Jimmy Good Toad's Hobbies page

2009 Fall Session - Pumpkin Class - Peabody, MA

Randy invited me back this year for another pumpkin carving adventure with his kids in Peabody, MA. The plan for this year is that I would attend the first day (of 2) and introduce the kids to the technique and then Randy would take the 2nd day. As luck would have it, I missed the 1st day and Randy was left to introduce the kids to the technique. I was able to show up for day 2 and help the kids with carving techniques as well as getting them lit up. As you can see below, they all did a wonderful job!

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Like a scene from New England in Autumn. Wait-a-minute... It IS a scene from new England in Autumn. Now you know why there are so many post cards like this...

Two beautiful maple trees near the entrance of the pumpkin patch

Randy worked with the kids the day before to get their pumpkins drawn up and ready for carving. I arrived in time to help them understand the carving technique and to lend a hand where needed. The kids got right to work.

Everyone stayed focused on their pumpkins and got a lot of work done in very little time.

Only asking for pointers occasionally, these kids really listened and knew what to do.

Learning the finer points of using a wood chisel on a pumpkin. Something I am sure he never would have considered doing before this class!

Some pumpkins were simple, some intricate, all beautiful in their own way.

This girl is carving a young girl onto her pumpkin!

Cats on pumpkins! Bound to look good.

Using chisels and razor knives, these kids are really getting into the whole concept of this technique.

The cat is coming along nicely.

Having finished his Coke bottle early, he decides to add some ghosts to the other side of his pumpkin

Here he is doing some additional thinning of the pumpkin from the inside, to make the image brighter.

It looked so cool in the darkened green house that I just had to take a flash-free image. Bathed in an orange glow, this is a very surreal image.

This pumpkin impressed me because it surprised me. While it was being carved it looked like a little collection of smaller pumpkins being carved onto the larger pumpkin. Upon lighting, however, it reveals itself as a pumpkin face made up of small pumpkins. Look closely and you can clearly make out the two pumpkin eyes, pumpkin nose and the rows of pumpkin teeth making up the pumpkin mouth. I just love it!

A very well done mouse with a wonderful smile!

And who doesn't love a kitty cat!?

The Coke bottle was very cleaver.

The other side of the Coke pumpkin sports a ghost. A nice addition to any pumpkin

The young girl in the hat came out better than expected and this picture does not do it justice. It took her a bit of work but she truly got the hang of the technique as she was finishing up.

Pumpkins on pumpkins. It's just so... ...pumpkin-y...

Here are all (but one) of the pumpkins for the night, unlit and under flash

Lit they are just beautiful!

One young lady worked well into the night, wanting to do her very best. This is one of two pumpkin heads going on this pumpkin. She was able to finish one and we got her pumpkin lit at the end of the evening with a promise to finish her pumpkin at home. Great job!

These kids did an incredible job with only a short introduction into the technique.
They should all be proud of their results!

This concludes the 2009 Peabody Pumpkin Carving event.
Special thanks to the folks at Brooksby Farm for their generosity.
Also, thank you to Randy Weld for inviting me to meet all of these future artists!
Thank you also to all the hard work these kids put into their pumpkins!

See you next year!