Pumpkins With Pattern and Pizazz!

Halloween is right around the corner! Although I don't have little ones to make fun costumes for any longer, I still enjoy the fall holiday by decorating a couple of pumpkins each year. 

I couldn't help noticing the wide variety of foam pumpkins, gourds and squash at my local craft store. The the color range and quality are amazing! I chose 2 white pumpkins measuring 7.5″ x 7″ from Hobby Lobby. 

After wiping with a damp cloth, I began sketching divisions and patterns with the help of a few great Zentangle books by Design Originals. My favorites include:

• Zentangle 2 – Sequel to Zentangle Basics
• Zentangle 6 – Making Cards With Stencils
• Zentangle 8 – Monograms and Alphabets
• Zen Mandalas
• Totally Tangled
• Yoga for Your Brain

After marking and sketching the patterns with pencil, I created all the patterns with a Faber-Castell Black brush marker. For the second pumpkin, I used Purple Violet 136 and Permanent Green Olive 167 Faber Castell brush markers.

After completing the patterning, I sprayed the pumpkins with Krylon Matte Finish 1311 and then brushed a coat of Americana DuraClear Matte Varnish over the entire surface. The pumpkins dried for several hours and then I added shading with a Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen Big Brush in warm Grey 273. This works because the varnished surface is slick and allows just enough drying time to blend the edges of the shading before it dries.

To protect my hours of work, I sprayed another coat of Krylon Matte Finish and brushed on another coat of DuraClear.

I'm not sure which one I like best! What do you think? Leave a comment below and tell me which one YOU like.

Be sure to join me LIVE! next Friday, November 4, 2016 when I'll be showing your my new Art Sparks Creative Project Deck. You don't want to miss it! I'll be live at 2pm Eastern. If you'd like to be notified when I go LIVE, it's easy to sign up here.

Until next time ~

Remember to Get Creative today! It's Easy!

Barb