Pumpkin Carving!

 So I already made a thread about Halloween costumes, but I wanted to make a separate one for pumpkins since they're such a fun activity this time of year. 
Loki also approves this message.

Pumpkin carving can be an expression of yourself. As an amateur artist, last year I decided to forego the generic jack-o-lantern and try something new  (perhaps a bad idea)

Although people know Loki (kind of), I also own a snake and two cats. The cats are Mistah J and Harley Quinn, like the batman villains. As this was before I had Loki, I tried to capture their characters so to speak in pumpkin form and now I'll show you how.

First you need a sketch. It can be rough, and should contain easy to follow lines, and shadows.

This was the Joker from the movie, as I had recently seen it at the time.

I didn't do Harley from the movie because she irritated me, and I preferred the old style.

Next procure a pumpkin.

Then, gut it. Make sure to clean it out well so it won't rot as fast.


Next, use a pin or other small utensil to poke holes in the pumpkin to let you know where to cut. Then cut away 

Mistah J in the Joker

Harlequin in Harley

Light them up for Halloween and display proudly 





This year, I've procured another two pumpkins.

I decided after some deliberation to do Pikachu and something else yet to be determined. While Pikachu is not nearly my favorite Pokémon character, he's iconic and easy to draw.

So first, I drew a sketch.

Find some newspapers. Easy enough to do. This will protect your work surface from pumpkin goo  Next, gut your pumpkin.

I choose to bake the pumpkin seeds because they're a pretty awesome treat and quick to make.  Plus it gets you into the holiday spirit.

Pin the picture onto the pumpkin. Or tape it, and be prepared for awkwardness of the 2D paper on a 3D pumpkin.

Once you've managed to secure the picture, poke holes with a needle or pin to mark where to cut.


This year I'm trying something a tad more difficult. I wanted to try the midway shade of orange. So I first cut out the outline of Pikachu. Then I thoroughly cut out my dark shadowed areas.

Next I shaved off the lighter areas that I still wanted highlighted from the main body. You can speed up the process by scooping away the thickness of the pumpkin from the inside.

Do this until you can see the shadow of your hand through the pumpkin. Then you've hit the desired thickness.

Now I'm still working on this pumpkin so I will add to it when I've made more steps.  I hope you've enjoyed this mini-tutorial so far. Leave any constructive criticism below 

 

It honestly took me less than an hour to get this far Chloe  it's easier than it looks I swear.

 I just need to decide what to do to make Pikachu pop out more.

 

 thanks everyone. I keep losing my threads  off-topic is so popular. 

I need an idea for my second pumpkin because pikachu is almost finished on my first one and I haven't come up with any ideas for the next 

Any ideas? 