So you like carving pumpkins, eh? Well, you have come to the right place. But I can tell that you want to know a little more about me and my site, so read on...
I have always loved Halloween and the look of a carved, lit jack-o'-lantern. Even plain ones with triangle eyes and a jagged mouth. There is just something cool about the orange flickering glow. Way back in '95 my girlfriend (now wife) purchased a store bought carving kit. She had done these before, but this was my first experience with them. I tried it and the results were pretty good. I never expected being able to carve something that detailed. My sister also started up using patterns, and she too met with carving success. It didn't take long to realize that with my artistic side, and these tiny saws, I'd be able to draw out and carve patterns myself. That's exactly what I did. In the years following, I drew out several patterns and we all carved them, along with the store bought ones. Sadly all of those patterns were simply drawn with pencil & paper and no longer survive. Later when I started working with computer art programs, I started drawing them that way, and saving my designs. Back in 2005, the carving bug hit early and hard, and I started drawing out WAY more patterns then we could ever carve alone, and I wanted to see them carved. After posting my designs on a website, the overwhelming feedback was Dude, you need a website of your own. Jammin' Pumpkins was born.
Yes and no. I was an Illustration major at Cal State Fullerton, part of that education was graphic design. I learned the basics of Adobe Illustrator there. This is the program I use to draw the patterns now.
Most patterns start with a brilliant idea, then it's off to Google to search out some reference photos. Sometimes the reference photo from the net is used as a backdrop to draw directly on top of. Other times it is used as a reference to hand-draw a rough pattern. After that, the final drawing is done in Illustrator, lines get cleaned up and I create a mock-up design.
Again, I use Illustrator and finish in Photoshop. Maybe I'll post a tutorial sometime. If I do, it won't be an Illustrator 101 type of deal, it would require existing Illustrator skills.
No. I have designed way more than I'll ever be able to carve myself. Because of this fact, occasionally some parts of some patterns may be difficult or fragile. If you attempt to carve one of my designs and it simply isn't working, please let me know about it and I'll either change the pattern or give you some advice on how to carve your specific pattern.
Send me an e-mail with the idea. I try to keep things Halloweenish so keep that in mind when suggesting a subject matter. I know that not 100% of the patterns available are Halloween related, but most are. If you REALLY want a pattern and it doesn't look like I'll do it for the site, contact me about creating a custom drawn pattern.
I have not been contacted. If anyone believes any of my patterns infringes on a copyright owned by you, contact me and I'll see what needs to be done to fix the situation.
Yes I do! I do graphic design, logos, illustration (both digital and traditional) and my specialty, hand-drawn custom chalkboards and menus. Check it out here! www.jpdsigns.com