Here is how to paint a Talavera-inspired pumpkin!
On a trip to San Antonio, I visited the market area and talavera ceramic pumpkins were EVERYWHERE! So many different designs and styles. I told Patrick that I wanted to paint one, either a bisque pumpkin or a foam version.
Fast forward to last week. Patrick calls me from Lowe’s.
“KATHY! Lowe’s has these beautiful ceramic pumpkins! Want one to paint like we saw in San Antonio?”
Aw, he knows me too well. He didn’t only get one, he picked up two of the pumpkins. Why? Because he wanted to paint one too. His is a little more detailed, and mine makes use of Puffy Paint. Somehow our diverse styles came together to make a fun set of talavera-inspired pumpkins for our porch!
See related: Mexi-Halloween Pumpkins!
How to paint a Talavera-inspired pumpkin:
Supplies:
Ceramic pumpkins (or a foam or plastic pumpkin will work as well)
Assorted paints
Assorted brushes
Spray varnish
Here’s my pumpkin in action. I used chalk to draw out my design, then I painted white. I then let it dry and then I went over it with the other paint colors. The white base will help all the colors really pop and be vibrant! If you need inspiration for talavera you can find it here.
Once I painted all my colors, I used Puffy Paint to outline everything, this really helps give it definition and brings the talavera look to life!
And here is Patrick’s pumpkin-in-progress. OK, he got super-duper fancy with his! I like how the leaves looks like a mustache!
He also used white as a base for his detail work. Once it’s done, you can add a coat of spray varnish over the whole thing, or a brush-on varnish for just the painted areas.
I love how these turned out. They are definitely artful keepsakes for the season! They’ll look even better at night once we put light fixtures inside!
