Masquerade

Look who's ready for the masquerade ball! I love fairies, don't you? The Fair Folk are a fun subject to paint.

I adore this design! The fairy is winsome, her hair is wild, and her mask is lovely. What's not to like? Again, I was hoping to keep this one and enjoy it all autumn, but alas, this pumpkin was bought toot sweet (that's pumpkin-painter talk for "pretty darn quick") and went home with a farmers market shopper. I'm sure they'll be very happy together. Maybe I'll paint myself another one...

I decided to decorate the fairy's mask with red and orange fall leaves and white birch twigs. I thought the colors stood out nicely in front of her dark hair. I used metallic gold paint for her wings and mask which took quite a few coats to get good coverage and shine, but I think it was worth the extra painting and drying-between-coats time.

Today is the day after Halloween and I am planning on buying a few more pumpkins today so I can do some more fall theme designs for my portfolio. I can't imagine that I'll sell any, but I'll be happy to gift my family and friends with autumn/thanksgiving painted pumpkins for their yards or dinner tables.

Also stay tuned for a step-by-step tutorial on where I get my inspiration, how I paint my designs, what products I use, etc...

Yes, another witch

Trick-or-Treat! Just put the candy in the cauldron! This little cutie witch in purple with flowers on her hat was a big hit and was bought the morning after I painted her.

I like her black cat with the green wings a lot. Thank goodness cats don't really have wings! They get into enough mischief as it is. Can you imagine what destruction would ensue if they could fly?

The Autumn Fairy

I was looking for inspiration for paintings when I came across simplifies version of this fairy on a cross stitch pattern website. I loved her poofy dress, her soulful look , and the spotty mushroom and I knew I must bring her to life myself.

Since the cross stitch pattern was all black and white, I got to choose the colors for everything. I knew I wanted to do her wings like fall leaves, all in fiery colors, so I made her dress gold to coordinate with that palette. I did change the shape of her wings to look more leafy too. The pattern wings were more like your typical butterfly wing.

I love the way she turned out and I secretly hoped that she would not get bought so I could keep her all Fall! I actually ended up giving her to my best friend as a Halloween gift so I can go visit this pumpkin fairy all season long at my friend's house.

Hello Kitty - the dark side

How adorable is Hello Kitty as a little devil? I bought some Hello Kitty stickers that had her dressed in different Halloween costumes and I thought this picture was perfect for a small pumpkin. Hello Kitty pumpkin found a happy home with a little girl and her Mom who are both Hello Kitty collectors. Nice.