How to Draw a Halloween Pumpkin.

This is a short video I made in Keynote with slides from Pages (to make screenshots: Command+Shift+4) showing how to draw a Halloween pumpkin in a few easy steps.

How to draw a Halloween pumpkin.

I made this pumpkin in Pages. Try it, it's fun. 

All work shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes.

I've used the following techniques here: 

1. Combined separately drawn pumpkin segments. The starting shape was an Oval. Then I stretched it and made it editable - Format > Shape > Make editable. To move segments into place I used Arrange > Move Backward/Bring Forward.

Don't draw each segment from scratch, just duplicate - Command+D.

2. Here I used the simple Gradient Fill colour option that mixes two colours inside a shape. Colour fill options are in the Graphic Inspector. The two colours I used here are Cantaloupe and Tangerine from the Crayons box in Colours Inspector (viewer). You can also use Advanced Gradient fill where more than two colours can be mixed.

3. For the stalk of the pumpkin here, I used three edited shapes with Gradient Colour fill. The two colours are Cayenne and Mocha from the Crayons box.

The starting shape, again, was the oval made editable: Format > Shape > Make Editable. Then I dragged red dots and propellers to give it a 'twisted' shape.

For the base of the stalk, I simply squashed an oval with Moss colour fill.

Here is a video showing the process. I made it from Keynote slides.

Use Wikipedia for Clipart

jack-o'-lantern from wikipedia

Wikipedia, for all its limitations, is a good source of free images that can be used for clipart. Check for general articles on the subject that interests you and you will most likely find a suitable image.

I am posting this separately, because many people start with general searches and get drawn into offers of paid images when this may be completely unnecessary for their projects. I would suggest looking at wikipedia first. For instance, 'Halloween clipart' google search will give you 2,5 mln results, but if you look at wikipedia articles on pumpkins and jack-o'-lantern you may find that the images accompanying them are suitable for your project.

Read the general overview on where to find clipart for Macs and see other posts on clipart at the 'Clipart and Photos' tab above. 


And see an example of how to use images from Wikipedia as clipart (magnifying glass) here.

Halloween clipart

I know it's already late for Halloween, but Jack O'Lanterns are still in every window, and I know that many Pages users will still be pining for clipart long after Halloween.

So here is a free resource of free photos and clipart including this pumpkin:

Stock.XCHNG

It's a Hungarian site boasting over 2 million images. The licence for free use includes the use in ads and other promotional material.

The url for the pumpkin image is here. But search for Halloween and you'll get over 30 pages of lovely images, including the one below.










Please check out this earlier article on where to find clipart on your Mac - there are tons of preinstalled images. Not the pumpkin, though...