Thread: Pumpkinrot techniques

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So, I keep saying I want to try and build props like pumpkinrot, but I don't know his techniques for making paper mâché props last outdoors. Anyone have information or links on how to build props like pumpkinrot?

This is something that I have been trying to get down myself. I made a hard run at it last season, and will be putting triple the effort into it this year.

Making them last outdoors is fairly easy.

Building them with wreckless efficiency, while not sacrificing detail or proportions is the difficult part. That, and of course simply being the natural artist that he is. In this area, the man stands alone IMO.

In the end, it takes a lot of studying, and a lot of practice. No one has put together any tutorials that I have seen which shows how to create anything close to his work when it comes to the custom built skeletons. He can somehow build and army of them in what seems like very little time. He does it in a simple fashion, too.

btw.... you can see what we did last year by clicking the link in my signature. We came kind of close, but still missed it. I think we put a lot more effort into it than what Pumpkinrot does. This year we are going to streamline.

TECHNIQUE, I can help with. STYLE, well, I would encourage you to find your own style.

Here is a collection of paper mache resources I've collected.

First and foremost, Stolloween. Great info and technique guides and articles from use of templates to waterproofing, to whatever you need. STYLE is of course different.

http://www.stolloween.com/

The Paper Mache resource. the website's name pretty much covers it. Recipes, techniques, tips, etc.

http://www.papiermache.co.uk/

Gourmet Paper Mache. Talented artist, some technique stuff available free, and a book for sale.

http://www.gourmetpapermache.com/

Poke around those, and you'll get a very good starting point for paper mache, but the best thing is going to be getting to work with it yourself.

http://aranamuerta.com/

Dead Spider does paper crafts as well, and hers hold up remarkably well in rain and bad weather. I believe she is Canadian, and has photos of her homemade props in rain, rain just running off them, and they hold up fine.

I go thru alot of tutorials, and many people use a marine varnish to coat their painted paper props.

So many talented people on the web! Mindblowing!
http://aranamuerta.com/2008/11/02/october-31st-rain

As I recall though, aranamuerta lost some due to mice I think. Anyway, make sure to use a non-food based paper mache for your props since they will spend the majority of their lives in storage and can be a pest attractant.

I know Pumpkinrot isn't above making a profit from his work (his etsy store with the other half, the licensing to do Pumpkin Hollow pumpkins mass produced, etc). Why he doesn't put out a for sale DVD tutorial of his techniques, start to finish on different props, I don't know. He'd make a ton from his fans.

This layout is so stellar. How did you manage to make a blog that’s as smart as it is sleek? I’ve got to say, the layout alone made me come back to this blog again. But now that I’ve read what you’ve got to say, I’ve got to share it with the world!

I bought some pumpkinrots from pumpkinrot.I was told not to leave them in rain.So I brought mine in everynight.

I emailed him last year in regards to his Sentinals and he said that he purchased the heads from Funkins.com. They don't have them on their site but they sell them if you email them. I want to say they are around 100 dollars+.

Hobby Lobby in my area had bigger Funkins than other places, but the largest one was shaped more like a turban squash without the top and not a pumpkin, very short and wide. It was in the ~$80 range. They had one left on late clearance but I decided not to get it because I didn't like the shape.