Spider let down from the stem on one long lit threadPurple, black, white. Glow paint on the thread and the spider's eyes. In the dark: a line and two dots.
Witch on a broom outlined across a painted moonBlack, pale yellow. Glow paint on the moon only; the witch stays black. In the dark: her shape, cut out.
Fish skeleton swimming round the widest partTeal, white. Glow paint on the head, the spine and every rib bone. In the dark: a fish with nothing on it.
Bird skeleton perched on a twig, wing bones foldedPurple, white, brown. Glow paint on the bird only, not the twig. In the dark: a small skeleton in midair.
BOO spelled out in knobbly glowing bonesOrange, white. Glow paint on the bone letters. In the dark: one word and no pumpkin.
Cat skeleton sitting up, tail bones curling to the stemBlack, white. Glow paint on the skull, ribs and tail bones. In the dark: a bony cat with a hooked tail.
Dancing skeleton, a different pose on each of four sidesBlack, white. Glow paint on all four figures. In the dark: turn the pumpkin and the skeleton dances.
Dinosaur bones laid out like a museum digTan, brown, white. Glow paint on the white bones only. In the dark: a long-tailed skeleton in pieces.
Dog bones scattered all over, every bone in glow paintBlack, white. Glow paint over each white bone. In the dark: a tumble of bones at every angle.
Fish skeleton swimming round the widest partTeal, white. Glow paint on the head, the spine and every rib bone. In the dark: a fish with nothing on it.
Glowing rib cage wrapped round a black pumpkin bellyBlack, white. Glow paint over the white ribs and breastbone. In the dark: a rib cage with no pumpkin.
Skeleton hand reaching up one side, finger bones litNavy, white. Glow paint on each finger bone and the wrist. In the dark: five fingers reaching for the stem.
Skull on a white pumpkin, sockets left dark at nightWhite, black. Glow paint over the whole pumpkin except eyes, nose and teeth gaps. In the dark: a pale skull.
Spine climbing the back groove all the way to the stemBlack, white. Glow paint on every small bone of the spine. In the dark: a dotted column, top to bottom.
X-ray smile, a row of glowing teeth and nothing elseBlack, white. Glow paint on two rows of square teeth. In the dark: a floating smile.
Webs, stars and dots 12
Comet streaks falling down the grooves toward the baseNavy, white, yellow. Glow paint on heads and tails. In the dark: streaks all falling the same way.
Dot spiral winding from the stem down to the baseAny dark base, white. Glow paint on the spiral of dots. In the dark: a coil that leads the eye round.
Dotted swirls like a sparkler waved in the darkBlack, gold. Glow paint over loops of small gold dots. In the dark: looping trails of light.
Firefly swarm of glow dots on a midnight blue pumpkinMidnight blue, dark green, yellow. Glow paint dabbed over each yellow dot. In the dark: only the fireflies.
Galaxy swirl of flicked glow specks on blackBlack, violet, blue. Glow paint flicked from a toothbrush over the swirl. In the dark: a spiral of specks.
Glow polka dots on bare orange, no color under themBare orange. Glow paint alone, in dots of three sizes. In the dark: spots all over the pumpkin.
Made-up constellation wrapping right round the pumpkinNavy, white. Glow paint on the dots and the joining lines. In the dark: a star map that wraps round.
Ringed planet and its moons across the widest partBlack, orange, cream. Glow paint on the ring and the moons. In the dark: a tilted ring round nothing.
Spider let down from the stem on one long lit threadPurple, black, white. Glow paint on the thread and the spider's eyes. In the dark: a line and two dots.
Starry dots, large near the stem and tiny at the baseNavy, pale yellow. Glow paint on every dot. In the dark: a sky that seems to curve away.
Thin moon facing the street with a handful of small starsBlack, cream. Glow paint on the moon and stars. In the dark: a night sky facing the street.
Web lines down every groove, glowing rings between themBlack, white. Glow paint on spokes and rings. In the dark: a full web seen from the middle.
Outlines only 12
Cat outline in glow paint alone on a bare orange pumpkinBare orange. Glow paint alone in one unbroken outline of a sitting cat. In the dark: the cat.
Ghost outlines peeking from behind each ribDark gray. Glow paint outline of a ghost on every other rib. In the dark: a crowd of ghosts.
Haunted house drawn in single glow linesDark purple. Glow paint for the roofline, door and windows. In the dark: a house made of wire.
