find the roundest pumpkin you can so it looks like the actual poké ball (I’m told that’s what those are called).
8. Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits
To make the varying shades for your lip kits, mix different amounts of brown paint with pink. Make sure the paint that represents the liquid lipstick shade is matte (because duh, Kylie loves matte) and the black paint for the stem is glossy. To make the drips, paint a small circle however low you want your droplet to be and then connect it to the stem with a line.
9. Meme
I went with "pumpkin spice" because this is the most iconic of duos. It’s also the easiest pumpkin decorating idea because it requires no actual pumpkin decorating.
10. Spilt Ice Cream Cone
Paint two small pumpkins to make your ice cream scoops. Glue the first one a paper plate (I used my paint mixing plate so it looked like the ice cream was melting), and then glue the second pumpkin to the top of the other pumpkin. Decorate your plate and ice cream scoops with sprinkles. Cover the stem with an ice cream cone and glue it into place.
11. Galaxy
Start with an all-black pumpkin. Smear purple, pink, and blue paint to make the swirls. Dip your brush in white paint and then flick it toward the pumpkin to splatter your galaxy. Finish with tons of sparkles and glitter.
11. Pink-to-Purple Ombré
Sponge paint the top section of your pumpkin first. Let it dry completely, and then set the pumpkin upside down to paint the bottom half.
12. Doughnut-Painted Mini Pumpkins
First paint the bottom of the pumpkins a dough color, let it dry, and then flip it over and paint the icing. Draw the little sprinkles with colorful permanent markers or paint pens, and finish with a gloss varnish spray paint to give the doughnuts a glazed look.
13. Silver and Black Monogrammed Design
Coat the pumpkins with a metallic spray paint, and then draw the letters freehand or print them out and make your own stencils.
14. Chic Leopard Print
Spray-paint your pumpkin gold first, and then create the spots with black and bronze metallic acrylic paints. You can use old fluffy makeup brushes if you don’t have paintbrushes. Watch how to do it on Cosmo’s Instagram.
15. Matte Black With Glitter
Chalkboard paint works well for a matte black look.
16. Pretty and Pearlized With Gold Glitter
Place the painted pumpkin in a brown grocery bag, cover the top of the pumpkin in spray adhesive, and then sprinkle glitter on top to get the perfect glitter ombré effect.
17. Studded Stunner
Grab a few stud embellishments (you can find them at most fabric stores) with prongs on the back and press the stud into the pumpkin like a thumbtack after you’ve finished painting.
18. Cool and Colorblocked
Use painters tape to section off the pumpkin for sharp lines.
19. Bejeweled
Use super glue instead of hot glue so you don’t burn the pumpkin.
20. Tatted With Gilded Temporary Tattoos
Apply temporary tattoos (like these from Flash Tattoos) on the pumpkin the same way you would on your skin.
21. An Ombré Trio
Start with a hot pink color for the first pumpkin, add white paint to get the second color, and then use mostly white with a dab of hot pink to get the lightest color for a true ombré effect.
22. Covered in Chalkboard Paint
Dull your chalk a bit before writing on the pumpkin so the paint doesn’t scratch off.
23. Metallic
Buy metallic spray paint to get the look literally in seconds.
24. Pretty Puff Paint Design
Start at the top of the pumpkin and work your way down, so you don’t smear the puff paint with your hand while drawing.
25. Dripping in Paint
Pour paint on top of the pumpkin in small amounts and then tilt the pumpkin until your paint drips.
26. Covered in Lace
Cut a hole the size of the stem in the middle of the lace, pull it over the pumpkin, and use pushpins to secure it to the bottom.
27. Permanent Marker Doodles
Use whatever permanent marker colors you’d like for the design.
Taylor is the former Sex and Relationships editor who can tell you exactly which vibrators are worth the splurge, why you’re still dreaming about your ex, and tips on how to have the best sex of your life (including what word you should spell with your hips during cowgirl sex). You can follow her on Instagram here.
