osama

This is a repeat from last year. I like it enough that I think it warrants another posting. I think that it is one of the better templates I have made. At least it looks the most like what I want it to be like.

I figured he's a pretty scary guy, so why not make him into a jack 'o lantern.

Included in this Halloween related post are links to two pictures. One with a black background and one with a white background. The white background picture is for printing and using as the template and the blackbackground is to help you visulize what it will look like.

If you use this one, cut the black part out of the pumpkin. Use the tips and how to's from my other Halloween posts to help you.

In other more job related news, we will be done taking photos towards the end of the month. Right now we are about a week behind printing the orders, but we will be catching up very quickly because we had a week off at the start of October.

-Gary Milner

How to Make a Pumpkin Carving Stencil or Template

I just found a really good tutorial on how to make a pumpkin carving template or stencil.
http://www.homelogichalloween.com/pumpkin_tut.php
It comes in the form of a 20 minute video that seems pretty easy to follow. He even shows how to simulate what the final carved pumpkin will look like. I really recommend it.

Making a template to carve a pumpkin is a lot easier than you might imagine. The tutorial is for Photoshop CS3, but he doesn't use many if any tools that aren't available in a lot of the older versions. Also by watching how he does it, you could incorporate his concepts into making your own templates.

Really there are a lot of concepts that apply to making all sorts of templates that are useful to pumpkin stencils.

-Gary

Ratatouille Pumpkin Carving Template

I've decided that it is time for me to post a new pumpkin carving pattern. This year I've chosen Remy from the movie Ratatouille. The best movie of 2007.

I really enjoyed it, hopefully using this pumpkin carving template will help you have a happy Halloween.

If you want to see my other pumpkin carving templates, here is the link.

Click the photo for a larger version.

-Gary

Two Ways to Make a Pumpkin Carving Stencil or Template

This is one way for you to make a pumpkin carving template.

I've found that it works best if you use an easily recognizable photo.
In a photo editing program, make your photo black and white (greyscale).
Adjust the contrast alot until the photo loses all it's shades of grey and has only black and white (two colours).
Smooth out jagged edges with the drawing tool.
Then you can decide if it looks enough like what you want to carve, if it doesn't pick another photo.
You'll have to decide if you want to cut out the black or the white, inverting the picture will help you decide which part to cut out.
One thing to remember is to make sure that your template doesn't have any "islands", what I mean by that is that there won't be any parts that require pumpkin bits to float in mid air.

Here is a second way to make a pumpkin carving stencil.
If you have photoshop, you can do it in a way that is a little easier,
make the photo greyscale.
use the cutout filter which is in the 'artistic' group of filters.
make sure you choose to make only two or three levels and then play with the amount of simplicity and fidelity until you find the look you like.

In both cases, you can invert photo or not to save ink or help you imagine what the final product will look like.

I hope this is clear enough to be useful for you, and that you have the software to do it.

-Gary

Halloween Pumkin Carving Links

Here are eight pumpkin carving tips.

Here is a link to my Darth Vader stencil.

Here is a selection of pumpkin carving links. They include: the history of the jack o'lantern, various carving sites, and ways to help your pumpkin last longer.

Here is a link to a post about a pumpkin carving robot. It could carve a pumpkin in about six minutes.

Here is a link to my Lightning McQueen pumpkin stencil. If you are a fan of the movie you might want to carve it. Be careful on the more intricate parts, it might have too much detail. Simpler is better in this case.

Some of you may be interested in a
Pumpkin Seed Recipie if you haven't cooked them before, they are a fun addition to your Halloween fun. Experimenting with different spices and seasonings makes them a lot better.

As I wrote last year, often the sponsored links are just what you are looking for. Give them a try if they match what you are looking for. There are often very good free things on their pages.

-Gary Milner

Happy Birthday Becky

Becky

It was my sister-in-law's birthday on Saturday. We took her out to Perkin's Family Restaurant on Friday to celebrate and then came home to play cards. We had a pretty good time. Becky is sure glad to be 16. She is pretty excited about getting her driver's licence.

My stock photo collection is doing quite well, here are my sales so far.

03/06 : 1
04/06 : 4
05/06 : 7
06/06 : 30
07/06 : 63
08/06 : 90
09/06 : 93

10/06 : 56 (so far)

I'm averaging 44.3 cents per download and I'm pretty close to hitting $2 per day this month. I just need to get a handful more pictures up and it would be pretty easy to get a check a month or more.

I'm getting my fill of photography at work right now because of the school portraits and family sittings that I've been doing. I'm finding it hard to have the desire to go out and shoot something for myself. I need to get on it. It would take much for Istock to be buying my a pretty good lunch everyday, as it is it could be close to being able to make the payments on my lowest student loan!

