Pumpkins grow in different shapes, so I started the sculpting project by rolling out two different shapes of orange clay, establishing a taller pumpkin and a shorter pumpkin.
Pumpkins are some of my favorite miniatures to sculpt. The steps to make these delightful orange squashes are pretty simple and outlined here.
Taking orange polymer clay straight from the package, I rolled two pieces into round shapes, one that was taller and one that was shorter. Using an X-Acto knife and a toothpick, vertical creases were carved into the balls of clay. I worked the knife and toothpick from top to bottom, repeating this motion all over each pumpkin. Some creases were made deep while others were mere indentations.
Using beige clay that I mixed using different amounts of white, orange, and brown clays, I pressed a dot into the bottom of the pumpkin (not shown in the pictures) and added the stem on the top. I used the same crease-making technique with a toothpick to create the rough texture on the stems.
The same technique was used to carve the creases in both the pumpkins themselves and their stems with a toothpick and an X-Acto knife. Variation in the depths of and spaces between the creases resulted in a more realistic look.
Once sculpted, I baked the pumpkins according to the instructions on the clay’s packaging. After they were baked and the clay was set, I added a glaze of watered-down yellow-orange acrylic paint on top of the orange clay. I also mixed a brown-green color and added that to the stems with a light hand, making sure to keep the application uneven. I find that going the extra mile with paint leads to a more realistic end result. It provides additional dimension as well as a natural sheen.
A glaze of watered-down acrylic paint can go a long way to increase realism. Shown next to a pencil, the miniature pumpkins’ true size is illustrated.
When the paint was dry, I sealed the pumpkins with a matte fixative to keep the paint in place. Despite being advertised as matte, I have found that just enough of a sheen remains after the fixative’s application.
And the pumpkins were done.
Miniature pumpkins sit casually on a leaf in the wild.
Supplies used included Scupley III polymer clay, a toothpick, an X-Acto Knife, Liquitex Basics acrylic paint, and Krylon Matte Finish for the fixative.