This melted crayon pumpkin tutorial is a really fun and unique halloween activity and is much less messy than traditional pumpkin carving. All you will need is a pack of crayons in rainbow colors, a hot glue gun and a hair dryer - oh and a white pumpkin! The best thing is that the melted crayon art that you produce is different every time!
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Jump to:
- Why Make A Melted Crayon Pumpkin?
- You will need
- How To Make A Melted Crayon Pumpkin
- Tips For Getting The Best Rainbow Drip Effect
- Can I Use A Real Pumpkin?
- Can I Use A Fake Pumpkin?
- Is This Melted Crayon Pumpkin Suitable For Children?
- Melted Crayon Pumpkin Troubleshooting
- More No-Carve Rainbow Pumpkin Ideas
- Watch The Video Tutorial
- More Halloween Crafts And Ideas
- Shop This Craft
- Shop this post
Looking for a colourful alternative to traditional pumpkin carving? This melted crayon pumpkin is one of the most fun no-carve pumpkin ideas we've tried. All you need is a white pumpkin, some rainbow-coloured crayons, a hot glue gun and a hairdryer.
The best part is watching the crayons melt and drip down the sides of the pumpkin. No two pumpkins will ever turn out exactly the same, so you end up with a completely unique Halloween decoration.
It's also a brilliant way to use up broken crayons you already have at home.
Why Make A Melted Crayon Pumpkin?
We love decorating pumpkins for Halloween, but traditional pumpkin carving isn't always the easiest activity to do with children. There's the mess of scooping everything out, sharp tools to worry about and, after all that effort, carved pumpkins don't last particularly long.
A melted crayon pumpkin gives you the fun of decorating a pumpkin without having to carve it.
It's:
- colourful and unusual
- relatively quick to make
- a great way to use old or broken crayons
- completely customisable
- suitable for a real or faux pumpkin
- a lovely Halloween craft to make together as a family
There is still adult supervision involved because you'll be working with hot wax, a hairdryer and a glue gun, but children can help choose and arrange the colours before an adult takes over the hot parts.
You will need
- A white pumpkin - a real or fake pumpkin is fine
- Crayons
- Glue gun and glue stick
- Hairdryer
- Old newspaper, a protective tablecloth or bin bags
- An apron
A white pumpkin works particularly well because the rainbow colours really stand out against it. If you can't find a naturally white pumpkin, a white faux pumpkin is another good option and has the advantage that you can bring it out again every Halloween.
How To Make A Melted Crayon Pumpkin
Step 1 - Protect your work surface
Don't skip this step!
Melted crayon wax can splatter further than you might expect, so cover your table and the surrounding area really well. Old newspaper, a wipe-clean tablecloth or clean bin bags all work.
I'd also recommend wearing old clothes or an apron.
If you're making this with younger children, make sure they stay a safe distance away once you start using the hairdryer and melting the wax.
Step 2 - Choose your crayon colours
Decide on your colour scheme before attaching the crayons.
For a rainbow pumpkin, arrange the crayons roughly in rainbow order. You don't have to be too precise, though. Part of the appeal of this craft is seeing how the different colours melt and run together.
You could also try:
- traditional rainbow colours
- pink, purple and blue
- orange, red and yellow
- Halloween colours such as orange, purple, green and black
- different shades of one colour
- your child's favourite colours
Remove the paper wrappers from the crayons if you want the whole crayon to melt more easily.
Step 3 - Glue the crayons onto the pumpkin
Using a glue gun, carefully attach the crayons around the top of the pumpkin.
This part is actually a little trickier than it looks because you're balancing straight crayons against a curved pumpkin.
Hold each crayon in position for a few seconds while the glue sets before moving on to the next one.
Larger pumpkins will naturally need more crayons.
You can use whole crayons, but if I made this again I'd use thinner crayons or smaller broken pieces. They'll melt more quickly and they're easier to position around the top of the pumpkin.
It's also a great way to use all those broken crayons that seem to accumulate in children's pencil cases and craft boxes.
Step 4 - Melt the crayons
Now for the fun part.
Point your hairdryer towards the crayons and use a high heat setting.
You'll soon see the crayons soften and the coloured wax begin running down the pumpkin.
As the crayons start to melt, you can carefully angle them downwards so that the wax flows over the sides rather than pooling around the stalk.
Keep moving the hairdryer around rather than concentrating on one spot for too long.
Step 5 - Build up the drips
Continue heating the crayons until you're happy with your design.
You don't need every crayon to melt completely. In fact, I think the combination of wax drips and partially melted crayons at the top adds to the effect.