My sister is busily booking up my weekends to assist her doing wedding photography. She has me down for two already. I'm looking forward to it, because I really like working with her. It also gives me a pretty good excuse to go see her kids.

The blog is really taking off because of the pumpkin links. If I don't quadruple my normal monthly number of page views I'll be really surprised.

-Gary Milner

Osama Bin Landen Pumpkin Carving Template

osama

I made another pumpkin carving template last night. It is my first Osama Bin Laden pumpkin carving stencil.

I figured he's a pretty scary guy, so why not make him into a jack 'o lantern.

Included in this Halloween related post are links to two pictures. One with a black background and one with a white background. The white background picture is for printing and using as the template and the blackbackground is to help you visulize what it will look like.

If you use this one, cut the black part out of the pumpkin. Use the tips and how to's from my other halloween posts to help you.

In other more job related news, here is a conversation I over heard.

Kid, "We ate our rabbit last night".

Photographer's assistant, "Why did you eat your rabbit?"

Kid, "We didn't have any groceries."


-Gary Milner

Eight Pumpkin Carving Tips

mater

Here are eight tips to make choosing and caving pumpkins easier this Halloween. Have Fun.

1. Make sure the pumpkin is not bruised pumpkin.


2. Bigger is better, but the size doesn't matter that much. Patterns can be enlarged but shrinking a pattern can make detailed work difficult.


3. Make sure there is no discoloration or soft spots.


4. Pumpkins with a flat edge don't roll as much and are easier to work with.


5. Find a pumpkin with a sturdy stem, this is a sign of a healthy pumpkin.


6. Lifting the pumpkin by the stem can damage the pumpkin and make it age faster.


7. Check the bottom of the pumpkin to make sure the base is not damaged. If the bottom of the pumpkin is thin it could get punctured. This allows bad things to grow in the pumpkin.


8. Put pumpkins that feel heavy or sloshy back. Insides can rot and leave a slimey, smelly, liquid goo.

mater

I hope you have all been enjoying the pumpkin carving stencils that I have been making and get to use them this halloween.

Have fun,

-Gary Milner

Free Cars Pumpkin Carving Template / Stencil

mcqueen

In anticipation of people searching for free pumpkin carving templates, I made this one from the pixar movie cars. This is the main character Lightning McQueen.

I inverted it to give you a better idea of what it will look like carved. I recommend printing the one with the white background, (it uses less ink). Just cut out the black part and peel the skin off the grey part.

You can click on the photos to get larger copies. You can get the full res version from my flickr account.

Here are 10 tips for carving a pumpkin:

1. Experiment with printing the template at different sizes in a photo editing program to best match the size of your pumpkin.

2. Use a pin or tack to make an outline of where you want to cut. Pinholes along the line to be cut make it easier to cut through the skin of the pumpkin and help you achieve a higher level of detail.

3. Don't follow the pattern too closely. Some of the parts you need to cut are a little too fine to be realistically carved. Massaging the pattern will make it more your own and it will turn out better anyway.

4. Don't skimp on the time transferring the pattern, extra work now pays off big time later.

5. In the grey area, peel the skin off and then shave the inside of the pumpkin to make portions brighter. This will allow a higher level of detail while leaving the curve of the pumpkin on the outside.

6. Use a sturdy knife. Wimpy ones always break.

mcqueen

7. Lay down tons of newspaper / garbage bags to catch the pumpkin guts. This will help with the clean up immensely.

8. Always carve with adult supervision. If you're an adult already, make sure there is a least one sober adult supervising.

9. Do not throw pumpkin guts or seeds.

10. Be very careful with the cutting instruments.

-Gary Milner

Pumpkin Carving Templates

Halloween is coming up, and I wanted to remind people about my old pumpkin carving related posts.

Darth Vader Pumpkin Carving Stencil - This is a link to a post where I have a template to carve a pumpkin that looks like Darth Vader.

Pumpkin Carving Links - This a link to an old page of links I made about pumpkin carving and other halloween related things.

There are lots of good resources describing how to carve pumpkins, how to make templates for carving more interesting designs as well as plenty of free places to get stencils for carving pumpkins.

Here is a little hint for making your own template.

In a photo editing program, turn your photo into a greyscale image, and then adjust the contrast alot until the photo loses all it's shades of grey and has only black and white.

Then you can decide if it looks enough like what you want to carve, if it doesn't pick another photo.

You'll have to decide if you want to cut out the black or the white, inverting the picture will help you decide which part to cut out. I've found that it works best if you use an easily recognizable photo.

There are tips about how to transfer the stencil to the pumpkin. I've found that using a needle to poke holes around the outside of the parts you want to cut helps. You can also use a felt tipped pen to shade the areas that you are going to cut.

I'll make a better how to post over the next few days, so that you can make a trogdor carving template or a lion or a George W. Bush jack 'o lantern if you want.

