Concerning my pumpkin carvings. . .
I started with a carving kit called Carve O' Lantern that included some precision saws and several interesting patterns, a few of which I use each year. Each pattern takes about an hour to do. The kit includes cut-out patterns which you "punch" into the surface of the pumpkin. After that, it is simply a matter of cutting from dot to dot to create the image. After I mastered the easy patterns, I moved up to the hardest patterns they could throw at me. Which at the time was a pattern titled "If Tiffany had used a pumpkin" . Many of the three faced pumpkin geometrics are from that pattern. I simply elaborated on the idea and incorporated a few other patterns. The picture doesn't give you a sense of the pumpkins size. At it's tallest point the pumpkin stood almost 3 feet and a full 2 feet wide from horizon to horizon. The effect was great. The finished work received rave reviews at the Halloween party that I attended that year. I went a step further in the seasons that followed and began to flip through Victorian fretwork pattern books for ideas. These patterns, once used to add a flourish of art to the houses and buildings of the early twentieth century, work wonderfully with a little modification. One carving of a dear standing in a vine encrusted forest stands out in my mind as an example. Some of the vines within that pattern measured less than 3mm across. I found that applying the woodworking techniques to the softer medium of pumpkin required some modifications but overall they worked out fine. To sum up, I borrow my ideas from other's work when it comes to anything harder than geometric patterns.
It's a lot of fun! Go look for a carving kit at local craft stores during the months of September and October. Check for "Carve O' Lantern" by "Pumpkin Masters" it's the best kit I've seen and has become worthy of copycat packages by other names. Patterns, tools, and history come with the Pumpkin Master's kit. Furthermore, what's nice is the fact that many of the patterns are really easy to do in a short amount of time with the right tools. Please believe me when I say that this particular kit is safer for children than any table knife. Parents's everywhere may be the only victims of the kit because many are likely to be gutting more pumpkins. Regardless, Give it a try sometime!
I hope you enjoy the pictures! Many regards,
Tom
I borrowed this mandala pattern from a Victorian Fretwork panel used for woodworking.
This particular one worked out well after modification to the overly elaborate vines in the parent pattern
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Two delightful examples of patterns that can be purchased from Pumpkin Masters. On the left is a pattern named 'Booo'; on the right 'Grin'.
Halloween and Pumpkin Links!
A wide pattern for a low, fat pumpkin. Good Halloween feel but didn't suit my fancy.
A Haunting Question About Hallow'een. A crusade in a Canadian town to light up crosses instead of pumpkins? - A different point of view. To each his own. . . I much prefer and value the earthy and festive orangeish glow -- that inviting light within a pumpkin--- as being a mundane event.
A splendid series of photo scans of my version of "If Tiffany had used a pumpkin" The carving took roughly 36 hours to complete.
Click Here
I plan on posting this year's carvings in the next week or so.
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To those of you that sent e-mail requests for carving templates for the pumpkins on this page. . . Have no fear, in the next month or so I'll work on creating some of my favorites for your use.
Studies consumed the time I would have spent carving 1997's Pumpkins. 1998 is going to be a orange glowin' year! Studies come first, so hang in there. Credit due Mike Stanton for the dim light photo work. The Photos were great!
Your e-mail and inquiries about this page are welcome! mailto:radagist@eudoramail.com
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