How to face paint a pumpkin for Halloween: step by step guide
Follow our simple photo and video facepainting guides to create a pumpkin face for your child
Nothing says Halloween like a pumpkin – and what child doesn't look scarily cute in a pumpkin Halloween costume? If there's some pumpkin themed dress-up going on in your house on October 31 (check out our costume suggestions in our Best Halloween costumes for babies, toddlers and children), we've got a brilliantly easy way to top it off with a face-paint pumpkin face.
We've created an easy-to-follow step by step guide to show you how to paint the look: you can either watch our how-to video (above) or follow our photo steps (below).
Huge thanks to ace facepainter Laura Boot from our Top Testers Club: you can see her turning her daughter Esme's face all pumpkin-y in our video guide – and it's Esme who's our model for the photo step-by-step guide, too. Discover our step-by-step guide on How to face paint a witch for Halloween.
Looking for easy pumpkin carving and decorating ideas that are simple but effective for your pumpkin this Halloween? Discover our Top Testers' community for the best pumpkins they've carved or decorated with their children.
- Planning a different Halloween look for your child? We've also got step-by-step face-painting guides for a witch, a vampire, a ghost, and a scary pirate.
4 of the best face paints for children
- Snazaroo Ultimate Party Pack Face Paint Kit, £14.95: Contains 12 2ml colour pots, 2 glitter gels, 4 sponges, 2 brushes and a face-painting guide. Age 3+
- Paint Pop Face Paint Sticks, £9.99: Contains 12 x face paint sticks and a brush. Age 5+
- BioKidd Natural Face Body Paint Wash, £26.90: Contains 10 x 10ml pots of paints, made with beeswax/clay/mineral-based ingredients and ready to use without wash. No brush supplied. Age 3+
- Galt Face Painting Set, £13: Contains 12 face paint discs, 2 brushes, 4 sponges, adhesive stencils and a guide. Age 5+
Here's how to face-paint a pumpkin, step by step
What you'll need
- Face paints in the following colours: orange, dark green, black
- Face-paint brush or make-up brush
- Damp sponge
Step 1
Using a damp sponge and orange paint, apply a base coat over the whole of your child's face, leaving a clear area at the top right corner of the forehead.
Step 2
With dark green paint and your brush, draw the wedge-shaped stem of the pumpkin in the clear area, adding wiggly lines on either side as leaves.
Step 3
Clean your brush. Then, using the black paint, draw an outline around the orange base. Add in a few more lines within the orange area on the cheeks and forehead, to represent the grooves of the pumpkin.
And then you're done!
Pics and video: Laura Boot. Video edit: Emily Longman Wall
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Authors
Emily is the Digital Content Producer at MadeForMums and creates editorial and video content across the brand. She also edits the weekly editorial newsletter, oversees our reviews process and loves creating our craft articles and videos. She specialises predominantly in car seats and pushchairs, and has yet to meet a buggy she couldn’t fold! With a 1st class degree in History, she always researches topics thoroughly to find the best recommendations for parents.