Learn how to draw a pumpkin with this simple tutorial. This easy pumpkin drawing takes just a few minutes and is perfect for kids and adults to make. 

An easy pumpkin drawing done in pencil and watercolor on a white background with black text overlay that reads "how to draw a pumpkin."

 

Before I started creating recipes and food photography over a decade ago I was an elementary school art teacher after graduating with an education major with an art emphasis. I still love to paint and draw with my creative children – the cooking of course is an art in itself. 

Friends often ask how I create my pumpkin drawings on chalkboards in my home. Today I’m sharing how to draw a pumpkin. It’s easier than you might think! Use your easy pumpkin drawing as homemade autumn decor for your home. 

An easy pumpkin drawing is also a fun Thanksgiving activity for kids. 

 

A black and white pencil drawing of a pumpkin with a leaf and flower.

Image: Shutterstock

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR AN EASY PUMPKIN DRAWING 

This easy pumpkin drawing can be completed on any type of paper or surface. You don’t need anything fancy and likely have what you need at home. If you prefer creating digital art, you can even do this easy pumpkin drawing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil. 

It’s important to first decide if you’re doing to add paint or pastels, however, as that will determine the type of paper. 

  • Drawing paper 
  • Pencil 
  • Eraser 
  • Colored pencils or paint (optional) 
  • A fresh pumpkin for reference (optional) 

HOW TO DRAW A PUMPKIN – EASY STEP-BY-STEP

You don’t need to be a confident artist to make a beautiful pumpkin drawing. Pumpkins are actually quite easy to draw as they are never perfectly shaped and each one is unique! 

An oval is drawn on a white piece of paper in pencil to start an easy pumpkin drawing.

STEP 1: DRAW AN OVAL 

Lightly sketch a horizontal oval on your paper. This will be the general shape of your pumpkin. Pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, so feel free to get creative, and remember it doesn’t need to be a perfect oval. 

A light pencil sketch of an oval and a stem in the beginning stages of drawing a pumpkin.

STEP 2: ADD A STEM 

Lightly sketch a stem for your pumpkin. The stem can be short or tall, straight or curved. You could even add some curly vines and leaves if you’d like. 

To make the pumpkin look 3-dimensional, be sure to place your stem about 1/4 of the way down the pumpkin. However, this may vary depending on the vantage point. If you were looking up at a pumpkin you would only see the top of the stem coming out of the very top of the pumpkin. 

A light pencil on white paper sketch of how to draw a pumpkin.

STEP 4: ADD RIDGES 

Begin adding dimension to your pumpkin by drawing vertical curved lines outward from the center. 

A green mechanical pencil erases sketch lines from a simple pumpkin pencil drawing.

STEP 5: DEFINE THE PUMPKIN SHAPE 

Continue to add dimension and shape to your pumpkin with your pencil. Use an eraser to get rid of the original oval line where needed.  

 

STEP 6: CLEAN UP THE EDGES 

Your easy pumpkin drawing is now complete! Make any changes you’d like by adding detail and erasing sketch lines. You can leave your pumpkin drawing as-is, go over it in black ink, or add color. 

ADDING COLOR TO YOUR EASY PUMPKIN DRAWING 

A simple pumpkin drawing painted with watercolor.

Now that you know how to draw a pumpkin you might want to add some color! We used watercolor for ours, but also love to use chalk pastels, oil pastels, or colored pencils. 

You can certainly leave your pumpkin black and white as a line drawing. Or you might want to add pencil or charcoal shading. If you decide to shade or color your pumpkin drawing, looking at a real pumpkin is helpful. 

Yield: 1 drawing

How to Draw a Pumpkin

Prep Time 3 minutes
Active Time 30 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Estimated Cost $15

Learn how to draw a pumpkin with this simple tutorial. This easy pumpkin drawing is perfect for kids and adults and turns out beautifully.

An easy pumpkin drawing in pencil and watercolor on a white background.

Materials

  • Drawing paper
  • Drawing pencils
  • Eraser
  • Pumpkin for reference (optional)
  • Ink pen, watercolor, colored pencils, etc. (optional)

Instructions

  1. Lightly sketch a horizontal oval on your paper. An oval on a piece of paper to start drawing a pumpkin.
  2. Draw a stem about 1/4 of the way down the pumpkin. A stem is added to an oval to make an easy pumpkin drawing in pencil.
  3. Draw curved vertical lines from the stem outward around the pumpkin to create ridges. How to draw a pumpkin.
  4. Use your eraser to remove some of the original oval sketch marks. Rather than an oval, create a bumpy pumpkin shape. An eraser removes sketch marks from a hand drawn pumpkin.
  5. Your easy pumpkin drawing is now complete unless you'd like to add more detail with shading or color.
  6. Color in if desired. An easy pumpkin drawing in pencil and watercolor on a white background.

Notes

If you plan to paint your pumpkin, be sure to use the correct type of paper for your medium. For example, use watercolor paper if using watercolors.

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