Murray the Smoldering Mummy

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Prep the pumpkin and cut the lid

   Pick a tall, evenly shaped pumpkin with a smooth front panel for the face. Cut a lid from the bottom or back rather than the top so the stem stays intact for the sunset photo. Scrape the inside wall of the face area down to about one inch thick with a loop tool. A thinner wall makes the shaded bandage layers glow evenly.

2. 2

   Transfer the mummy pattern

   Tape your stencil flat against the front and poke through the outline of the wrap bands and the two eyes. Mark which strips overlap which, since that overlap is what sells the tattered look. Keep the eye openings small and slightly sunken toward the center. Do not cut anything yet, just get a clean dotted map.

3. 3

   Peel the bandage layers at different depths

   Using a shading or ribbon tool, skin-peel each bandage strip so it glows dim orange, leaving the deepest gaps between strips a touch thinner for more light. Vary the depth strip by strip so no two bands match, which is what makes the surface flicker. Leave narrow ridges of untouched skin between some wraps to read as shadow seams. Work slowly and keep every strip connected to its neighbors so nothing falls loose.

4. 4

   Sculpt the sunken eye sockets

   Carve a shallow bowl around each eye so the sockets look recessed under the wrappings. Shade the eyelids and brow ridge thin for a soft glow before you commit to any full cut. This shadowed frame is what makes the eyes look smoldering rather than cartoonish. Take your time, since the eyes are the focal point of the whole face.

5. 5

   Cut the eyes through last

   Only after all the shading is done, cut the two eye openings fully through the wall for the brightest light. Keep them narrow slits or almonds so the glow stays intense and focused. Clean the edges from the inside so no stray pulp blocks the light. Because these are the only true cutouts, the rest of the face keeps its structure.

6. 6

   Light it and shoot at dusk

   Drop in a warm LED light or two, never a candle, and aim for a flickering amber tone. Set the pumpkin so the light pools in the eyes and seeps through the bandage seams. Photograph it at dusk while the sky still holds some color behind it, as the caption suggests. Mist the surface lightly if it starts to dry and curl.

Written with AI to match this design