Paint a Fall Truck with Pumpkins
How to paint a Fall truck with pumpkins. Beginner-friendly step-by-step painting tutorial to paint an autumn-inspired scene on canvas!
Learn how to paint this fun Fall truck with pumpkins. This painting tutorial in acrylics will walk you through the main portions of this beautiful aqua vintage truck filled with pumpkins.
Fall foliage surrounds a fun design for your Autumn decor. Learn a different technique for great textured trees and understory.
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The downloadable 20+ pages of step by step instructions with photos workbook is available here: Fall Truck with Pumpkins workbook pattern.
Fall Truck with pumpkins Paint Supplies
Plaid FolkArt Acrylics Paint
Cobalt Blue Hue
Wicker White
Licorice Black
Pueblo (terra cotta color)
Burnt Umber
Camel (tan color)
Pure Orange
Cardinal Red
Yellow Ocher
Moon Yellow
Daffodil Yellow
Aqua
Teal
Light Lavender
Dioxazine Purple
Brushes
Donna Dewberry One Stroke
#12 flat
#10 flat
Liner
Fur brush (optional)
#6 flat
Dollar Store synthetic sponge torn into sections
Surface of Choice
14 x 14 gallery wrapped canvas or
16 x 20 Gallery wrapped Canvas or
DIY Pallet Board
I had painted my first Fall Truck with pumpkins on my pallet board surface I showed you in the past post, and had so much interest when I posted it on Facebook and Instagram.
I create a full-on painting tutorial so everyone can paint their own. This is an abbreviated version of a much longer more detailed painting workshop I will have available with a pattern workbook.
For help with basic paint loading and strokes see this post.
Paint the Background
Using a flat brush mix some Cobalt Blue Hue with Wicker white and lightly brush in a sky color in the upper 2/3rds of canvas.
As you come down to the bottom of the sky add some Light Lavender (optional) The sky only needs to be painted in the center but you can take it to the edge if you wish.
The lowest third of the canvas is painted with Pueblo (a terra cotta color)
Paint Tree Trunks
Using Burnt Umber and the #12 flat brush, stroke in tree trunks and limbs. Vary sizes for front trees and trees that are further in the distance.
Be random with limbs, some will get mostly covered with foliage but will be see faintly.
Paint tree foliage with sponge
Using a wadded-up sponge tapped in paint, create Fall colored foliage. The top of the trees will be the lightest so start with Pueblo for darker leaves.
Under the tree canopy will be darker so add some Berry Wine in the mid-third of the canvas.
Lightly pounce with the wadded-up sponge to create lots of interesting texture in foliage.
Add yellows in tops of trees. I start with the darkest yellow, Yellow Ocher, next pounce in Moon Yellow, then last but not least use Daffodil Yellow for the brightest spark of color.
Transfer truck pattern to canvas
I have a complete tutorial on how I transfer patterns to the canvas here.
Keep the lines on the lighter side so they won’t show through the paint.
Paint Truck with pumpkins
I used Aqua to paint the truck but you can use any color you prefer. I chose Aqua as it would be the complement to the russet colors of Autumn making for a visually stunning painting.
Use Aqua and a #12 flat brush to fill in the truck, working around pumpkins.
The inner tires are Licorice black and the treads have a touch of white mixed in the lighten the black slightly.
The road is painted in Burnt Umber and touches of Camel to highlight and add texture to road.
The tree trunks are painted with a mix of Licorice and White to create 3 shades of gray. Turning these trees into Aspens is completely optional, if you want to just restroke them with burnt umber and highlight with Camel for that is fine too.
Related: How to Paint an Aspen Tree
Paint Pumpkins
Undercoat pumpkins with white. Oranges are not opaque and this helps with coverage over areas with dark colors.
While that is drying load the #10 flat brush with Cardinal Red and paint the truck tail lights. These will take a few coats as red is not opaque either. Let dry between coats. Add a touch of Burnt Umber for the last bit and only put a dab in the center of the lights to create a bit of shadow.
Add shadows on the Truck
Load #12 flat brush with Floating Medium and add Teal to one corner of the brush. Float a shadow around the edges of the truck, windows, and detail areas, ie, fenders, truck bed etc.
Paint Truck Bumper
Using a custom mix of gray and white, create two shades of gray. Use the lighter gray to paint the truck bumper.
Use the darker gray to paint the underneath of the bumper for depth.
Paint Orange Pumpkins
Double load #10 flat brush with Pure Orange and a touch of Cardinal Red on one corner.
Related: How to Paint Orange Pumpkins
Paint in the ribs of the orange pumpkins. (you can use Burnt Umber instead of Cardinal if you prefer)
Note the one pumpkin is lying on it’s side.
The traceable pattern for the smaller truck is in the Resource Library available to subscribers. If you are already a subscriber, no need to resign up, just get your password from the latest email I sent you.
You can add some impressions of fallen leaves at the base of the trees with dabs of the foliage colors. Or add more pumpkins on the ground next to the truck. The choice is yours.
Using a double load of Wicker white and a light gray paint in the White pumpkin. It is in front of the orange pumpkins so it will overlap them a little.
Add stems with Burnt umber highlight with some Camel.
Use Sap Green and Citrus green on the corners of the #12 flat brush and tap in some foliage under the pumpkins. Add small leaves and tendrils if you like.
You can use the fur brush to add small tufts of grass if you like. Use Camel, burnt umber and moon yellow for grass. (optional)
Want to see the rendition I painted for myself? Here it is complete with some chickens and an added pumpkin on the ground. Isn’t it fun?
Paint a Fall Truck with Pumpkins
Step by step painting tutorial to paint a Fall Truck with pumpkins. Paint an Autumn inspired design for your decor, as a gift or whatever you desire. Fall colors and design with a vintage truck! Swap out colors to suit your style.
Materials
- Plaid FolkArt Acrylics Paint
- Cobalt Blue Hue
- Wicker White
- Licorice Black
- Pueblo (terra cotta color)
- Burnt Umber
- Camel (tan color)
- Pure Orange
- Cardinal Red
- Yellow Ocher
- Moon Yellow
- Daffodil Yellow
- Aqua
- Teal
- Light Lavender
- Dioxazine Purple
- Sap Green
- Citrus Green
Tools
- Brushes
- Donna Dewberry One Stroke
- #12 flat
- #10 flat
- Liner
- Fur brush (optional)
- #6 flat
- Dollar Store synthetic sponge torn into sections
- Surface of Choice
- 14 x 14 gallery wrapped canvas or
- 16 x 20 Gallery wrapped Canvas or
- DIY Pallet Board
Instructions
- Paint the Background
- Paint Tree Trunks
- Paint Tree Foliage with sponge
- Transfer truck pattern to surface
- Paint Truck
- Paint Pumpkins
- Paint Road
- Add shadows to truck
- Paint Bumper
- Paint Orange and White pumpkin
- Add stems and foliage
- Add details of choice
- Finish with a water based varnish
Notes
I listed colors I used but you can use what you have in similar shades or choose entirely different colors. Don't be afraid to experiment!
Recommended Products
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Want a downloadable more detailed photo workbook of this post? Just go here to get yours now.
Want to see another fun Fall vintage truck painting lesson? Hop on over here to Tracies site!
GREAT JOB!!!!!
What a great post! I love it! I love you can buy the instructions too!
Very nice, you make it look so easy.