Carved pumpkin faces can be silly or dramatic.
Carved pumpkins are just as fun to draw as they are to carve. The bulbous contours of the pumpkin combined with the endless variety of expressions to bestow upon it make for an exciting drawing experience. You can learn to draw carved pumpkins by following this step-by-step method.
Instructions
1. Sketch a large outline of the pumpkin. The outline of the pumpkin should be wider than it is tall, so the top and bottom have flat surfaces. Use only a pencil for Steps 1 through 4.
2. Outline the stem centered on top. Make its shape slightly arced toward one side. The stem thins as it get further from the pumpkin.
3. Draw the face on the pumpkin. Start by drawing the eyes. They can be simple and round or complex with articulate contours. Each eye can be different. For example, one can be closed or larger than the other. Next draw the mouth. It can be a wide smile with two simple curved lines. You can also add teeth that are square like incisors or pointed and fierce like those of a shark. Draw the nose. It can be a simple triangle or it can be complex with holes for each nostril. You can make it straight, curved or sideways. Be playful and draw lightly so you can erase and experiment with all of these shapes.
4. Draw the contours of the pumpkin. Pumpkins have repeating indentions around the outside. Draw these curves around the pumpkin's surface, leaving gaps where the shapes of its face are carved out. Each curve arcs from the top center of the pumpkin outward and down, and then back toward the center of the bottom.
5. Draw shadows and color. If your pumpkin is illuminated from the inside like a jack o'lantern, the whole outside may be in darkness. Use the black charcoal crayon to shade large areas of black. If there is light outside the pumpkin, draw some subtle shades of black in each rim around the surface. If the pumpkin is not illuminated from the inside, shade in the carved shapes in black. Use the orange pastel or colored pencil to color the remaining outer surface of the pumpkin. Use your finger to smudge gray lines on the stem to indicate its texture.
