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JOL WIPS
(Jack O'Lantern Works In Progress)
Here I'm showing JOLs in various stages of undress, er,
being made so that maybe you can see where to go in
the steps that we tend to forget to add. The in-between
stuff.
Click on the pictures to see larger ones
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Building the face and shell. I
built the shell, Thomas drew the face, first with charcoal
pencil, then with permanent marker. |
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I decided it was nuts
to make the whole pumpkin solid, then have to cut out all
the features, so Thomas started drawing them onto the paper strip
layers and I worked the pulp around them. Don't do what I did
here and work on just
the face. Do the back at the same time or yours will try to fall
on its wet face just like
his guy. He has to be held up just to take
the picture.
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 First
time trying to build the cut into the shell rather than have to use so
much force later to cut it. The line was drawn on the shell and a ridge
is being built around it. Turning it into a design detail. |
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 Only
half the shell was done at once. Here, the rest of it is being
added. This was done so wet pulp didn't flatten while it sat. |
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 When
you add things like these antennae, remember that the pulp will
make it much thicker, so start out thin with your paper strips.
Add one layer of pulp to top of JOL and go just a short way up
the stem. Let dry before adding more unless you prop well with
something that won't end up glued to the thing. |
This was made over a balloon, using a commercial pattern. To
keep the balloon from rolling around and being impossible to
control, it was taped to a round glass bowl. A heavy one. |
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This guy was made over an oddly shaped bottle. To add a long
stringy stem, a tool was propped between stem and bottle while
it dried. |
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Left: last layer of pulp, still wet
Right: all dry and painted
Notice how some of it shrank;
be sure to allow for shrinkage when forming your piece. |
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One way to give the JOL a patina
I like using all the
little nooks and crannies to hold the paint, so I don't smooth
out the shell much
before letting it dry.
Thinned black acrylic
paint is brushed over the painted JOL. Push the
paint down in well,
then before it dries, wipe with paper towel.
Dry towel will tend
to smooth the paint over all, a wet towel will remove more
paint. Use more pressure to remove more paint; less to leave a
thicker layer of paint. If it's too dark after drying, you can
wipe off some of the paint with water or sand it lightly.
The third image shows
half of the front painted and dry. |
 Getting
the paintbrush inside these guys can be a royal pain. For this
guy, I poured the paint down inside and let it drip out. Then he
was suspended over the paint can for the drips to fall down into
it. He may end up this way. Okay, he'll get a coat of orange.
geez |
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