by Kathryn Costa, author of The Mandala Guidebook: How to Draw, Paint, and Color Expressive Mandala Art
Growing up, Halloween was one of my very favorite holidays. In our house, we always made our own costumes and decorations. We carved pumpkins, shrunk and decorated apples to look like wrinkly old witches, and fashioned ghosts out of draped tissues tied over cotton balls. When I saw some amazing mandala patterns that were used as pumpkin designs on Pinterest, I knew this year was going to be a hand-decorated Halloween. I just couldn’t resist.
With their round shape and clear center marked by a stem, pumpkins are the perfect subject for drawing a mandala. One way to draw mandala art as a pumpkin design is to work from the top with the stem as the center. Using a black Sharpie, I began with a simple flower-like design. I worked my way outward, alternating shapes and adding more and more detail until finally I added some glitz with a gold Sharpie marker.
Another pumpkin design approach is to draw vertical lines following the ridges of the pumpkin. Within the spaces fill with repeating patterns. Don’t be shy with coloring in details with black. The contrast makes for a striking design.
White details on a black pumpkin offer a dramatic alternative to the classic orange pumpkin. Foam pumpkins come in a variety of colors to suit your palette. Here I drew a paisley design inspired by the art of Mehndi (also known as henna).
Here again I worked in Mehndi-inspired details using a black Sharpie on a white pumpkin. And who doesn’t love a little bling? Sticky gems add a fun finishing touch.
Want to see more eye candy? Swing by my blog where I rounded up 80 different decorated pumpkins and gourds to inspire your DIY Halloween decorating.
Kathryn Costa is the author of The Mandala Guidebook: How to Draw, Paint, and Color Expressive Mandala Art. Kathryn’s book is filled with how-to instructions for creating mandalas and includes a chapter on Mehndi design.