Learn How to Draw My Cartoony Pumpkin
Nit
Wits #23: Pumpkasso  Posted
Oct-01-2005
Pumpkins and Picasso
October is THE month of the pumpkin 'round these
parts. Yes, the link between the fall harvest, Halloween,
and pagan/druid/orwhathaveyou customs using carved-face
gourds to fend off evil spirits — while greeting little
children in costumes going door-to-door chanting "trick
or treat!" for candy — has much to do with it too.
Whoever
picked the pumpkin for this purpose (and jack-o-lantern
carving) chose the right sized gourd for it. Think about
it: an average pumpkin is at least the size of a human head.
This makes it perfect for horseless headsman
(oops, headless horsemen) and Sleepy-esque Hallow stories.
I used to live near a town named Sleepy Hallow, Illinois. Yes,
it really exists! (And I looked everywhere for that horseman!)
I was in Sams Club the other day and Halloween is in full
force. I suspect it started in July, but aisles of bagged candy
and mud-crusted pumpkins lined the entrance aisle. Somewhere
in the middle of the store near the outdoor gear were huge
inflated yard ornaments with stacked grinning pumpkins and
vampirish ghouls. In the coming weeks neighborhood homes will
duplicate the fare and erect their own homemade graveyards
and All Hallow's Eve scenes to create magnificent stages of
fantasy and creativity for passersby to see. Oh, and random
complimentary smashed pumpkins will await us all in the streets.
Last year I tagged Halloween as 'the Beginning of Christmas.'
You'll notice this truth when you see your neighbor's previous
jack-o-lantern turned backwards and quickly accompanied
by a gobbling
cardboard turkey
on November 1. Somewhere after Thanksgiving it then morphs
into the head of a reindeer pulling a Christmas-lighted Santa
Sleigh. See, I told you they picked the right fruit!
(A side note on spelling: If you're prone to misspelling
the word pumpkin like me, (pumkin, punkin), remember these
two
things:
a water pump and
your next-of-kin. Maybe that will be Nit Wits
#24...)
Back to Nit Wits #23. With the attention on the favored orange
gourds, you can't walk past the Halloween aisle without noticing
the novel carving kits. Sure, you can go home and grab a knife
from your cutting set and gouge out chunks of Jack. But why
would you want to do that when the business world has made
pumpkin carving into a sculpting fine art? (There are some
very cool online Web sites that have free pumpkin carving patterns
you can download too. Pumpkin
Masters is one I like).
I've seen barfing jack-o-lanterns, cartoon characters, and
Star Wars ships, but I haven't seen a Pumpkasso yet. There's
originality for ya, I say. No template or pattern required.
I already had the Pumpkasso idea ready to go, but was further
inspired by an actual Picasso painting I found online at the
Detroit Institute of Arts Web site. A 1915 painting by Picasso
named Bottle
of Anis del Mono gave me the humorous perspective I needed
to bring the Pumpkasso to life. (© 2005 Chris Dunmire) •
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