Five years after carving the first Pumpkin Doodle, the second one was carved in 2020.  It was carved out of a six inch by two inch by inch and a half basswood block using knives in the Whittle-Carving style.  Carving the first pumpkin doodle was an exercise in creativity.  Carving the second, was of another phase of creativity that utilized a previously carved model.  The creative tension was still there but not as intense since much of the design had already been discovered. The second approach was a little strained by not wanting to copy the original so that the second pumpkin doodle would have its own characteristics ever so slight.  The basic form remained the same while each face took on a personality of its own.

The first photo on the left above shows the first Pumpkin Doodle beside the basswood block being opened up as the pumpkins are carved to basic form.  The second photo above shows the progress of the carved to form pumpkins.

Below is a progressive guide for carving facial features in pumpkins that describes the same process for carving the facial features in this Pumpkin Doodle.

The photo above shows the crease being carved in the ribs of the pumpkin using two angled slicing cuts with as much of the cutting edge used to make the cuts for the crease.  Utilizing the length of the cutting edge in a slicing action creates a cleaner cut than doing a stop cut with the tip of the blade to create both angled cuts of the crease.

The first photo below shows the completed pumpkin doodle receiving a base coat of Raw Sienna artist oil paint thinned with boiled linseed oil.  The second photo below shows the orange color applied on top of the base coat along with the mixed orange color in a plastic lid palette.  Orange color is a combination of Red artist oil paint and Indian Yellow mixed with boiled linseed oil.  After the paint has dried a coat of Deft was applied to seal in the paint.

The final two photos below show the back side of the pumpkins in the left photo and close up of the middle three pumpkin heads.

Pumpkin Doodle is a fun project that is an example of Whittle-Carving using only knives to shape the wood. Whittling and doodling go together since both are often considered as random exercises of creativity that develops in the process of doing to create a serendipity discovery that carries imagination beyond what can be imagined.  We learn by doing and in the doing surprise learning takes place.  Is it any wonder that we are inspired to carve, whittle and dream what is yet to be? “If it can be imagined it can be,” opens to what is behind the door of the mystery of creative energy doing its thing.