We cannot stop making these Zentangle Pumpkin Jack-o’-Lanterns! My teenage daughters and I find this kind of doodle drawing both fun and relaxing. And, with their funny faces and tons of patterns, these Jack-o’-lanterns will make me happy hanging on the fridge all through October, while we wait for Halloween.

Color Zentangle Jack-o’-Lanterns

Supplies:

• white paper
• pencil
• black marker
• coloring pencils

Instructions:

On a piece of white paper, draw a large pumpkin. Add the face details for your Jack-o’-lantern and divide it into sections with curved vertical lines. If you drew your pumpkin with pencil, trace over all your lines with a black Sharpie.

Now, divide each section into smaller sections. You can use curved lines or straight lines, or a combination.

If you are having a Halloween playdate or party, you could make copies of the pumpkin drawing at this stage. Then, each kiddo can add their own designs and colors.

Fill each section of the Jack-o’-lantern with a variety of designs and patterns. We like to use a fine point black pen for drawing the Zentangle designs, especially the intricate ones. My teenage daughter even drew some Halloween-inspired designs in some of the sections. Things like spiderwebs, ghosts, moons, candy, and eyeballs add some spooky pizzazz to this art project! Leave the Jack-o’-lantern’s face sections blank – you can color those in later.

Continue drawing until the Jack-o’-lantern is completely covered in unique shapes, designs, and doodles. Then, use an assortment of orange colored pencils or crayons to color in each section. We like to color some of the areas in completely, and in other areas, just color the background or the shapes.

You could also paint your pumpkin with watercolors. Just make sure you do all your drawing with a permanent marker.

Color the stem and the facial features, and your wild and crazy Zentangle Jack-o’-lantern is complete! If you like, cut out your design and glue it on colored construction paper.

What a fun Halloween art project to work on with your family or friends! I’m thinking a huge collaborative Zentangle Jack-o’-lantern drawn on poster board would be really cool!

*Originally posted 10/10/17