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| M's Logo 2025 |
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| M's Trident 2025 |
This year's pumpkin carving party with the family was cancelled due to a power outage. Prior to that, I carved a 2-sided jack-o-lantern supporting our Seattle Mariners in the ALCS playoffs. One side displayed the upward pointing trident symbol, while the other side showed the Mariners compass logo. And, no, it's not a pitchfork!
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| 2025 Frankie |
On Halloween eve, I carved two more scarier pumpkins -- one of a disturbing-looking Count Dracula and another of a friendly-looking Frankenstein. 'Frankie' was a traditional carving, although I got creative with the lid in order to emulate his flat-top head and hairline. The simple design itself was copied from a pumpkin I saw online.
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| 2021 Frankie |
It's a lot different than my 2021 version which I imagined from a photo of Boris Karloff's character. it's funny how just a few well-placed wavy lines can generate a recognizable image. Creepy!
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| 2025 Dracula |
Dracula was painted in using a black Sharpie, as I've done for the past two years. For the shadow on the left of his face I peeled off some of the skin to accent his face. I was going to insert some red beads, but alas my supplies cupboard was bare; at least I was unable to find the craft beads!
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| 2024 Vampire Barbie |
Last year I tried to carve Barbie, which was inspired by the release of the movie. Unfortunately, she wound up looking more like Mediterranean Barbie or even Vampire Barbie.
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| T-Rex Design |
I fully intended to carve another two pumpkins, but honestly, I lost interest. It was disappointing not to have family over to see what they would make. Earlier this year, we went to see
Jurassic Parking Lot, a University District play that spoofed the original movie, starring Jeff Goldbloom. The silhouette of the classic T-Rex dinosaur would not have left much structure, and especially as the pumpkin would begin to rot.
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| Raven 2020 |
It's a similar situation with the raven I carved in 2020. It looked great initially, but the thin pieces of unsupported pumpkin soon began to rot. To keep the bird's beak from pulling away from the moon, you can support it by adding hidden toothpicks.
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| 2022 Wookie |
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| Chewy Design |
My 2022 Star Wars Wookie wasn't bad, but not nearly as recognizable as the one I almost carved this year. At this point, I didn't peel the skin of the pumpkin to different depths to achieve a range of values (like the Cheshire Cat below). Lots of cutting!
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| 2024 Snake Beetlejuice |
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| Beetlejuice 2024 |
Every year I look for inspiration from current pop culture. Besides Jurassic Park, I've been inspired by Beetlejuice, Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, and various Star Wars characters from movies and TV series.
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| 2022 Harry at Night |
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| 2022 Daytime Harry |
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| 2022 Cheshire Cat |
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| 2022 Grogu (Baby Yoda) |
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| 2022 Mandalorian |
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| 2023 Ahsoka Tano |
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| 2024 Darth Vader |
Ahsoka Tano incorporated many techniques, including peeling of the skin and embellishing with black Sharpies. Her tiara is actually a cutout piece that was reinserted (tilted outward) to give a 3D effect. One of my most challenging carves and maybe my most effective!!
I fully intended to carve another two pumpkins, but honestly, I lost interest. It was disappointing not to have family over to see what they would make. Earlier this year, we went to see Jurassic Parking Lot, a University District play that spoofed the original movie, starring Jeff Goldbloom. The silhouette of the classic T-Rex dinosaur would not have left much structure, and especially as the pumpkin would begin to rot.
