Pastel Pumpkins

Gettin' Artsy with Elida

"Pastel Pumpkins"

October is a great month to focus our attention on the changing colors, the cooler weather, and the festivities that lie ahead. The upcoming holidays lend themselves to some really fun decorations. Creating your own pastel pumpkins, using non traditional colors, adds a splash of unexpected color to a traditional color scheme.

Watch the video here:

http://katu.com/amnw/am-northwest-lifestyle-health/pastel-pumpkin-art-for-halloween

Make sure you comment below to be entered to win on e of the pieces featured on this segment of AM Northwest!

Materials List:

• black paper

• regular chalk pastels

• paper towels

• optional low odor finishing spray/sealer

How to create the “Pastel Pumpkins”:

1. Buy some pumpkins or go online to find some interesting pumpkins for inspiration. Place your pumpkins on a table to make an interesting still life.

2. Using your light yellow or brown pastel, loosely draw out your scene, starting from the closest pumpkin and working your way back. A good still life includes odd number 1,3, or 5 pieces. To be creative, lay some pumpkins on their side and angled towards you.

3. Drawing a basic pumpkin is easy. To get the shape, make an elongated circle in the middle of your page, add curved lines out to the side, starting from the same point at the top and ending at the same point at the bottom. Keep adding more and more curved lines outward until you have the size of pumpkin you like. Then add the stem and leaf using angled and curved lines at the top of your pumpkin.

4. Add a lot of different colors to your pumpkins. For fairytale pumpkins you might want to flatten the shape out a little bit and add different colors like blue, green, purple and even white. To create depth, start at the base with a darker color and then layer other colors over this blending the two colors together as you work. You can then add the highlights towards the top and side wherever your light source would be.

5. Add some dimension with purple or black, but be very careful not to blend this color into the rest of your colors or you’ll get a mess. Black should be used at the very end and just to add some crispness and clarity to your piece.

6. Take your piece to the garbage or over the sink and tap off all of the excess pastel. Lightly blow on the piece and then sign your name.

7. In a well ventilated area, spray the entire piece with the low odor sealer. This will insure the piece won’t be smudged until you can get it into a frame or mat. However, I always find that spraying them causes the colors to dull. Putting the piece in a frame or even laminating is a better option.

Change it up:

Create another still life with gourds or zuchinni. Make some fun, funky shapes and try your hand at blending a variety of colors. This is a relaxing project....so put some hot cider on the stove, play some soft music, and blend away!