What’s a Halloween display without a jack-o’-lantern?! Ophelia wouldn’t hear of it!
I’ve seen many techniques used online and in books for making hollow pumpkins from polymer clay. Most often something is baked inside: styrofoam, foil or a glass marble. Each of these has pros and cons. The styrofoam just seems noxious to bake, but maybe I’m wrong. The glass marble can cause breakage when you try to remove it, which makes me worry about all the effort to make it look good being ruined in an instant. The foil doesn’t seem the easiest to remove, but it seems the least noxious and easier than the marble…so that’s the way I went.
I used Fimo ochre clay around the foil ball and then added Fimo cognac clay around the clay ball. This way, the inside would be lighter than the outside once carved.
I added lines and texture but decided to carve my pumpkin after baking to minimize handling while the clay was pliable. I did plan to leave one or two of the pumpkins intact just for decoration, but I made all three the same way just in case.
I used pastels to color the clay before baking to deepen the color and emphasize the sculpted lines. Here they are after baking.
After the clay cooled, I cut the removable top, removed the foil innards and carved the pumpkin face. None of these things proved easily done. The clay was thicker and harder than I thought it would be. It didn’t ruin the illusion in the end, but I ended up making only this one for lack of time.
I used a grape stem for the top, an idea I saw on Joann Swanson’s blog. I used the larger main stem, though, and it was still green. I microwaved it to dry it out, and bleh…did it ever smell bad. Hahahaha
After gluing the stems on, I brushed on a thin coat of Sculpey satin glaze, even on the stems to seal them. It gives them a wonderfully realistic waxy finish. It also disguises the cutting and carving marks.
I drilled a hole in the bottom for the LED.
These are flickering LEDs from Evan Designs. They attach to a 3V battery adapter with a switch and come in yellow or orange. I bought both colors since I wasn’t sure which would look better, or if I would want a combination of the two. I ended up using a single orange bulb for my jack-o’-lantern since it was the better color of the two and plenty bright on its own.
I had already run the wire through the foundation so I could operate the switch in the cellar doors. Here’s the battery and switch in the cellar.
The light is on and pumpkins are in place! Hooray!
I think this requires a movie. ;D I apologize for the poor quality of the video, but it’s the best my camera will do. At least you get to see the flickering LED!
I will definitely use these flickering lights for the parlor fireplace, too. That wiring will be an easier endeavor to accomplish, though.
