Pumpkin Sculpting Time!

After skinning the rind off... step 1!

Here's a little diversion from my food blogging.  Last night Jason came by and we grilled up a couple of steaks and some asparagus (Tip - use a metal skewer through all the stalks to make them easy to flip in one go on the grill!).

We have a tradition of him dropping by every year to carve pumpkins with us. I have been watching Halloween Wars this year too and watching crazy-good artists like Ray Villafane making these awesome 3D pumpkins carvings.. I've tried it a couple of times before and the results have been cool but so so at best.

This was the year for me I decided.

Then Trudi, my co-worker and chum, suggested - I should carve ME as a pumpkin.  I was excited about that, and I immediately came up with a sketch idea like so:



First Sketch

 

Thinking about how to 3D it...



Some ideas..



Of course.. sketches are one thing. Turning this thing into a carving in a frickin' pumpkin is another.

From about 9pm-12am I worked on t his bad boy. I am pretty happy with the results.  Here's a little sequence of start to finish, hope you like. :)

Removed the skin with a large ribbon tool.

Blocking in the basic shapes..

A little more blocking work...

Got some eyebrows and stuff started...

Made some teeths, rarrr..

TEETHS



Got my hair.. pompadour'd up...



After smoothing - all done! Click any pic here to see big versions. :D



Side Shot.




With 3 candles inside!

Early happy Halloween.  I'll have pix of Dawn and I in costume after tonight - don't want to spoil it before the mega huge party thing at.. the.. place wherever we're going!

Update: I wont the pumpkin carving contest at work - 1st place, I got a $25 target gift card. Woot woot! =D