When you think of Halloween, what images come to mind?  Most likely there’s a black cat and a few pumpkins in the mix, and rightly so since these mascots of Halloween have been honored for centuries. 

In this vintage illustration, a cuddly kitten saunters through a pumpkin patch.

Ceramic Cat & Pumpkin – Front

Our project this week is an adorable kitten sitting inside a jack-o-lantern. 

Ceramic Cat & Pumpkin – Back

This three-dimensional Halloween decoration is available at Michaels. 

Ceramic Cat Closeup

The top of the pumpkin sits on the kitten’s head like a little hat.  Aww, so cute!

Ceramic Pumpkin Closeup

The cut-outs in the faces of the cat and pumpkin hint at a surprise, which will be revealed at the end of this post in the last photo. 

Supplies

Supplies:
Ceramic Cat in a Pumpkin (6” wide x 6” deep x 8” high)
Acrylic Paints – dark green, black, metallic gold, buttercrunch yellow & orange
Paintbrushes

Painted Pumpkin – Front

Paint the pumpkin orange and the stem green.  Be sure to paint all the edges of the cut-outs too. 

Painted Pumpkin – Back

It will probably require two coats of paint for a nice even finish. 

Painted Cat’s Eyes & Pumpkin Top Edge

Paint the cat’s eyes metallic gold, including the inner edges.  Add black for the pupils and a dot of white in each.  Paint the top edge of the pumpkin, around the cat’s body, with buttercrunch yellow. 

Painted Pumpkin Top Edge – Back

Painted Cat Closeup

Painted Pumpkin Closeup

Painted Cat – Front

Paint the cat with two coats of black paint, including the front paws draped over the pumpkin.  Add black lines on both sides of the pumpkin stem. 

Painted Cat – Back

Working out the Details

At this point I noticed something funny.  It looks like this kitten is sitting in a bowl of soup, and his disembodied paws appear to be floating on top!  To fix these issues, draw lines in pencil to thicken the pumpkin’s rim and connect the paws, via legs, to the body. 

Painted Details – Front

Paint the legs black, and the pumpkin rim orange.  With a fine brush, paint the whiskers white and the mouth pink.  Indicate toes with thin white lines on the front paws.

Painted Details – Back

Finished Cat Closeup

Finished Pumpkin Closeup

Glowing LED Lights

This is the finished project.  Concealed LED lights illuminate the inside, just like a real jack-o-lantern.  I hope you enjoyed this fun and easy Halloween project. 

Thanks for reading!

Happy Halloween & Happy Crafting!