Pumpkin Decor Inspiration from Artisan Enhancements
Fall is almost here! Whether you’re decorating with faux or real pumpkins this year, Artisan Enhancements art finishing products will give your pumpkins decor an artistic edge!
From elegant to rustic, we’ve put together some fun pumpkin project ideas to share with you.
To get started, pick your pumpkins! If you like to switch up your décor every year or the organic shapes of real pumpkins, Artisan Enhancements products can be applied directly to natural pumpkins and gourds. If you prefer to create reusable or keepsake décor to be used for more than one season, we recommend using faux pumpkins for your Artisan Enhancements finish.
Metallic Pumpkins: Artisan Enhancements Leaf & Foil Size makes adding a metallic finish to your pumpkins easy and fun!
To create these two looks, we started by painting our pumpkins a solid color to add a contrasting basecoat below the metallic foil. Once the paint was completely dry, we applied an even coat of Leaf & Foil Size all over the pumpkins using a chip brush. After allowing the Leaf & Foil Size to “tack up,” we applied pieces of metallic foil over the tacky surfaces. Quick Tip: Remember to apply your foil shiny side up! When the cellophane backing was pulled away from the metallic coating, we were left with a beautiful gilded finish.
We applied two coats of Clear Finish Gloss by Artisan Enhancements to seal our metallic pumpkins. Clear Finish Gloss is a non-yellowing, water-based, high-quality acrylic varnish for interior use. Clear Finish Gloss is a great sealer to use on metallic projects as it provides a satin to glossy finish that will help enhance the shine of the metallic foil. To learn more about foiling techniques, download our Leaf & Foil Size Tip sheet.
Pearly Pumpkins: Artisan Enhancements Pearl Plaster can be combined with Artisan Enhancements Scumble to create a luxurious finish.
We created these elegant and whimsical natural pumpkins by first painting a white and grey polka-dot pattern. Once the paint was dry, we added a shimmery coat by applying a pearly Scumble glaze. To get this shimmer effect, mix 3-parts Scumble to 2-parts Pearl Plaster. Then apply the mixture over top of the painted pattern to add an elegant pearly luster! Clear Finish Gloss was used to seal these pumpkins and to enhance the shimmer of the pearlized finish.
For a more dramatic spooky effect, try using the Pearl Plaster & Scumble glaze mixture over a darker color. To learn more about Scumble techniques, download our Scumble Tip sheet.
Textured Pumpkins: Artisan Enhancements offers a variety of plasters and effect products to help achieve wonderful textures with ease.
For this textured pumpkin project, we used a scroll stencil to add a raised pattern in Fine Stone plaster to a pumpkin previously painted white. To apply the Fine Stone, load a small amount of plaster to the edge of a color shaper, palette knife, or small trowel type tool. Using the desired tool, push the plaster through the stencil with light pressure. Lift the stencil to reveal a relief pattern. For this project additional copper foil accents were added once the Fine Stone was dry. Clear Finish Matte was used to seal the pumpkin. To learn more about Fine Stone techniques, download our Fine Stone Tip sheet.
To create the rustic finish on the large pumpkin, we used Artisan Enhancements Crackle Tex in between layers of matte chalk-style paint. First, we painted a basecoat of soft pale grey using our round brush. After the paint was dry, Crackle Tex was applied over the grey color. Over the Crackle Tex layer, we applied a coat of white paint. As the paint started to dry, cracks began to appear. We used the “pull-off” method, also known as the “chippy crackle” technique, to create an even more textured and weathered finish. To learn more about Crackle Tex techniques, download our Crackle Tex Tip sheet.
On the smaller pumpkins, we painted the pumpkins again in a soft grey chalk-style paint. We then dry-brushed white chalk-style paint to add a bit of highlight.
Finally, once both the large and small pumpkins were dry, we sealed the paint with one thin coat of Clear Topcoat Sealer Matte. We allowed the sealer to dry for 24 hours before adding an additional glaze.
We mixed a custom Scumble Glaze of 5-parts black chalk-style paint to 1-part Scumble. The tinted glaze was brushed over the entire surface of the pumpkins and then wiped back with a damp sea sponge. The glaze created additional depth and dimension to the finish of the smaller pumpkins as well as to accentuate the great crackle effect of the large pumpkin.
The large and small pumpkins have been sealed with Clear Topcoat Sealer Matte which provides a protective matte finish suitable for outdoor use!
We hope you enjoy this bit of inspiration for adding artistic finishes to your pumpkins! With Artisan Enhancements products, the possibilities are endless!
Do you have some pumpkin projects in your future? We hope you will share your creations with us! Be sure to @artisanenhancements when you post your photos on social media sites! We love to see and share the creative ways our products are being used to create amazing finishes!
