Painting a Loose Watercolor Pumpkin with Yellow Flower Wreath in 15 Minutes
Why I Painted This Pumpkin
You know what's funny? I've been making painting videos for years, and I just realized I've never done a demo where I painted a pumpkin. In fact, I am certain I have not. So obviously, with fall in full swing, it was time to fix that!
I wanted this piece to be loose, fun, and almost holiday-looking—not too serious. Just a cheerful celebration of the season that anyone could tackle, even if they only have a few minutes to paint.
The No-Sketch Approach
True to form, I didn't sketch this out beforehand. I just eyeballed the composition and went with my heart. (I was also listening to really funny YouTube videos in the background, which always makes painting feel even better!)
If you're someone who struggles to find time to paint, a little pumpkin with a flower wreath is the perfect project. I didn't have to squeeze out new colors or test anything—I just grabbed a couple of my palettes and went to town.
The Color Palette
For this painting, I kept things simple with just a few key colors:
For the Pumpkin:
Aussie Red Gold - A beautiful warm orange that's perfect for pumpkins
Daniel Smith Rhodonite Genuine - Pink for the shadows (yes, pink!)
Rockwell Art Landmark Brown - For the stem, with lovely red undertones
For the Flower Wreath:
Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue - For those loose, cheerful flowers
Fall Story Green - A warm green that separates with golden-orangey tones (perfect name for this painting!)
Tree Sprite Green - A cooler green with purple undertones
Starting with the Pumpkin
I began with a few brush strokes of Aussie Red Gold to suggest those characteristic bumps on a pumpkin. Then—and this is where it gets fun—I went in with pink for the shadows.
Why Pink Shadows?
I know what you're thinking: pink shadows on a pumpkin? But hear me out! Since pink is cooler than orange, it creates beautiful shadow areas while keeping the painting fun and kind of flirty. You saw the thumbnail—this isn't meant to be a super serious, realistic pumpkin. This is about capturing the feeling of fall in a loose, joyful way.
I also added just a bit of that Landmark brown, which has red undertones that harmonize beautifully with the orange. Then I dropped in a little more orange because I do like color harmony.
The Stem
I kept the stem separate from the main pumpkin at first because I didn't want a lot of bleeding. I didn't want the brown to migrate into my beautiful orange gourd!
Creating the Loose Yellow Flower Wreath
Here's where things get really fun and loose. I picked up some Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue with my size 10 round brush and just started dotting and flicking my brush around, creating the illusion of yellow flowers.
The trick here? We really only know they're flowers because of the context. I'm not painting petals or centers—just dots and flicks of yellow. Our imagination fills in the rest!
A Word About Painting in New Clothes
I should mention that I was splattering paint around to create some of those flowers while wearing a brand new outfit with no apron. I live dangerously like that! Luckily, you can't see me, so you don't know what kind of mistakes I make in my wardrobe choices or why I should never wear brand new clothes or the color white while painting.
Adding the Greenery
Next, I went in with Fall Story green. Can we talk about how perfect that name is for this painting? This green is warmer, and when it separates, there's a golden-orangey tone that complements the pumpkin beautifully.
I placed this green in between some of the orange and yellow areas, building up that wreath composition around the pumpkin.
The Vine-y Details
Then I switched to a size two liner brush (also called a rigger brush) and picked up more of that Fall Story green to make little sprigs, twigs, and vine-y bits. This adds more interest to the piece while keeping everything really loose.
The star of the show is the pumpkin—the wreath is just a supporting cast member that makes the whole composition feel more complete.
The Power of Cool Colors in a Warm Painting
Even though this is a very warm piece (oranges, yellows, warm greens), I knew I needed some cool colors to make those warms really pop. That's where Tree Sprite green comes in.
Tree Sprite is a cooler green with purple undertones. By adding it strategically in the wreath, I cool down certain areas, which makes the warm colors feel even warmer by comparison. The warms definitely dominate, but those little touches of cool color create visual interest.
Working Wet-in-Wet: Timing is Everything
This entire painting was done in one take—I didn't let anything dry before moving on to another section. That's why timing matters!
The Lifting Technique
When I wanted to lift color to define those pumpkin segments, I had to wait just a bit. If you try to lift when the paint is super wet, you're just introducing more water and the paint will move around. But if you wait until it's slightly drier, you can create beautiful lifted areas.
Here's my technique:
Paint the pumpkin
Work on the foliage
Go back to the pumpkin for lifting and details
Return to the foliage
Back to the pumpkin for final touches
This rotation gives different areas time to reach that perfect "not too wet, not too dry" stage.
The Paper Makes a Difference
I was working on Fabriano 1264 paper, which is a student-grade paper. One thing I love about this paper (other than it being inexpensive) is that it lifts very well. Having painted on it a few times, I know I can easily lift off color when needed.
This is important knowledge! Getting familiar with your papers and how they behave will help you make better decisions while painting.
Creating Focal Point Contrast
As I worked, I kept one principle in mind: your focal point should have the greatest value contrast.
My pumpkin has some of the lightest values in the artwork as well as some of the darkest, and they're really close to each other. This naturally draws the eye to the pumpkin and makes it the clear star of the composition.
The Press-and-Lift Method
When using a paper towel to lift paint, remember this mantra: press and lift, don't rub!
If you start scrubbing with your paper towel, you can:
Damage the paper
Create mud
Smudge your painting
Just gently press your paper towel into the wet area, then lift it straight up. Repeat as needed. Much cleaner results!
Marrying the Wreath to the Pumpkin
Toward the end, I dropped in a little bit of Tree Sprite green close to the pumpkin to marry the wreath composition to the fruit without actually putting green directly on the orange. This creates visual connection without contaminating the focal point.
I also went back in with more Rhodonite Genuine pink to accentuate the shadows, using curved brush strokes that follow the form of the pumpkin. I even popped some pink into the green areas to suggest that the pumpkin continues behind the foliage without actually giving it defined shape.
Keeping Things Loose
Throughout this painting, I kept reminding myself to stay loose. Those yellow flowers? Just dots and splatters. The greenery? Flicks and swipes. The pumpkin segments? Suggested rather than defined.
When you embrace looseness, you give viewers' imaginations room to participate in the painting. And honestly? That's part of the magic.
The Time Factor
The actual painting time for this piece was roughly 15 minutes. I only sped up the video slightly so you wouldn't get bored, but this truly is a quick project.
In our busy lives, it's not always realistic to set aside hours for painting. But 15 minutes? Most of us can find that! And at the end of those 15 minutes, you have a cheerful seasonal painting to enjoy.
Final Touches
When I was happy with the overall composition and values, all that was left was to sign it and let it dry.
What I Love About This Painting
This pumpkin piece embodies everything I love about loose watercolor:
It's quick - Perfect for busy schedules
It's forgiving - No sketch means less pressure
It's seasonal - Captures the feeling of fall
It's fun - From the pink shadows to the splattered flowers
It's accessible - Anyone can try this approach
Your Turn!
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist looking for a quick seasonal project, I encourage you to give this loose pumpkin a try. Grab some warm oranges, cheerful yellows, and greens, and just play!
Don't worry about making it perfect or realistic. Focus on capturing the feeling of fall—that cozy, abundant, colorful season we all love.
And if you do paint your own loose pumpkin, I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @valerie.englehart so I can admire your work.
Happy fall painting, everyone! 🎃