Moonbeams down the grooves from a small moon at the stemNavy, pale yellow, white. A full moon beside the stem; pale yellow dry-brushed down every groove from it.
The bare orange as the gas cloud, black sponged around itBlack, white on bare orange. Sponge black in from the edges, leaving cloudy orange gaps; white stars on the black.
Nebula in the grooves only, every rib left blackBlack, teal, magenta, white. Sponge teal, then magenta, down each groove; dot white stars on the ribs between.
Aurora ribbons climbing the ribs of a navy pumpkinNavy, green, violet, white. Drag green upward on alternate ribs with a dry brush; violet at the tips; stars above.
The bare orange as the gas cloud, black sponged around itBlack, white on bare orange. Sponge black in from the edges, leaving cloudy orange gaps; white stars on the black.
Cloud cap around the stem, fading to black at the baseBlack, blue, purple, pink, white. Sponge rings around the stem, pink nearest it; stars thick on top, few below.
Dark cloud shape left black against a red and pink glowBlack, red, pink, white. Sponge red, then pink, around a cloud shape that stays black; stars only in the glow.
Edge-on galaxy: a bright streak with a bulge in the middleBlack, navy, cream, yellow. A thin cream streak across five ribs, swollen yellow at its center; a dark lane along it.
Milky Way running up one side, past the stem and downBlack, navy, violet, white. Sponge the band up and over the top beside the stem, white down its middle; flick stars.
Nebula in the grooves only, every rib left blackBlack, teal, magenta, white. Sponge teal, then magenta, down each groove; dot white stars on the ribs between.
Pastel galaxy on a white pumpkin with gold starsWhite, lilac, pink, mint, gold. Sponge the three pastels in soft drifts that overlap; dot the stars last, in gold.
Pillars of dust: three cloud columns rising from the baseNavy, rust, tan, teal, white. Sponge three uneven rust columns up the front, tan on one edge; stars at the tips.
Porthole view: a riveted ring with a nebula inside itGray, black, blue, magenta, white. A gray ring with rivet dots on the front; sponge the cloud inside; gray outside.
Ring cloud seen from above: teal inside, red outsideBlack, teal, orange, red, white. A sponged ring around the stem, teal on its inner edge, red on the outer; few stars.
Three minis, three clouds: teal, magenta and goldBlack, white, one bright color per mini. Sponge the color in one drift on each; flick stars over all three at once.
Stars and constellations 12
A birthday constellation in gold dots and linesNavy, gold. Copy the star pattern of a zodiac sign from a chart: dots first, then lines, its name lettered below.
Big Dipper with its two pointer stars aimed at the stemNavy, white. Seven stars: four for the bowl, three for the handle. A line through the bowl's front two runs to the stem.
Cassiopeia: five stars joined in a W across the shoulderNavy, white. Five dots in a W, joined by thin lines; a scatter of smaller stars around them.
Little Dipper up the shoulder, its last star on the stemNavy, white, pale yellow. The bowl low, the handle rising; the handle's tip is the North Star, painted on the stem.
Orion: one belt star on each of three neighboring ribsBlack, white, red, pale blue. The belt across three ribs; a red star at one shoulder, a blue one at the far foot.
Ring of stars around the stem, one above every ribNavy, white, yellow. A five-point star at the top of each rib, tips nearly touching; a dot between each pair.
Star chart disc: a round map with a grid, white on navyNavy, white. A circle on the front crossed by curved grid lines; dots of three sizes; N lettered at its top.
Star cluster: a tight knot of blue-white stars in a hazeBlack, pale blue, white. Sponge a small pale haze on one rib; pack a dozen stars into it; scatter few elsewhere.
Star trails: short arcs in rings around the stemBlack, white, pale blue. Curved strokes in rings around the stem, longer in each ring outward; one dot at the stem.
Stargazer: a small telescope on a hill aimed at one starNavy, black, white, yellow. A black hill and a tripod telescope low in front; one large yellow star near the stem.
Summer Triangle on three minis: one bright star eachNavy, white. A single star on each mini, for Vega, Deneb and Altair; set the three out as a wide triangle.
Twin stars side by side, their long rays crossingBlack, gold, pale blue, white. A gold star and a blue one close together on the front, four long thin rays on each.
Planets, rockets and deep space 12
A planet of your own: two colors in bands, a name belowAny two colors, white. Wide wet bands swirled where they meet; one ring line; a made-up name lettered at the base.
Asteroid belt: a loose band of gray rocks around the middleBlack, gray, tan, white. Lumpy rocks of mixed sizes in a band around the widest part; a few strays above and below.
Astronaut's helmet: a planet mirrored in its gold visorWhite, gold, black, blue. A white coat; a wide gold visor across the front; a small blue planet reflected in it.
Black hole from above: a bright ring swirling into the darkBlack, orange, yellow, white. The top around the stem solid black; a glowing ring around it, streaks curling inward.
