Kendra Jack o’ Lantern

It’s an annual tradition in my household that my goddaughter and I carve pumpkins. I always feel like the pressure is on; because I’m an illustrator the expectation is that I should be able to carve a really beautiful pumpkin. But hey! It’s MUCH harder to carve out a drawing on a bumpy, ridge-lined pumpkin then on a smooth piece of paper.

Well, over the years (and under the watchful eye of my goddaughter), I’ve discovered that the key to carving a good pumpkin is the same as it is for illustrating a beautiful picture: Patience.

So, this year, as Charlotte worked away on her cat pumpkin, I spent a good hour diligently carving out a silhouette of Kendra Kandlestar. Here are some photos of the final result:

So, what do you think? Did my patience pay off? I highly recommend that you carve YOUR favourite literary character into a pumpkin. You just might want to pick one with a few less braids!