Jingle bell, gold with a cross slot at the blossom endGold, black. Gold all over; a black cross-shaped slot at the blossom end, a dot at each of its four tips. Flat brush.
Friendly monster, one big eye on the upper bulbLime green, white, black, purple. One eye fills the top bulb; purple spots and a grin below. Round brush.
Teapot body, a painted lid ring round the stemWhite, blue, gold. Lid line and knob at the stem; a blue sprig on each side of the body. Liner brush.
Bowling pin look, white with two red rings in the waistWhite, red. White all over; two level red rings in the waist; both bulbs stay plain. Flat brush.
Cat asleep round the lower bulb, tail up to the waistGray, white, pink. The cat wraps the lower bulb; the top bulb stays plain as a cushion color. Round brush.
Deep-sea diver, a round window on the upper bulbBrass yellow, gray, pale blue. A blue window ringed with dots on the top bulb; a gray suit and belt below. Round brush.
Hen sitting on a straw nest painted round the baseWhite, red, yellow, tan. Straw strokes round the base; red comb at the stem; wing scallops each side. Liner brush.
Honey bear, round ears dotted on top of the upper bulbGolden brown, cream, black. Cream muzzle on the top bulb; a cream tummy patch on the lower bulb. Round brush.
Hourglass, sand heaped in the lower bulb, a trickle abovePale blue, tan, brown. Sand fills the lower bulb and thins to a line in the waist; brown caps at both ends. Flat brush.
Koala hugging the waist, gray ears either side of the stemGray, white, black. Big black nose on the top bulb; arms meet in the waist; white chest below. Round brush.
Nesting doll with a flowered headscarf on the upper bulbRed, cream, yellow, green, black. Face in a cream oval on the top bulb; flowers on the red body below. Round brush.
Panda, dark eye patches up top, arms folded at the waistWhite, black. White all over; ears by the stem, eye patches below; black arms across the waist. Round brush.
Plump robin, red breast across the lower bulbBrown, red, cream, black. Red from the waist down the front; brown back; a small beak on the top bulb. Flat brush.
Rag doll, yarn hair strokes over the upper bulbPeach, red, blue, black. Hair strokes fall from the stem; button eyes; a patched dress below the waist. Round brush.
Snowman with a scarf tied round the gourd's waistWhite, black, orange, one scarf color. White all over; the scarf fills the waist; coal dots below. Flat brush.
Long-necked and dipper gourds 12
Coiled snake, diamond bands along the whole dipper handleGreen, yellow, black. Diamonds repeat from the bulb to the tip; two eyes and a tongue line at the end. Liner brush.
Elephant, ears flat on the bulb, trunk down the long handleGray, white, pink, black. Ears on the sides of the bulb; wrinkle lines ring the handle. Liner brush.
Flamingo standing pink, the bent handle as its neckPink, white, black. Pink bulb with wing feathers; the beak, half black, at the handle tip. Round brush.
Giraffe patches climbing the neck from a round bodyYellow ocher, brown, cream. Patches large on the bulb, smaller up the neck; face at the handle tip. Flat brush.
Long-necked dinosaur, spots fading toward the handle tipGreen, darker green, cream. Spots thick on the bulb and sparse up the neck; a cream belly stripe. Cotton swab.
Mallard drake, green head at the handle tip, speckled bodyGreen, brown, white, yellow. A white ring where the handle meets the bulb; brown speckles below. Sponge.
Maraca, zigzag and dot bands on the bulb, a striped handleRed, yellow, green, white. Zigzag and dot bands circle the bulb; level stripes run down the handle. Flat brush.
Musical note, black bulb and a striped handle stemBlack, white. Bulb solid black; the handle black with one white stripe near the tip as the flag. Flat brush.
Peacock, tail eyes over the bulb and a blue handle neckBlue, green, gold, black. Rows of eye spots cover the bulb; the neck is plain blue with a small crest. Round brush.
Sea serpent, scale rows painted up the handleTeal, green, gold. Overlapping scale arcs from the bulb to the tip; a gold belly line underneath. Round brush.
Seahorse, ridged belly on the bulb, handle curled as a tailOrange, yellow, white. Ridged belly lines on the bulb; bands down the handle to the curled tip. Liner brush.
Swan, white dipper neck arched over a gray-shadowed bodyWhite, pale gray, orange, black. Gray feather lines on the bulb; a black knob above the orange beak. Liner brush.
Round and apple gourds 12
Barn owl, heart face on the widest side of the gourdCream, tan, brown, black. Heart-shaped face outline; speckled tan wings wrap round the back. Round brush.
Beach ball wedges meeting at stem and blossom endWhite, red, yellow, blue. Six pencil lines from top to bottom; fill every other wedge. Flat brush.
Hedgehog, spine strokes combed back from a tan faceTan, dark brown, black. Face at the blossom end; short spine strokes cover the rest. Liner brush.
Jingle bell, gold with a cross slot at the blossom endGold, black. Gold all over; a black cross-shaped slot at the blossom end, a dot at each of its four tips. Flat brush.
Orange with one white band of lifted peel round the middleOrange, white, green. Stippled orange skin; one white spiral band where the peel lifts. Sponge.
Party balloon, one bright color, knot at the blossom endOne bright color, white. Color all over; a white shine curve up top; a knot painted at the blossom end. Flat brush.
Puffer fish, the stem end as its puckered mouthYellow, brown, white. Brown spots thin toward the white belly; fins painted flat on each side. Round brush.
Rooster, comb at the stem, tail feathers sweeping backRed, gold, green, black. Face at the front; curved tail feathers in three colors down the back. Round brush.
Sleeping fox circling the gourd, white tail tip at its noseOrange, white, black. The body circles the gourd; white tail tip and closed eyes meet at the front. Round brush.