-Gary Milner

Darth Vader Pumpkin Carving Template

At long last here are the Darth Vader Pumpkin Templates that everyone seems to be searching for.

I've made only one, but I'm including a negative version so that you can print it off without using a lot of in, and a regular version so that you can get a better idea of what it will look like.

In the top one, you cut out the black parts and in the bottom one, you cut out the white parts. Make sure that there are no "islands of pumpkin" floating in the middle of the parts you cut out.

I hope that you like this Pumpkin Carving Template that I have made. I recommend that you check the ads for pumpkin carving related notices. Often commercial sites have good ideas for carving pumpkins as well as free or almost free templates for carving. Someplaces also sell specialized pumpkin carving tools.


Click on the images to find larger copies suitable for printing. If you find that they print too small, don't worry about resizing them larger, because even if the quality of the image drops with the enlargement, you only need the outline to transfer onto the pumpkin.

If you find this useful, feel free to link to it using "http://milner.blogspot.com/2005/10/darth-vader-pumpkin-carving-template.html"

-Gary Milner

Halloween Pumpkin Fun

A SCUBA group in Bozeman Montana has come up with a new Halloween tradition: carving pumpkins underwater.

The biggest problem with carving pumpkins underwater is that they float. That's why scuba divers fill the hollowed gourds with rocks before taking them under.

This year about 16 divers gathered to take part in the event which takes place on a platform suspended about 15 feet below the surface of the water to prevent churning up mud and thus reducing visibility.

In other news, Bruce Bradford belives that pumpkins have no rights, at least that's what the bumper sticker on the side of his 120-foot cannon named, "the Second Amendment".

His goal of creating the cannon? To be the first person to shoot a pumpkin half a mile. Most pumpkin shooting competitions have at least three rules. The pumpkin projectile must weigh eight to 10 pounds, it has to leave the launcher intact and no explosives can be used.

The thing about Halloween here in Perth is that they don't celebrate Thanksgiving or Halloween (although there is some Halloween candy for sale). The stores and even some of the public buildings already have their Christmas decorations up and it isn't even November yet.

-Gary Milner

How to Cook Pumpkin Seeds

Many of you may be interested in a Pumpkin Seed Recipe

Materials

• 1-2 Tbsp. butter
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Baking dish or sheet
  
• Bowl
  
• Cold water
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250 - 275.
   
2. Wash and clean pulp off seeds and place in a bowl or shallow baking dish.
   
3. Melt 1 - 2 Tbsp. of butter.
   
4. Slowly add to seeds while tossing or stirring.
   
5. Sprinkle with salt or other spice mix.
   
6. Spread out evenly in baking dish or cookie sheet.
   
7. Place in the oven.
   
8. Check and stir them often until crisp and golden.
   
9. Let them cool a few minutes and enjoy!
   

Experimenting with different types of seasonings will make the seeds a lot more enjoyable.

Here is a second pumpkin seed recipe

Materials

• Pumpkin seeds
  
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
  
• Salt to taste
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Wash pumpkin seeds after removing from pumpkin.
3. Soak in melted butter for 5 minutes.
4. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spread seeds on it, keeping seeds from touching.
5. Sprinkle with a little salt and bake 2-5 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
   

Pumpkin Carving Links

Happy Halloween Everyone! I've noticed that traffic coming to my site through web searches is starting to be skewed towards pumpkin carving templates and pumpkin carving stencils so I decided to put up some links to these pumpkin-tastic sites.

If you came here through a google search, there are likely relevant ads. Commercial sites generally have lots of really good content that may be of use to you, don't overlook them.

History of the Jack O'Lantern

The Irish brought the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern to America. But, the original Jack O'Lantern was not a pumpkin.The Jack O'Lantern legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History. As the story goes, Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil himself. One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree. Once the Devil climbed up the apple tree, Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. The Devil was then unable to get down the tree. Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the Devil down.

PumpkinFresh

PUMPKIN FRESH contains our powerful & unique breakthrough formulation - this is not a "coating", rather a powerful "absorbing fungicidal agent" which soaks into the flesh of your pumpkin masterpiece protecting it from mold, rot and decay, allowing it to keep its freshness much longer than if left untreated.

Pumpkin Carving Tutorial

Before you can begin to carve your design, you must prepare the pumpkin by removing the seeds and thinning the inner walls (save the seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds, a wholesome snack). Depending on the complexity of your design, allow an hour or more to make your Jack O Lantern. By the way, the techniques outlined below will also work for carving turnips, some squash or even watermelons.

Fabulous Foods Halloween Page
Lot of Galleries, Patterns, Products, Etc...


Pumpkin Carving 101

Everything you need to know about carving a Jack O'Lantern, from choosing a pumpkin to the tools that you will need to carve it. You will also Patterns, Products, Etc...


