Googly Gus the No-Carve Zombie

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Wipe down and plan the face

   Wash the pumpkin and dry it well so paint and glue will stick. Turn it to find the smoothest side for the face, keeping the stem as the crooked top of the head. Lightly pencil in where the two eyes, mouth, and gauze strip will go. Setting the eyes at two different heights is what sells the loopy zombie look, so mark those spots first.

2. 2

   Paint the rotting green skin

   Use acrylic craft paint in a couple of greens and dab it on in uneven patches, letting the orange show through in places. Blend the edges with a dry brush or a paper towel so it looks blotchy and sickly rather than solid. Add a few smudges of yellow-green near the cheeks for a bruised feel. Let this base layer dry fully before adding details.

3. 3

   Glue on the googly eyes

   An adult should apply a strong craft glue or hot glue to the back of each googly eye, then press them onto your marked spots and hold for a moment. Keep one eye higher than the other for that dazed expression. If you use hot glue, let a grown-up handle the gun and give the eyes a minute to set before moving on.

4. 4

   Add the mouth, teeth, and stitches

   Paint a long wavy black mouth with a small brush, then dab in a few square off-white teeth spaced along it. Once dry, use a black paint marker or fine brush to add crossed stitch marks over one brow and a couple of frown lines. Keep the teeth blocky and simple so the face reads as goofy, not scary. Small hands can help place the teeth here.

5. 5

   Bandage and add the blood

   Wrap a strip of loose gauze or cheesecloth over the top near the stem and tuck or glue the ends so it stays put. Dab a little red craft paint on the gauze and near the mouth for splashes of fake blood. Go light so it looks like accents rather than a mess. Let everything dry.

6. 6

   Style and photograph

   Set the finished zombie on a porch step or table in soft daylight and snap a photo from eye level so the googly eyes catch the light. Because this is a no-carve craft, keep it out of direct rain to protect the paint and gauze. Displayed indoors or on a covered porch it should last for weeks. Share your version with the community when you are done.

Written with AI to match this design