House number outlined so the porch shows at nightBare orange or black. Glow paint round each numeral, then filled. In the dark: the number alone.
Leafless tree outline branching from base to stemBlack. Glow paint on the trunk and every twig. In the dark: a bare tree wrapped round.
Owl outline with two filled glowing eyesBrown. Glow paint outline of the owl; the two eyes filled solid. In the dark: eyes inside a faint shape.
Seven unfilled bat outlines ringing a black pumpkinBlack. Glow paint outlines of seven bats, none filled in. In the dark: bats in a ring.
Smaller pumpkin face outlined inside the firstOrange, black. Black face by day; glow paint draws a second, smaller face in it. In the dark: only that.
Stitch marks lit up along a single groove, stem to baseBare orange, black. Glow paint over each black stitch. In the dark: a seam from stem to base.
Thin-line grin in glow paint alone on bare orangeBare orange. Glow paint alone, drawn thin as eyes, nose and grin. In the dark: a face in fine lines.
Window outline with a lamp shape glowing insideNavy. Glow paint on the four panes and one lamp. In the dark: a lit window in a wall.
Witch on a broom outlined across a painted moonBlack, pale yellow. Glow paint on the moon only; the witch stays black. In the dark: her shape, cut out.
Faces that light up 12
Cat face, slit pupils and whiskers in glow paintBlack, yellow. Glow paint on the eyes, leaving the slits dark, and on six whiskers. In the dark: a cat.
Day smile, night frown, two mouths on one faceOrange, black. Black smile for the day; glow paint frown drawn over it. In the dark: the frown wins.
Gasping face, round mouth and raised brows in glow paintOrange, black, white. Glow paint fills the round mouth and two brows. In the dark: a gasp.
Glowing eyes only, the rest of the face in blackOrange, black. Glow paint fills two round eyes. In the dark: a stare with no face.
Monster with five glowing eyes of different sizesGreen, purple, white. Glow paint on all five eyes. In the dark: five eyes, each a new size.
One-eyed giant with a single ringed glowing eyeTeal, white, black. Glow paint in rings round one large eye. In the dark: a target that stares.
Painted mask by day, glowing eyeholes at nightRed, gold, black. Glow paint fills both eyeholes of the mask. In the dark: two pointed eye shapes.
Robot face with a glowing grid for a mouthSilver, black, red. Glow paint on the mouth grid and two square eyes. In the dark: a screen face.
Sleepy face by day, eyes that open in the darkOrange, black. Closed eyes in black; open eyes in glow paint alone above them. In the dark: wide awake.
Space visitor with almond eyes on a lime pumpkinLime, black. Glow paint round two large almond eyes. In the dark: two tilted shapes.
Wide grin whose teeth alone light upBlack, white. Glow paint on each tooth, not the lips. In the dark: teeth in a curve.
Wink, one eye painted and the other only glowingOrange, black. One black eye and a grin; glow paint alone for the second eye. In the dark: one eye.
How it works
Glow paint has to sit in light before it glows, and it fades as the night goes on. Each of these 48 no-carve pumpkins is planned twice: how it looks by day and what is left in the dark.
Read the full guide
Two looks on one pumpkin
Every detail line gives the day colors, the parts in glow paint and what shows when the porch light is off. Most of Outlines only is drawn in thin glow lines: Haunted house drawn in single glow lines. Skeletons and bones glows as bones with no pumpkin round them.
Glow paint is not blacklight paint
Glow-in-the-dark paint is phosphorescent: light charges it, and it goes on glowing, typically pale green, once the light is gone. Fluorescent paint needs a blacklight to show. A pumpkin painted from this list is a decoration and is not eaten.
Questions and answers
What are some glow in the dark paint pumpkin ideas for a porch?
Pick ones that read from the street: Wide grin whose teeth alone light up, Glowing eyes only, the rest of the face in black, and House number outlined so the porch shows at night.
Why did my pumpkin stop glowing?
Glow paint fades after the light is gone, sometimes within a few minutes and sometimes over a few hours. Bright light charges it again. How long yours lasts is on its label.
Do I need a blacklight?
Not for glow-in-the-dark paint, which glows by itself after sitting in light. Fluorescent paint is the kind that needs a blacklight, and these designs are written for glow paint.
Can a design stay hidden until dark?
That depends on the paint: how clear a glow paint dries is on its label. A few designs use glow paint alone on bare orange, with no color under it, such as Cat outline in glow paint alone on a bare orange pumpkin.