November 10, 2018

Acrylic Pumpkin Canvas Painting Tutorial

Here’s a fairly simple pumpkin painting tutorial. Last year I had a few friends over and we had a little painting party using this method. When I searched the internet for a pumpkin painting tutorial I ran across this from youtube. Thank you, Wild Beasts Productions! I modified it for our own use and here’s my version:

Pumpkin Painting Tutorial

You will need the following acrylic craft paints:

Pumpkin orange
Background color of your choice (I used cobalt blue)
Yellow
White
Black
Barn Red
Green
Canvas or canvas board, this is 11 x 14.

I like to use paper plates for mixing colors. It’s a good idea to have several brushes on hand for different parts of the painting. Also, cover your work area, protect your clothing, and have some paper towels and a cup of water handy.

Hint: When you blend a color leave some extra for touch-ups.

Here’s the basic shape sketched out on canvas board:

Paint background color of your choice, leaving pumpkin, leaves, and vine white; this may take a couple of coats.

Paint pumpkin body orange. Follow the direction of the curves if possible. You will probably need two coats. A sponge brush might make this go faster.

Mix yellow, some orange and a little white to get a lighter yellow-orange and paint tops and edges of the pumpkin ribs, blending in as needed.

Mix barn red and some orange to get a maroon color and paint the bottom part of pumpkin to indicate shadows. Also the dark part of ribs (use fine brush here). Blend as needed.

Mix yellow, white and some orange to make a very light yellow-orange and apply to edges of ribs and top. Blend as needed. Streaks are ok, they look impressionistic and “arty”. Like Van Gough.

On a new plate since you are probably out of room on the old one: for stem, some brown paint mixed with a drop of green. Paint stem and vines.

Take some white and equal part brown. Mix and do some highlights along the stem.

Take some of the last light brown you just made and add more white. Do smaller highlights along the stem.

Paint leaves green; if you got orange paint where the leaf is, paint the area white first and let dry. You can mix a little white with the green for better coverage.

Mix a very dark green (add a little brown or maroon to the green you have) and widely trace the left side of each leaf.

Use the last color mixed and add a little black to make it very dark, then lightly trace the left side of the leaves or wherever you think they would be in shadow.

Use a little bit of yellow and highlight the curve of leaves, and use a very fine brush to run a line down the middle for veins.