Jon Neill, an artist and prop maker, spends his spooky season transforming pumpkins into works of art. His outstanding carving skills are used to turn pumpkins into characters like Yoda, clowns, monkeys, and skeletons. It takes him between 10-20 hours, depending on the size of the pumpkin, to complete each detail-oriented creation. Neill uses pottery tools, as well as some of his own handmade tools, to get his intended design. Neill once tackled an 800-pound pumpkin, which took him about 21 hours to carve, but prefers to work on smaller pumpkins. A tip from the expert himself is to keep the pumpkin moist while you’re carving it by spraying it with water or wiping it down with a wet paper towel.
Image via Daily Sundial / Ariane Azar
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