22 easy Halloween pumpkin painting ideas if you hate carving

Paint a pumpkin the colour of your choice and stick a sleeping mask or face mask right on top. Secure with pins and you're all set to display these dreamy pumpkins!

Using copper liquid leaf, loosely paint a squiggly line on a dried gourd or pumpkin. Create high peaks and valleys so the drips are varied. (Use an old paint brush and only a small amount of paint, as liquid leaf is very runny). Once the "drip line" is dry, fill in the rest of the area with copper paint.

Recreate this creepy display with only a few supplies: spray paint, tape, and fake spiders. Start by forming a web pattern on your pumpkin with long strips of tape. Cover the entire surface with spray paint using light, even strokes. Let the paint dry completely and add additional coats if needed. Once it's fully dry, carefully peel off the tape and glue on a plastic spider for an eerie element.

Create a slightly spooky scene with a skeleton made from two stacked pumpkins (a wide shape for the head and a rounder one for the body). Spray paint the pumpkins white, then draw black circles and ovals to create the skeleton bones. Just make sure to remove the stem from the bottom pumpkin before stacking!

Once you've found a perfectly round pumpkin, give it the spa treatment. Use green or teal paint to draw a "face mask," leaving space for the nose and mouth. Once the face is dry, stretch a shower cap over the pumpkin's "head" and pin it in place with straight pins. Finish the look with cucumber eyes, which are really just cut-out images for longevity's sake.

Create just one of these or make a whole bunch for an extra-creepy display! Remove the pumpkin's stem and paint the whole thing with glossy black paint, then let it dry. Cut craft or floral wire into eight equal-length pieces and poke four wires into each side of the pumpkin. Bend each wire twice to make the legs. Using hot glue or craft glue, attach googly eyes to the top of the pumpkin.

Make a statement with a neon painted pumpkin (we're loving this pink hue). Then decorate it with black paper bats for a spooky touch. Make sure to keep your completed pumpkin under a covered porch or inside the house, so the paper bats aren't exposed to the elements.

Puff paint is an easy way to give a pumpkin a textured look without any carving. Start by drawing a design on the pumpkin using a pencil—whether it's simple or intricate. Trace your pencil lines with puff paint and let dry completely for a few hours. Cover the stem of the pumpkin with masking tape and spray the pumpkin with matte spray paint or chalk paint and let dry. Repeat with a second coat if needed.

Hint: We found that using a lighter paint color shows off the 3D design best.

Give a black painted pumpkin texture by adding faux feathers (once it's had time to fully dry, of course). Stick the feathers to the pumpkin using Mod Podge. Then, use a brush with a little Mod Podge to smooth out the feathers on top, and let dry.

Once you've painted your pumpkin, it's time to give the stem a little personality. Cover the stem in glue then dip it into craft glitter—black, pink, or green, to name a few color options. When the light hits it just right, your pumpkin will add a splash of sparkle to any room.

These have got to be the cutest pumpkins we've ever seen (and they are easy enough for kids to make!). Simply paint mini pumpkins with two coats of black spray paint and let dry completely. Add rhinestones for eyes, embroidery thread whiskers, and pom pom noses with hot glue. Cut out cat ears from velour paper and glue each to a toothpick. Stick toothpicks into the top of the pumpkins.

Travel back in time to the good ol' days with this assortment of colourful painted pumpkins, ranging from ones that mimic disco balls (look at that sparkle!) to designs inspired by old-school record players.

Add a little something special to your painted pumpkin with some tissue paper. To make, take tissue paper and fold it over itself a few times, while placing thicker paper underneath to give the punches more structure to punch. Then, punch out a handful of circles in different shapes. Next, using a craft brush, paint a layer of Mod Podge where you are going to start laying down the tissue circles. Then, place a circle and brush over it with another layer of Mod Podge. Finally, overlap the circles to create the look and continue until you feel the coverage is complete!

This one uses nail polish instead of paint. Grab a container filled with water and your favourite nail polish colours to create this on-trend design.

After you decide on paint colours that suit your space, it's time to start crafting. Here's how to get this speckled look: First, paint your pumpkins in one solid colour and let them dry completely. Then, mix water with acrylic paint until it reaches the consistency of heavy cream. Coat a craft brush or toothbrush with paint and lightly tap it repeatedly over the whole surface of the pumpkin to create paint splatters.

These cute, spooky ghosts are easy to create. Just get some gourds and squashes from the store, paint faces with acrylic paint—it's up to you whether you want to make them spooky or sweet.

Pretty pumpkins deserve flower crowns, too. To make, shape floral wire into a wreath. Trim flowers, leaving two to three inches of stem, and attach stems and leaves with additional wire. Crown your painted pumpkin, then leave it out on display all season long. If you go with real flowers, spritz them occasionally to extend their life, but they'll be just as beautiful once they dry out.

Nothing tops the real thing, but these adorable mini pumpkins come pretty close. But if you don't want to tease your party guests, make sure you have some edible caramel apples on hand, too.