Bewitching Pumpkin Wizard

Grab your wand and watch this scary pumpkin wizard cast spells on your lawn or patio.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam:
  • Ball, 8"
  • Block, 12" x 12" x 1/2"
  • Cone, 9" x 4"
• Acrylic paints: burnt orange; deep lilac; antique gold; off white; black
• Artist's mediums: gesso; brown antiquing gel
• Instant papier-mâché
• Natural raffia 
• Serrated knife
• Candle stub or paraffin
• Wooden toothpicks
• 1-1/2" wash; liner; stencil Paintbrushes
• Disposable palette
• Water basin
• Mixing bowl
• Liquid measuring cup
• Low-temp glue gun and glue sticks
• Thick, white craft glue
• Sandpaper
• 1-1/2" Star stencil
• Paper towels
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler

Steps:

1. Wax serrated knife with candle stub or paraffin. Carefully cut a 1/4"-thick slice from top and bottom of foam ball. Using pattern, cut hat brim from ½" foam sheet; use fingers to pinch and mold brim edge smooth.
    
2. Glue foam cone to center of hat brim. Apply glue to toothpicks and insert into cone through bottom of hat brim for added strength; let dry. Glue hat to head; let dry.
    
3. Follow manufacturer's instructions to mix papier-mâché. Completely cover pumpkin/hat with mixture, leaving some areas rougher than others for realistic texture.
    
4. Refer to photo and use pencil to draw face. Indent surface with pencil, pushing in facial features to look carved. Let dry completely, up to four days. Gently sand
   pumpkin, leaving some areas rough.
    
5. Using wash brush, apply one coat gesso to hat and pumpkin; let dry. Paint pumpkin burnt orange and hat antique gold; let dry. Stencil black stars onto hat; let dry.
    
6. Using liner brush, paint eyes, nose, and mouth deep lilac; let dry. Paint same features black, allowing some purple to show around edges; let dry. Paint two small, curved black accent lines to outside of each eye near top. Use paintbrush handle to add antique gold dot to each eye. Use toothpick to add off-white highlight dot to gold dot.
    
7. Follow manufacturer's instructions to apply antiquing gel to entire pumpkin and hat; wipe away excess with paper towels. Note: The more gel applied and the longer the application time, the darker the antique effect will be.
    
8. Tie several lengths of raffia into bow around hat.

®™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow