The Kid Should See This

Ray Villafane turns pumpkins into artfully carved Jack-o’-lanterns

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Ray Villafane‘s day job is as a action-figure character sculptor, but every Halloween brings out a completely new side of his sculpting work. This video from The Wall Street Journal show’s Ray’s seasonal profession as a happily obsessive pumpkin carver.Β His 3D pumpkins have been featured on The Food Network and have decorated the White House. From WSJ.com:Β 

It can take him 12 hours to carve a pumpkin. Over time, he said, “the actual process is easier, but the ideas are harder.” When he gets blocked, he often starts making bold cuts, digging into the pumpkin aggressively in hopes of seeing something he couldn’t find before. It’s a risk: If he breaks through to the middle, the pumpkin is ruined. Another habit when he’s stymied: lying on a lounge chair by his backyard pool and looking up at the stars.

Inspiration!

In the archives, more Halloween: Silly Symphony: The Skeleton Dance (1929) and Norman McLaren’s Spook Sport (1939).

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