Jupiter and its four big moons: a banded pumpkin, four minisCream, tan, rust, gray, yellow. Bands and a red oval on the big one; each mini a plain moon, set in a line beside it.
Orbits from above: the stem as the Sun, eight ringsBlack, yellow, white. The stem yellow; eight thin white rings from it to the widest part; a dot planet on each.
Pluto: tan and brown with a pale heart on one sideTan, brown, cream. Mottle tan and brown with a sponge; one big cream heart low on the front, as the photos show.
Rocket and its dotted path looping once around a planetAny planet coat, white, red. A dotted line circles the widest part; a small rocket at its front end, flame behind.
Satellite with two solar wings above a curved blue horizonBlack, blue, white, gray, gold. A blue curve around the base; above it a boxy satellite, a ribbed panel either side.
Saturn from above: its rings as circles around the stemPale yellow, tan, gray, black. Gray rings around the stem with one dark gap between them; faint stripes below.
Uranus: a blue-green pumpkin laid on its sidePale blue-green, white. One flat coat and a faint ring line; lay it on its side, as this planet spins tipped over.
Venus: cream and pale yellow clouds swirled all overCream, pale yellow, white. Sponge the three in long curved drifts with no gaps, for a world wrapped in thick cloud.
The Moon 12
Bare-orange harvest moon left in a coat of navyNavy, white on bare orange. Paint navy around a circle on the front and leave the circle unpainted; flick stars.
Earthrise: a gray horizon at the base, a small blue EarthBlack, gray, blue, white. A curved gray band around the base; above it in front, a half-lit blue and white ball.
Ladder to the moon, climbing one groove to the stemNavy, white, pale yellow. A thin ladder climbs a groove from the base; a crescent sits at its top; a star each side.
Mobile: a moon and stars on strings hanging from the stemPale blue, yellow, white. Thin white strings run down the grooves from the stem; a moon on one, a star on each other.
The moon as a round of cheese: holes for craters, one mousePale yellow, ochre, gray. Yellow all over; round holes shaded on one side; a small mouse peeking out of one.
The moon as it will look on Halloween night, with the dateBlack, white, gray. Look up the phase for October 31 this year; paint that shape; letter the date under it.
Moon in a jar: a glass jar with a small crescent insideNavy, pale yellow, white, gray. A jar drawn on the front, its lid just under the stem; a crescent and specks inside.
Moon on a string, held like a balloon by a tiny figureNavy, yellow, white, black. A full moon near the stem; a thin string runs down to a small figure at the base.
Moonbeams down the grooves from a small moon at the stemNavy, pale yellow, white. A full moon beside the stem; pale yellow dry-brushed down every groove from it.
Solar eclipse from two: a black mini before a yellow oneYellow, white, black. The big one yellow with white streaks fanning to its edges; set the black mini before it.
Stem as the lander: gold legs on the shoulder, bootprintsPale gray, gold, charcoal. The stem gold; four legs painted out from it; ribbed prints walk down the front.
Two moons over dunes: the night sky of a made-up worldViolet, orange, cream, pale green. Dunes around the base; a big cream moon and a small green one above them.
How it works
These galaxy pumpkin painting ideas are 48 no-carve designs in four groups of 12. The sponged ones list their colors in the order they go on and say where the stars belong.
Read the full guide
Painted galaxy pumpkin ideas, layer by layer
On most, the dark coat goes on first and dries. Then one color at a time is dabbed on with a damp sponge, and the stars come last. Nebula in the grooves only, every rib left black keeps the color in the dips; Cloud cap around the stem, fading to black at the base keeps it on top.
Where the stars go
Stars are white dots, or flicks from a stiff brush, thick where the color is and thin over bare black. On a constellation they are placed, not flicked. Cassiopeia: five stars joined in a W across the shoulder is five dots and four lines.
Questions and answers
Which constellations fit on a pumpkin?
Five star patterns are named on the list. Big Dipper with its two pointer stars aimed at the stem makes the stem the North Star, which those two stars point to. Orion has a three-star belt, a red shoulder star and a blue foot star.
How do you paint a planet pumpkin?
Pick a planet that suits a round, ribbed shape. Uranus: a blue-green pumpkin laid on its side works because that planet spins tipped over. Saturn from above: its rings as circles around the stem puts the rings where the ribs meet.
What are some moon pumpkin painting ideas?
The Moon group has 12. Bare-orange harvest moon left in a coat of navy uses the pumpkin's own color as the moon; Stem as the lander: gold legs on the shoulder, bootprints makes the whole pumpkin the Moon's surface.
Can I paint a galaxy on a white pumpkin?
Yes. Pastel galaxy on a white pumpkin with gold stars skips the dark coat: lilac, pink and mint are sponged onto white. On an orange one, a design that sponges black around cloudy gaps leaves the bare orange showing as the gas cloud.