Insanely intricate pumpkin carvings (+Tutorial)

If you have yet to try and carve a pumpkin in a 3-D manner you need to. Its fun and everybody enjoys a cool pumpkin. Unfortunately they begin to rot less than a week after carving so be sure to take plenty of pictures. You can experiment with ways of preserving them but I find nothing works better than a nice photo. Some chefs that I have carved for put lemon juice on the faces to help slow down the natural molding process that will occur.

Picking out the right pumpkin is very important. You need a pumpkin with a thick wall. To get this kind you will have to choose one that is very heavy for its size. Also avoid perfectly round pumpkins and opt for ones that have a protruding ridge that sticks out on one side. These shapes make nice faces as you could imagine how difficult it would be to carve a 3-D face onto a shallow flat surface. For Northern Michigan locals I would recommend Bolts Farm just south of Charlevoix. His pumpkins are thick and ideal for this type of carving.

Tools

1. large clay ribbon loop...peels the rind off the pumpkin beautifully as well as does 90% of the carving, minus the small details. 1. medium clay ribbon loop...more blocking in of the face 2. mini clay ribbon loops....smaller details, especially around the eyes. 1. Xacto knife and paring knife for sharp defined lines and cuts.

Using the large loop, peel the pumpkins skin.

Shave away the deepest areas, such as the area below the nose and the eyes sockets. Be brave, go deep. Unfortunately if you go too deep you'll break through and have to get a new pumpkin and start over, but if you don't go deep enough it just will not look as impressive. After a few hundred mess ups you will begin to know just exactly how thick your pumpkin are. The grain will become more fiberous as you approach the center. Every year I accidentally break threw a few. Typically I put my fist through the face, throw it out to the deer and start over.

This pumpkin had a curve in it so I used it to my advantage when composing the face.

The smaller loops work well for getting small deep cut areas such as the inner mouth.

Use the paring knife to create nice sharp creases along the smile marks ans nostrils. To obtain these creases make 2 angled cuts and pull the wedge out. Paring knives have a nice curve to the blade allowing for better ability around curves.

Small loops are great for blocking in areas such as stiches. Be sure to also utilize a knife later so that the details of the stitches become crisp.

After blocking in the eyes with the loops I then add crisp lines with the paring knife.

Use an xacto to draw the pupil and lift out some meat to create shadow.

The loops can create wrinkles that are softer.

Draw the teeth in with an xacto knife, then using your paring knife cut the edges off the teeth at a 45 degree angle. Hard to explain but the pictures may explain.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR TUTORIAL. GIVE IT A TRY YOURSELF THIS HALLOWEEN. Found this Post interesting? Receive new posts via RSS or subscribe via email at the top of this page. [via villafanestudios]

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20 Funniest Newspaper Headlines ever

What goes around, comes around! Click the pic to read the article online








Civil War planes? Lemme know how that works out...



Must be one of those celebrity-without-makeup pictures...



And you wonder why...






Yeah, don't you hate those guys at DOE who do the NEPA's EIS on BNFL's AMWTP at INEEL after SRA protests?



"This is an artist's conception of the Mount Pleasant High School football field Friday after an electrical transformer blew, knocking out the stadium lights."



"We had no idea anyone was buried there"


"I wouldn't do it again" says the hero, "she's been a pain this week"









Please, if you've seen this man...



What are the odds of that?









Mistress of the universe... Now that sounds like a lot of work!



Here's the winner of a local dog look-alike contest... He does look exactly like his dog!



Ok, that's just mean

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10 Weird and Unusual Cars

1. The Zoop Car: Designed by the unlikely candidate of Paris fashion house Maison de Courrèges, this electric car is actually capable of speeds of up to 120mph and can seat three people. It might be eco-friendly and relatively fast, but I don’t imagine driving a lemon is for everyone’s taste.

2. The Parkcycle: Whilst not technically a car, it’s roughly car-shaped and was used to occupy parking spaces for the global event PARK(ing), in which participants turn ordinary parking spaces into public parks. Designed by art group Rebar and with a top speed of around 8km/h, it may not be the most maneuverable vehicle, but it does come with a 5m tree on it!

3. The Live-In Truck: Living Is.be has transformed the bed of a truck into a fully-functional living space. With hatches in the roof to allow natural sunlight and ventilation into the room, it also comes with a double bed, a sink, shower (naturally with running water) and a kitchen stove.

4. The Transparent Car: Similar in color to the Zoop Car, this car is different in that almost all of it is completely see-through. Designed by Swiss manufacturer Rinspeed, this is the perfect car for those that want to be seen both outside of the car and inside the car.

5. Fiat Jolly Panda: It may have a bizarre name, but the more bizarre thing is that this car totally lacks doors! Stylishly designed and with non-toxic and UV resistant materials, its aesthetic impression is one that appeals to those with a taste for the more simple-looking vehicles. Although you do have to wonder if it’s not in danger of being stolen…

6. The Kenguru Car: This is a car that is designed specifically for wheelchair users. There’s no front seat, just an open space for the operator to position their wheelchair, which gets locked in place. The car itself is controlled with a joystick device, and with the option to simply roll in and out without having to hoist yourself into a seat, it’s the easiest car-tech available for wheelchair users.

7. Nissan Terranaut: While a concept-car, the concept alone is pretty cool. Rather than standard RV interiors, Nissan have gone with features and designs that bring to mind aeronautics and maybe even a little sci-fi.

8. Becker Jet Vans: Unfortunately not a jet-powered van as the name might suggest, but instead you get an outrageously luxurious interior which has been heavily influenced by private jets and limousines.

9. The Surface Orbiter: Built from a milk-tanker, taking over 4 four years and costing around $175,000, this was New Yorker Rick Dobbertin’s dream machine, and was constructed to cross both land and sea without any aid from a support vehicle. Impressively, the Orbiter has clocked up over 3,000 miles in the sea and 33,000 miles on land.

10. The Pacman Car: For anyone that enjoys a bit of nostalgia, or even just unusual cars. This was a converted hot-rod drag-racing car made to look like the classic arcade-game character Pacman.

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