I started getting
the idea for how I wanted the pumpkins to look shortly after ordering the
mini-comic bundles. I wasn't sure if I could make them work, but the ideas had
been percolating for a couple of months. When the time came to execute, there
were issues, but there always are, and it helped me realize more about why I
cherish this tradition so much.
The first problem
was one I had last year too, in that the pumpkins were less than fresh. There
were already some soft spots and mold. That is gross to work with, but also it
is an issue with the structural integrity of the design. I have always just
gotten my pumpkins from the grocery store, but maybe I need to start getting
them at the patch. Also, I need to light them up and get pictures that the
first night, because they may not be the same by Halloween.
Otherwise, they
came out pretty well. I was most worried about the My Little Pony, but I am
friends with a Brony, and he and his family approved. Mainly, I needed to make
the mane bigger. I thought I was done, and then realized she needed more mane.
Ponies are all about the mane.
Finn and Jake were
recognized right away, and I think they came out pretty well. That was the most
popular of the comics too. I have never even seen Adventure Time, but
related things show up a lot on Twitter and Tumblr, and I know people like it.
Itty Bitty Hellboy
was the most minimalist design, which could again be a cause for concern, but
Scott Allie of Dark Horse re-tweeted the photo, and I was stoked.
Overall, they came
out about right. I made one foolish mistake, which was that I cut a frame all
the way around Jake without leaving anything attaching him to the top of the
pumpkin. That might have been less of an issue if the pumpkins were fresh, but
he started shrinking and falling back. It sort of provided its own solution. By
Halloween I was able to push the top of the pumpkin down below it and kind of
rest him against the top, but that was not ideal.
I kind of wished
for a do over, and I could have bought another pumpkin, but I regard jack o'
lanterns as a one time deal. Last year I could not make the Misfits logo work,
but that was last year; by this year I had moved on. It is not impossible that
I might try again some time, but there is always something new to do. Right now
I have no idea what I will want to do next year, but there will be something.
I realized that
everything that goes wrong with carving pumpkins is what makes it right for me.
Pumpkins are
imperfect raw materials. They have scratches and scars and flat spots, and even
if there were none of those the natural curvature of the gourd will often
sabotage the line you are cutting. If you cut too deep or too far, you can't
fix it. There are no do overs. And pumpkins are ephemeral. Even starting with
the freshest pumpkins ever, they will still rot and need to be disposed of. So
I will make something imperfect, and it will not be a lifelong commitment.
I thought initially
it was just that I liked the chance to be creative, and I liked my abilities
with them. In truth, I am not that great. Some people do very elaborate things,
where all the orange is stripped away and you get this sculpture with lips and
eyebrows and grotesque detail. There are classes so you can learn to do that,
but I think those are ugly. I have my own method, and I like it.
Because as much as
I can see what I should have done differently, I still end up liking the
pumpkins. That failed Misfits pumpkin was still a good pumpkin! I see the
errors, and I feel them while I am carving, but then I look at this flawed
seasonal art, and I like it, and I feel a sense of satisfaction that I made it.
Someone told me once that oil paintings take on a look of perfection from a
distance; well so do jack o' lanterns.
It's a totally
temporary thing, and that's fine. A friend was telling us about her daughter
getting one of those artificial pumpkins for carving, because if she was going
to put all that work into it, she wanted it to last. Not for me. Next year I
will want something different, and I will want to try again.
I will have learned
some things. I will probably never omit an anchor to the top of the pumpkin
again. I will probably still have lots of bad cuts or thin spots, or
realizations after it is too late. That's just how it works, and I embrace it.
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