http://www.turtlepassgourds.com/gourds/ this is my site, if you go to the egg gourd page, i've burn my eggs first, painted, and i too used paint pens to go into the outlines to define them. then stained and varnished, them. I didnot paint to heavy either, it just didn't look good. add a little water to your paint, i think you'll like it better, if not then you can always add more... hope this helps a little. melinda

Bugstabber.....I like that name!LOL I have only been painting gourds for about a year so I don't know how well they hold up outdoors,but I use Minwax acrylic satin sealer.I put at least 3 coats on it.Most of the people I have sold or given birdhouses to keep them inside so I have no feedback as to outside durability.Someone said they use marine varnish on theirs and have no problems.I like the Minwax because it doesn't yellow with time as some of the varnishes do.I don't know if the marine varnish has that problem or not.Any paint will fade after a while if exposed to the elements though.I always tell my customers if they hang the gourds outside to hang them in a protected area and to bring them in before winter sets in,clean them and apply another coat or two of sealer. If you have grown gourds you know that some will have an almost waxy outer skin.I found out the hard way that paint will not adhere for very long to that finish,even with a basecoat.I always scrape that off my gourds before I begin to work on them.Lots of work but worth it in the end results.If I am going to paint the whole gourd a color then paint designs on it I put 2 coats of Gesso on first.You could also use Kilz or some other primer but Gesso was what I had when I first started working on them so that is what I used.I use acrylics,both for the background and the designs and have had very good luck with them.you could also use the Patio Paints in the little bottles from the craft stores or Wal mart.Enamel could also be used,and I guess just about any other kind of paint that one would normally use on wood.I have also used watercolor pencils and oil color pencils.Sometimes I paint the gourd a color and sometimes I just paint on the natural finish.I always scrub the gourd with soapy water and a metal scrubber and let it dry.I clean it well with a soft rag and rubbing alcohol to remove any oily residue before priming or painting.I don't usually sand the gourd unless there are really rough spots or if I have filled holes or cracks,then I use a very light touch with very fine sandpaper.Hope this is of some help to you and if you have more questions just ask.I'm sure there will be others who will give you their pointers also........Lillie

Lillie, that sounds like it will be really pretty! I glue all of my pumps down with Household Goop. It's waterproof and really holds. I used spar varnish to waterproof the two pieces. You could take pieces of gourd that are rounded at the top and long enough to cover the length of the pump and glue them directly to the pump. I would then, maybe, paint the piece or pieces a light blue and let the water run down the pieces like a waterfall. You could get some river rock, Michael's carries them, and glue them around the pump, too. I also used the Household Goop to glue the rubber tubing from the pump to the pitcher on top and it also sealed the hole where the tubing went in the pitcher. Again, I used Goop to glue and seal the hole where the electrical cord came out. Be sure and post a photo of your fountain when you are finished with it.

Shirley-Sometimes in the smaller gourds the seeds will not rattle.They stay stuck to the sides of the gourd even after they have been dried.The only thing I could tell you would be to open up one of the gourds and see if it is completely dry inside.If it is then it is safe to varnish or wax.I don't know how many you have but it would be worth destroying one to find out.You could even cut it in such a way that you could use it for something.Maybe cut it in half or cut a large hole in the side and put a little scene in it? Good luck!......Lillie