SteamPunkin

Welcome friends to my little steampunk corner of the blogosphere! I am so happy you stopped by, and have another fun project to inspire you to join us in our steampunk challenge, where you can make anything to share in a mixed media steampunk or industrial style! 

I just could not resist making something steampunk for Halloween, so I will share the story of my little SteamPunkin who went from this...(which I picked up on sale at a local craft store)

to this, in a burst of creative magic....

Now for the story...

Once Upon a Time in a land far far away, there was a beautiful field of little pumpkins growing side by side, sharing the rain and nutrients from the soil, and all were happy. Now, it just so happens, one little pumpkin unbeknownst to him, happened to be growing over an old junk heap buried in the ground long ago. Wonder of wonders, as he was growing, he was changing! Instead of being just an orange pumpkin, he was beginning to shine and glitter with a metallic sheen. And, instead of growing leaves and vines, he began to notice odd pieces like lightbulbs and gears, nuts and bolts, springs, keys, mirrors and other oddments. Well, little SteamPunkin was just as surprised as all of his fellow pumpkins in the field at his transformation. I guess there must have been a little magic sprinkled into that junk heap.

Now for the details...

So, how did I transform a simple little pumpkin into a SteamPunkin, you ask? Let me share that with you!

I started off by painting the stem with DecoArt's fluid acrylics in Green Gold  and the pumpkin with Pyrrole Red.

Once that dried, I added a layer of matte medium.

Next I mixed together the crackle paint with Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, and painted a thick layer on the pumpkin. 

The hardest steps for me were the drying times in-between layers.  I rigged up a way to hang the pumpkin from my work lamp so all parts could dry equally. 

Here's a closeup of the crackle once it dried.

Next, I went in with Metallics in Bright Brass and Festive Green, and also my fave Quinacridone Gold.

To darken it up, I sprayed on some Carbon Black.

Still in the mood for more metallics, I went in and rubbed on some wax finish in Copper Kettle and Black Shimmer.

closeup of the texture...hmm, kind of bark like

ok, now for a little spin around my SteamPunkin so you can see all the details...

Happy SteamPunk Halloween!!

I hope you've enjoyed my little SteamPunkin story, and the creative behind the scenes steps. Join us in the fun this month, and I can't wait to see your Steampunk creation for our challenge!! 

Thanks so much to our sponsors who keep the gears turning here at SASPC!