With Halloween just around the corner, local carving expert Bruce Waugh wants to see 91原创鈥檚 best pumpkin designs. From the creepy to the creative, Waugh will be judging pictures sent in of people鈥檚 carvings, which can be submitted to the 91原创 Advance Times.
Waugh, a 58-year-old 91原创 City resident, certainly knows a think or two about making art out of the big orange gourds 鈥� something he undertakes every fall.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a hobby blown out of proportion,鈥� Waugh said about his designs. 鈥淚t started out small and cutesy, and now it consumes me.鈥�
Starting in 1988, Waugh competed in sand-sculpting competitions in White Rock and Harrison Hot Springs, a lark that lead him to the world of pumpkin carving. Under some mentorship and after a lot of practise, the size of the pumpkins Waugh tackled began to increase.
鈥淚t came very naturally to me,鈥� Waugh recounted, rounding out his repertoire with snow sculpting at Grouse Mountain. 鈥淚鈥檓 very lucky, I can鈥檛 quite make a living at it yet, but now I get to travel around doing it.鈥�
From freaky and famous faces, to animals (such as owls and squirrels) and creatures from his own imagination, Waugh鈥檚 work has appeared throughout the Lower Mainland and beyond, including Metrotown Mall in Burnaby and VanDusen Botanical Garden鈥檚 annual Halloween attraction.
Waugh says there are a few tricks to the trade that he鈥檚 picked up over the years to be able to create such unique shapes.
鈥淵ou want to start with a pumpkin that has thick flesh. Atlantic Giants grown in Nova Scotia are bred bigger,鈥� he said.鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I typically use because you get three- to four-inch thick skin for deep relief.鈥�
Once the pumpkin鈥檚 picked, inspiration is what鈥檚 needed to make the right monster.
鈥淚 do a lot of looking around and get inspiration from Halloween masks 鈥� scary eyes and teeth,鈥� Waugh said, suggesting carvers roughly sketch out their idea with black marker. 鈥淚鈥檝e been doing it so long, I can sculpt right off the bat without marking, but that comes with time.鈥�
For clearing away the innards, the inside scoop to carving the perfect pumpkin is that the top might not be the best place to start.
鈥淟ot鈥檚 of people don鈥檛 open the top, they cut the backside of the pumpkin for easier access and to get a light in properly so there鈥檚 no cord hanging out if you鈥檙e using an LED light,鈥� Waugh added.
An arsenal of tools is imperative, Waugh noted, suggesting every carver have a grater, a paring knife, multiple-sized ribbon tools, and even melon ballers to slice away and clear out the inside guts.
A V-groove tool is also a slick and more controlled way at shaving off pumpkin pieces, one bit at a time 鈥� all of which Waugh said are sold, and often packaged together, in most hardware stores.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no real magic to it 鈥� carve away,鈥� he added. 鈥淲hen it comes Jack-o鈥�-lanterns and people are just cutting holes, really, and the biggest error might be cutting a little further or accidentally making one eye bigger 鈥� but the 鈥榤istakes鈥� are what makes the pumpkin more original or creepy.鈥�
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Waugh is now waiting for people鈥檚 pumpkin carving submissions.
The winner, a 91原创 Advance Times reader, will win free admission for four to and pick of a pumpkin from their vast patch.
Pictures of people鈥檚 pumpkins, plus a contact name, email, and phone number can be sent to entertainment@langleyadvancetimes.com or as a message on the 91原创 Advance Times .
Deadline for submissions is midnight on Monday, Oct. 21.
Winners must be from 91原创 and be okay with being photographed for a follow-up story. No Black Press Media staff or their family are eligible.
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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com
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