Pumpkin Designs from 2008

[RichardHealy]

Some of these are I acknowledge little blurry - it was the camera shake and exposure of these that got me thinking about upgrading to tipods and DSLR in the first place...

I'm hoping to take much better pictures of my carving this year, meanwhile I hope you enjoy these....

Creepshow



The Crow


Patchmaster


Hellraiser - Pinhead

[Ella1267]

Welcome to DPS.....great photos.....where I come from they have a huge pumpkin carving every halloween, even made the guiness book of world records for most lite jack o lanterns at one time.....never did get any photos.....but this definitely brings me back home.....

[leonaashlee]

WELCOME to DPS
These are really cool shots. Keep posting so we can see more.

[RichardHealy]

So with two replies - does that mean I can now post more photos to this thread? (also I'll amend the above so they are pictures not just links anymore)

[mikez53]

You did a nice job with these photos and the carving you did is spectacular. Thank you for sharing.

[RichardHealy]

Thanks Mike!

I'll put up a few more from this album then I did far too many last year about 16.

I'm scaling back operations some this year going to focus on just doing a few well and photographing the hell out of them.

[RichardHealy]

Death Rides on a Skeletal Steed




Lord Voldemort




E.T



The Joker




4 more to come tomorrow....


These photos are what prompted me to want to upgrade my camera - so to fix some of the more egregious exposure errors I've done some edited using Picnik.

[RichardHealy]

Last of these now then.

David from 'The Lost Boys' ("Initiation's over, Michael. Time to join the club!")



And these are the pumpkins, with the designs stencilled on but pre-carving, sat out in the (very cluttered) garage. So no points for composition - but I thought you might like to see them in their prior state, and a little insight into method (as you can see on 'Howl' - the marker pen leaked a little bit.)

Patchmaster-Draven-Joker-Voldemort



Howl-Reaper-Codename:V



David-Pinhead-ET


Howl I've not put up here - because frankly it's not that good, also you'll not see The Creepshow Zombie here, as that was a test pumpkin I did early on to practice, and it had gone mouldy by the time I took these.

Anyway, that's it until October, when I plan to do a whole bunch more - and capture them all on DSLR. I'm hoping I might be able to get a tripod by then so I can lock off my shots and make the transition from each image perfect and wobble-free.

[Angelb]

Welcome to DPS
These are fantastic, you have some great talent with carving and the camera. The Patchmaster and Hellraiser - Pinhead and also the Lord Voldermort are my favourites. Thanks for sharing.

[RichardHealy]

Thank you.

I find it helps having some good tools.

I've a bunch of really fine saws, and files (for doing Pinhead's eyes, amongst other things...) plus a modelling scalpel.(which I perfected the technique for by the time I did Eric Draven & Crow, which is why he's generally neater than the others.)

I've a special pumpkin-gutter - which attaches to a power-drill and makes removing the innards for carving a doddle.

I tried a new method this year, applying the stencil designs over using carbon transfer paper then inking them in in marker or biro. I'd then do one pass over with a needle then use the saws to 'connect-the-dots' and remove the pumpkin flesh to make the designs.

One of the more fiendish designs I'm thinking of doing this year is one of the Ack-Ack aliens from 'Mars Attacks' the pleats and folds in their exposed grey-matter are going to be a challenge. I might also re-do 'Ride of The Reaper' it looked absolutely fantastic carved and lit up - a fact sadly not captured on film. I've been itching to give it another go - improve on the design a little (I'd be more aggressive with the gutter - and remove that horrible cheese wedge behind the moon this time; I cringe every time I see that.

And this time get a good photograph. I'd want to really capture it in it's full glory.

Also heard of a technique, for dousing kitchen roll in petrol sticking that inside the pumpkin, sitting light to it, and filming it on a slow shutter speed: apparently the effect is to have flames shooting out the designs.

Something to consider doing perhaps once I've finished photographing them in the traditional way!!