Zany Witch Painted Pumpkin

Skill Level: Intermediate

My Zany Witch Painted Pumpkin actually began as a mummy. The more I painted her, the less she was a mummy. Her nose changed from a hollowed black shell into a green monstrosity with a hairy wart on top. Then, her stem became her hat. I’m always amazed by the artistic teams on Halloween Cake Wars, a show on Food Network. They draw out a plan for each cake, and stick to it through their cake-making, pumpkin carving, and sugar decorating. I tend to change things as I go along!

Materials Needed:

• large pumpkin with a long stem
• Apple Barrel 20589E Harvest Orange, 21954E White, 21977E Wisteria, 21968E True Green, 20637E Hot Rod Red, 44845E Light Yellow, 44848E Milk Chocolate, and Folk Art 2924E Licorice (several of the paints are not pictured below).
• 1/2” angle brush, 1/4 inch flat brush, liner brush.
• Sharpie marker, pencil, or pen to draw face (not pictured)

Draw the eyes, nose, and mouth first. I drew mine with a red Sharpie, because I wanted my mummy’s features-especially his eyes-to be rimmed in red. However, you know the story. He became a Zany Witch instead.

Paint the features using the 1/2” angle brush with White for the eyes, True Green for the nose, and Hot Rod Red for the mouth. Leave the nose as a green triangle for now. Remember, I changed my Licorice nose to a True Green one after I took the pictures below. Add coats of paint until the features are opaque. Allow the paint to dry in between coats. I used a blow dryer to hurry things along.

Once the eyes are opaque, paint over them with a mixture of Light Yellow and White using the 1/4” flat brush. Make dark circles under the eyes with a mixture of Licorice and White using the same 1/4” flat brush. Paint in the teeth and outline the mouth with the same brush and paint colors (Licorice and White).

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Using the 1/4” flat brush, paint a mixture of Light Yellow and True Green for the iris, then Licorice for the pupil. Go around the outside of the eyes with Hot Rod Red mixed with White. Take the liner brush and highlight the pupils with White, outline the iris with True Green, and paint the eyelashes with Licorice. Paint the nose with the 1/4” flat brush and a mixture of True Green and Licorice. Highlight with Light Yellow while the nose is still wet.

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Time to paint the hair! I love painting hair. My Zany Witch’s haircut was inspired by the bob worn by the villain in the most recent Lorax movie. It’s actually an inverted bob. Have you ever worn an inverted bob? I have; more than once in my life. Using the 1/2” angle brush and a mixture of Licorice and White, paint in the hair. Use White to highlight, and Licorice to add dark streaks. Have fun with it.

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Now for her hat. Paint the stem using Licorice and paint a circle on top of the pumpkin for the brim, using the 1/2” angle brush. Make the black pointed parts on the sides of the hat with Licorice after you’ve painted the circle. Paint the hat band with the 1/4” flat brush and a mixture of Licorice and White. Highlight the edges of the hat with the same brush using Harvest Orange and White.

Paint in the spider webs using the liner brush and White. I painted one spider web in the front, and one in the back. Paint the vines with the liner brush and a mixture of True Green and Milk Chocolate. Wiggle in the leaves with a mixture of Light Yellow and True Green. Paint a few green vine squiggles with the same paint mixture and the liner brush.

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The spider is so much fun! Using the 1/4” flat brush, paint the body and legs of the spider with a mixture of White and Milk Chocolate. Paint the eyes using the liner brush and Licorice. Highlight the eyes with the liner brush and White. Paint the hairs with the liner brush using Milk Chocolate, then White.

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Paint the buckle on the Zany Witch hat using the 1/4” flat brush and a mixed concoction of Harvest Orange and Wisteria. Highlight your buckle using the liner brush and White.

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You’re all done! In the near future, I’m planning to write some painting tutorials for the beginning painter. The skill level will be “easy” for those particular projects.

Happy Halloween!

Kristie

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