DIY Halloween Calligraphy Pumpkin

 DIY Boo Calligraphy Pumpkin

I love doing this project every year for fall and Halloween! All you need is a sharpie and one of those mini pie pumpkins from Trader Joe's! They last a very long time, especially when used indoors, so you can display them all month long. You can try different phrases, add spiderwebs and doodles, and you can also letter on the big pumpkins too! If you try this, be sure to share a pic of your final pumpkin with me--I love seeing them! :) 

MATERIALS

  • Pumpkin (you can use any kind, I like the smaller pie pumpkins from Trader Joe's! You can also use mini ones, squash, etc.! When picking, I like to make sure it has a flat bottom so it stands up well and that there are no large blemishes that may be hard to letter over.)
  • Pencil and Eraser
  • Sharpie or Paint Pen
  • Boo Practice Worksheet
  • Nail Polish Remover and Q-Tips (to "erase" any mistakes)

DIY Calligraphy Pumpkins Tutorial

IMPORTANT! If using nail polish remover be very careful not to spill and be aware of what surface you are using it on! If spilled it can stain/discolor wood and other furniture. 

DIRECTIONS

Step 1 (optional): Practice your lettering.

Using the worksheet provided in the link above, practice lettering the word "boo!" This will help you get used to the shapes and proportions you will be creating. Try lettering the phrase in the same size as what it will be on your pumpkin.
Note that for this project we will be using the lettering technique known as "faux calligraphy". This means we will be lettering the phrase all in monoline, then going back on all the downstrokes and coloring them in so that they are thicker. This is what gives it the calligraphy look--in calligraphy all strokes going in an upwards direction are thin and all strokes going in a downward direction are thick. You can also use the photo of the pumpkin above as a guide to which strokes should be thin and thick.
 

Step 2: Prepare your pumpkin.

I like to wash and dry the pumpkin to make sure it's nice and clean before beginning. 
Decide which side of the pumpkin you want to letter on. I like to put the pumpkin on a flat surface to see which side displays best.
 

Step 3 (optional): Lightly pencil in "boo!" and the flourish.

Note that the pumpkins are usually a little waxy and pencil doesn't always erase off. But most of the pencil lines will be covered in ink later / won't be very noticeable from afar.

Lightly letter the phrase and flourish onto your pumpkin. This doesn't have to be perfect, it's just a guideline to make the inking process easier. You do NOT have to create thick lines at this point, it will just be a light pencil outline of the word.

Step 4: Letter "boo!" and the flourish in ink.

I prefer using black sharpie--it's been the easiest tool for me to use, not messy, and you can "erase" mistakes with a little nail polish remover on a q-tip. 

Please note the longer the ink stays on the pumpkin the harder it will be to remove. Also try to only erase small mistakes and be careful when erasing so you don't mess up other parts of your pumpkin!

Start by going over your light pencil line or if you skipped this step, start by lettering the phrase all in monoline (all stroke widths will be the same, there is no "calligraphy" look yet).

Then on all the downstrokes, go back and color them in to create a thicker line. 

You may want to do this once, let the ink dry, then go back in and touch up any areas where there are streaks.

Now your pumpkin is ready to display!

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