If one side looks a little bare, simply direct the hairdryer towards that area and encourage more wax to run down it.
Step 6 - Leave it to cool
Once you're happy with your rainbow pumpkin, turn off the hairdryer and leave everything alone until the wax has completely cooled and hardened.
Don't be tempted to touch the wax straight away - it will be hot.
Once cool, your melted crayon pumpkin is ready to display.
Tips For Getting The Best Rainbow Drip Effect
Having made this ourselves, there are a few things I'd do to make the process easier next time.
Use smaller pieces of crayon. They melt faster than thick, full-length crayons and are easier to arrange around the pumpkin.
Work from the top down. Positioning the crayons close to the stalk allows gravity to do most of the work for you.
Use a white pumpkin. You can experiment with other colours, but bright crayon wax shows up particularly well against white.
Expect splashes. The hairdryer can send tiny droplets of melted wax further than you think, so protect a much bigger area than just the space immediately underneath the pumpkin.
Don't aim for perfection. The uneven drips are what make each melted crayon pumpkin unique.
Can I Use A Real Pumpkin?
Yes. We used this as a no-carve pumpkin decorating idea, so there's no need to cut into the pumpkin at all.
Choose a pumpkin that is firm and undamaged and wipe the outside clean before you start. Make sure it's completely dry before attaching the crayons.
Remember that a real pumpkin will eventually deteriorate, so if you'd like to keep your rainbow pumpkin and use it year after year, choose a faux craft pumpkin instead.
Can I Use A Fake Pumpkin?
Absolutely, and this is probably the option I'd choose if you want to keep the finished craft.
Just bear in mind that faux pumpkins are made from different materials. Heat can potentially damage some plastics and foams, so test a hidden area first and don't hold the hairdryer too close to the surface.
Is This Melted Crayon Pumpkin Suitable For Children?
Children can definitely be involved in making the pumpkin, but this isn't a craft I'd let younger children complete independently.
A hot glue gun, hot hairdryer and melted wax can all cause burns.
Children can choose the crayons, put the colours into rainbow order and help plan the design, while an adult handles the glue gun and melting.
It's also a nice opportunity for younger children to practise colour recognition and talk about what happens when different colours meet.
Melted Crayon Pumpkin Troubleshooting
My crayons aren't melting
Try moving the hairdryer slightly closer and make sure you're using a high heat setting. Smaller pieces of crayon will generally melt faster than whole crayons.
The wax is blowing sideways
Turn down the airflow if your hairdryer allows you to control heat and fan speed separately. You want enough heat to melt the wax without blasting it across the table.
You can also experiment with the angle of the hairdryer.
The crayons keep falling off
Make sure the pumpkin is clean and dry before applying the hot glue. Hold each crayon in position until the glue has properly set.
Using smaller pieces can also make this easier.
The colours are becoming muddy
Try leaving a little space between strongly contrasting colours and concentrate the hairdryer on one section at a time. This gives you more control over where the wax flows.
More No-Carve Rainbow Pumpkin Ideas
You don't necessarily have to make a traditional rainbow.
Once you know how to make a melted crayon pumpkin, you can experiment with all sorts of colour combinations. Pastels would make a pretty pumpkin for autumn rather than Halloween, while orange, purple, green and black would give it a much spookier look.
You could also make several smaller pumpkins in different colours and display them together.
That's one of the reasons I love this craft - the basic technique is incredibly simple but the finished result can be completely different every time.
Watch The Video Tutorial
We also made a video showing exactly how we created our melted crayon rainbow pumpkin, so take a look at the video below if you'd like to see the process in action.
More Halloween Crafts And Ideas
If you enjoyed making this melted crayon pumpkin, you might also like these other Halloween and autumn ideas:
- Halloween IV Bag Drinks: Spooky Sips to Raise Your Spirits
- The Best Amazon Halloween Costumes and Accessories for a Spooktacular Celebration in 2024
- Halloween Punch For Kids Recipe - Delicious Party Brew!
- How To Make Paper Pumpkins (Craft Tutorial)
You could also try my Halloween charades game cards, paper mache pumpkin tutorial and other Halloween crafts on We Made This Life for even more ideas for the spooky season.
Shop This Craft
If you need to pick up supplies before you start, the main things you'll need are:
If you have children, check the craft cupboard first - this project is perfect for finally using up all those odd and broken crayons!
If you make your own melted crayon pumpkin, I'd love to know which colours you choose. And don't forget to save this tutorial on Pinterest so you can find it again when you're planning your Halloween crafts.
Did you like this post on how to make this melted crayon pumpkin craft? Share it with your friends or Pin it for later.
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