Extreme Pumpkins

Interesting techniques for carving gourds. This page has been around for a long time. I linked to it a year or two ago. The have lots of information and tutorials about carving pumpkins as well as galleries of carved pumpkins. Lots of good ideas for carving as well as carving contests.


Zombie Pumpkins

Original Stencil Designs...some free..some not..reasonable pricing. Lots of great ideas including galleries depicting famous people and movies.

Pumpkin Carving Templates

If you are looking for information aobut how to carve a pumpkin, or how to make a pumpking carving stencil or template, a good place to look would be the sponsered links on the left hand side of the page.

There are those among you that may be seeking a template to carve George W. Bush into the side of a pumpkin. Who am I to disappoint.

Click the image for a larger version. Then right-click save as.

I'm sorry, I'm looking for a new place to post photos.

It is the white part that you will be cutting out of the pumpkin. I recomend outlining it somehow before cutting it. Possibly cut the white part out then use a felt tipped pen to draw it on. You could also use a nail or tooth pic to poke holes along the outline and then cut connect the dots. The gray part is where you need to cut the skin off the pumpkin. This needs to be done because otherwise the mouth wouldn't stay up.

Halloween

Yesterday was Halloween, and I must admit that I was very excited to stay home and hand out candy. In fact, I had been excited about it for days. This is the first year that we haven't lived in an appartment, so I was really looking forward to the trick-or-treaters...to seeing all of the kids in their cute little costumes. We even passed up a party to stay home.

I don't think it was worth it. We only got about 10 kids total, so unfortunately (fortunately?) for us, we were left with a ton of mini chocolate bars. I did carve a pumpkin though and that was fun. Here is a picture of my pumpkin. I decided to carve stars into it.



Gary was going to carve one too, but the other one we bought was kind of moldy and soft, and when we stabbed the knife into it, the most horrible smell you could imagine escaped from it. We immediately threw it out.

We bought that pumpkin at the IGA down the street. A few weeks ago, I bought some beautiful looking apples from the same store. The next day at work, I was sitting down, about to feast on my juicy golden delicious apple, when I noticed a small hole in the bottom of it. I asked one of my co-workers "Does it look like something's living in there?" She offered me her knife to cut it, and lo and behold, there were horrible little black creatures wriggling around in there. To this day I don't forget to give thanks in my prayers for spotting that hole before biting in. From now on I will always examine apples before eating them.

I may boycott IGA's produce department. Too bad they're the only grocery store that's remotely close to us.

Pumpkin Carving Continued

I've noticed that we've been getting a lot of hits from people looking for free pumpkin carving stencils. If you are looking for information aobut how to carve a pumpkin, or how to make a pumpking carving stencil or template, a good place to look would be the sponsered links on the left hand side of the page. If you are looking for the Darth Vader Stencil follow the link. There are two really great links further on down the page.

While I don't have any free stencils or templates for pumpkin carving, I have done a little carving in the past. My favorite was a self portrait. Here is a little hint for making your own template. In a photo editing program, turn your photo into a greyscale image, and then adjust the contrast alot until the photo loses all it's shades of grey and has only black and white. Then you can decide if it looks enough like what you want to carve, if it doesn't pick another photo. You'll have to decide if you want to cut out the black or the white, inverting the picture will help you decide which part to cut out. I've found that it works best if you use an easily recognizable photo. There are tips about how to transfer the stencil to the pumpkin. I've found that using a needle to poke holes around the outside of the parts you want to cut helps. You can also use a felt tipped pen to shade the areas that you are going to cut.

Traffic is Killing Me Slowly

The winter traffic is making me want to die... somewhere warm like Arizona. It took us an hour to go the 10 blocks to Deerfoot trail and then only 10 minutes to go the other 200 blocks to the University. I don't know what the problem was, there were no accidents or any other problems. I get the feeling that there are 2 or 3 really stupid people who can't drive and who should lose their licenses, that are causing serious problems. They back the traffic up so much by driving 10km/h, that it takes 3 hours for the normal, smart people to be able to clear the roads. It's like driving in a parade.

-Gary Milner, guy who hates traffic but loves carving pumpkins.

I For One Welcome Our New Pumpkin Carving Overlords

If you are looking for information aobut how to carve a pumpkin, or how to make a pumpking carving stencil or template, a good place to look would be the sponsered links on the left hand side of the page.

Here is a pumpkin site.


"A drywall-saw-wielding industrial robot with a chip on its shoulder.

"Last Halloween we could only run the robot at about 30% because it would tear itself out of the floor. Consequently it took about 6 minutes to carve a pumpkin. This year I hope it will make it in under 2.

"As each piece is completed, the robot spears it in the center, then wipes it off by passing the saw through a fork located above the orange bucket. Unfortunately, the robot does not gut the pumpkin."