Teapot body, a painted lid ring round the stemWhite, blue, gold. Lid line and knob at the stem; a blue sprig on each side of the body. Liner brush.
Toadstool cap, red with raised white spotsRed, white. Red on the top half only, bare shell below as the stalk; thick white dots. Brush handle.
Turtle shell plates fitted over the top of the gourdGreens, brown, yellow. Six-sided plates from the stem outward; head and feet at the base. Liner brush.
Small and egg gourds 12
Garland of ten small gourds in a rainbow runSix rainbow colors. One flat color per gourd in rainbow order, repeating; strung by the stems. Flat brush.
Pale blue egg gourd flecked brown with a toothbrushPale blue, brown. Blue all over; flick thinned brown speckles when dry. Old toothbrush.
Pine cones on egg gourds, scale arcs from wide end to stemBrown, tan, white. Rows of overlapping scale arcs from the wide end to the stem; a white tip on each arc. Round brush.
Set of five ghosts on egg gourds, each a different mouthWhite, black. White all over; two eyes and one mouth shape per gourd; stand them stem down. Paint pen.
Small pointed gourds striped like toy spinning topsRed, yellow, blue, white. Level rings from the widest part to the point; a solid cap round the stem. Liner brush.
Snowman heads with carrot noses on white egg gourdsWhite, orange, black. Coal-dot eyes and smile; the carrot nose points at the viewer. Paint pen.
Spring bowl of egg gourds in zigzag and dot bandsPastels, white. Level bands round each gourd: zigzag, dots, plain, repeated in new colors. Paint pen.
String of lights, egg gourds in five bulb colorsRed, green, blue, yellow, orange, silver. One color each; a silver cap painted round every stem. Flat brush.
Three chicks on egg gourds, beaks at the stem endsYellow, orange, black. Yellow all over; an orange diamond round each stem; two dot eyes. Round brush.
Three mice on egg gourds, the stem as each tailGray, pink, black. Gray all over; pink ears and a dot nose at the blossom end, so the stem is the tail. Round brush.
Toadstool row, white narrow ends under red dotted capsRed, white. Red on the wide part, white on the narrow part; dots on the red. Cotton swab.
Tree ornaments, egg gourds dipped in red, green and goldRed, green, gold. Dip the wide end of each to halfway; a gold band at the dip line. Flat brush.
Halloween and harvest 12
Bat hanging by its feet from the stem, wings foldedBlack, purple, white. Bottle gourd shown stem up; wings wrap the lower bulb; white fangs. Round brush.
Black cat arching, its tail painted up the neckBlack, gray, yellow. Black all over; yellow eyes on the upper bulb; a gray tail line up the neck. Flat brush.
Crow perched, its beak painted along the curved neckBlack, gray, yellow. Black all over; gray feather lines; a yellow eye where the neck begins. Liner brush.
Five small gourds, a different carved-look face on eachOrange, black. Orange all over; a different black face on each. Paint pen.
Friendly monster, one big eye on the upper bulbLime green, white, black, purple. One eye fills the top bulb; purple spots and a grin below. Round brush.
Horn of plenty, painted fruit spilling from the dipper neckTan, red, purple, orange, green. Weave lines up the neck; fruit piled where the bulb widens. Round brush.
Pumpkin patch scene wrapped round the lower bulbOrange, green, brown, navy. Pumpkins and vines round the lower bulb under a navy night sky. Round brush.
Scarecrow head with a burlap weave and a stitched grinTan, brown, orange, black. Crossed weave lines on tan; triangle nose; stitches across the smile. Liner brush.
Spider with eight legs running down a round gourdBlack, red, white. Body round the stem; four legs down each side; two red eyes. Liner brush.
Toad on a warty gourd, every bump a painted wartOlive, brown, yellow, black. Olive all over; each bump dabbed brown; wide mouth and two eyes. Round brush.
Turkey, tail feathers painted up the back of the bulbBrown, red, orange, yellow. Feathers fan up the back; red wattle and yellow beak at the front. Flat brush.
Witch, green face on the bulb, black neck as a pointed hatGreen, black, purple. Black from the waist up as the hat; green face below with a crooked smile. Flat brush.
How it works
A dried hard-shell gourd comes with a body already: two bulbs and a waist, a long curved neck, or a plain ball. These 60 designs are sorted by that shape and are painted only, with no carving.
Read the full guide
Pick the shape first
Bottle gourds stack a head on a body: Panda, dark eye patches up top, arms folded at the waist. Dipper gourds are mostly neck: Flamingo standing pink, the bent handle as its neck. Round and apple gourds hold a whole animal, and small and egg gourds work as sets.
Gourd art ideas with a brush alone
Every design is brush, sponge or paint pen on the dried shell. The Easy group picks out the ones built from flat coats and dots: Beach ball wedges meeting at stem and blossom end is six pencil lines with every other wedge filled.
Questions and answers
Are there Halloween painted gourds ideas?
Yes, 12 under Halloween and harvest: Witch, green face on the bulb, black neck as a pointed hat, Toad on a warty gourd, every bump a painted wart, and a row of small orange gourds with jack-o'-lantern grins among them.
What kind of gourd can I paint?
A hard-shell gourd that has been dried. The bottle gourd is harvested mature to be dried, and its fruits can be round, small and bottle-like, or slender and snaky, which is why this list is sorted by shape.
What paint do I use on a gourd?
Acrylic craft paint is fast-drying and becomes water-resistant when dry. How long a gourd needs to dry and which sealer suits it are questions for a grower and for the label; this list makes no claim about either.
Do any of these need carving or a burning tool?
No. Gourd crafts often use carving and burning, but all 60 designs here are paint on the whole shell. None cuts a hole, so none is a birdhouse.