Sep 26, 20224 min read

Pumpkins? Pumpkins!

Exploring a seasonal tradition with a classic art technique: Printmaking

It's that time of year when we start watching the leaves change and pick out that perfect pumpkin to carve. This lesson explores printmaking techniques that can be used to create dynamic and impressive pumpkin carvings.

The history of jack-o'-lanterns (carving pumpkins) goes back centuries to Ireland and Scotland where people would carve turnips or potatoes and place them in windows or doors. They did this to scare away evil spirits and Stingy Jack, a myth that inspired the namesake and creation of jack-o'-lanterns. This tradition continued in America with pumpkins. Pumpkins were native to America and made great jack-o'-lanterns.

Pumpkin carving has become more than a holiday tradition for some artists. Maniac Pumpkin Carvers have had their pumpkins featured at the Museum of Modern Art MOMA. The Van Gogh's Starry Night pumpkin is one example of how they take famous artworks and transpose them onto a pumpkin. They use similar techniques to those of printmaking when carving their pumpkins.

Printmaking: Relief Printing

Printmaking is an art technique that produces multiple prints of an artwork by transferring images from a surface onto paper or fabric. There are multiple types of printmaking such as screen printing, relief printing, lithography and intaglio (engraving and etching).

Relief printing includes linocuts and woodcuts, which are essentially the same thing, except they use different materials. Linocuts use linoleum blocks and woodcuts use wood blocks. Carving tools or linocut tools are used to carve out sections of the block to create a design. Once the design is completely carved, a roller is used to roll ink onto the block. Only the parts that were not cut away will be inked. The sunken, carved sections do not make contact with the ink roller so no ink is applied. After the block is inked paper is placed on top. The design is transferred by printing press or by hand with firm pressure.

Watch this quick video on linocut printmaking from Becca McLean, which gives a basic overview of the linocut process.

This video is longer but it offers a more in-depth look at linocut printmaking.

Let's talk Pumpkin Carving

Printmaking is relevant to pumpkin carving for two reasons. The first is that using linocut tools helps to achieve more detail in your pumpkin. The second is that relief printing requires the same mindset of carving from dark to light. This is the opposite of most other mediums where you start off with a white paper and work from light to dark. For example, when using pen on paper every mark you make will be black and you build your drawing by adding lines. In relief printing, everything you mark or cut away will be white. The deeper the cut the more light that shines through and the lighter it will look!

tip: Practice this by drawing on black paper with a white pencil or pen.

Studio Practice

Before we get into carving a pumpkin we need to talk about safety. Linocut tools are very sharp. They can slip when you are using them, especially when using them on a pumpkin. Never put your hands in front of the linocut tools when cutting. The tip of the linocut tool should never be facing your hand or any other body part.

So let's get into the nitty gritty of how to carve a pumpkin using the techniques from printmaking. First you should prepare your pumpkin for carving. Cut the top off and remove the insides. Next you should draw your subject on your pumpkin using a sharpie or similar drawing tool. Using linocut tools, which can be found at most art stores, start cutting away the skin of the pumpkin. Leave the skin on every part of the pumpkin that you want to remain black. To build value, carve deeper for lighter areas. If the walls of the pumpkin are too thick, then scrape down the inside of the pumpkin to lighten up your lines. Be careful not to scrape down too much, or light will shine through the skin of your pumpkin. It is helpful to put a light source inside your pumpkin every so often so that you can see if you need to scrape down the inside wall or if you need to carve deeper. For the brightest parts of the pumpkin you can carve completely through to the inside.

Vocabulary

Printmaking is a form of art that produces multiple prints of an artwork by transferring images from a matrix onto a surface such as paper or fabric.

Relief Printmaking is a form of printmaking that involves cutting away material from a flat block, such as a wood block or linoleum block, and ink is applied to the non-recessed areas

Screen Printing uses a mesh screen to transfer ink onto a surface.

Lithography a design is drawn onto a flat stone (or prepared metal plate, usually zinc or aluminum) and affixed by means of a chemical reaction.

Intaglio is a technique in which the image is cut into a surface and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink for the print.

Linocut Tools are tools used to make relief prints, they carve out material from a linoleum or wood block.