GREENFIELD — Gone are the days of carving a traditional triangle-eyed, gap-toothed jack-o’ lantern. Today’s Halloween pumpkins — whether painted, bedazzled or elaborately carved — are works of art. Just ask Jonathan Bullman.
Twelve years ago, the 34-year-old Bullman picked up a linoleum knife and outdid himself in the annual Halloween pumpkin carving ritual by carving a cartoon character into the family pumpkin. It was such a huge hit that friends and acquaintances began requesting Bullman’s talents for custom-carved pumpkins of their own.
Bullman was happy to oblige, but he soon saw a way to turn his seasonal avocation into some extra spending money at Christmas. Bullman reached out to businesses offering his services for pumpkins with promotional messages.
Breweries have been among his biggest customers. In fact, Bullman’s favorite pumpkin was the one he carved — live and in person — for Scarlet Lane Brewery’s Season of the Witch party last October.
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“It was an actual recreation of their poster,” Bullman said.
Transferring a flat drawing design on to the surface of a 3-D pumpkin is challenging, Bullman said.
“I use a dot transfer,” he explained. “I press in little indentations and then go back and freehand it.”
Bullman works on three or four pumpkins at a time, charging from $100 to $300 per pumpkin depending on the difficulty of the design. An average pumpkin-carving project can take anywhere between four to ten hours. He usually completes about 20 during the fall season.
Custom-carved pumpkins have also proven to be popular with politicians running for office. Bullman has carved politically-themed pumpkins for State Senator Mike Crider, Hancock County Commissioner Brad Armstrong, Auditor Debra Carnes, and Vice President Mike Pence when he was Indiana governor.
“I usually take their campaign signs and carve those onto a pumpkin,” Bullman said.
Bullman uses a variety of v-shaped linoleum cutters to create his designs.
“They’re the best things for surface cuts into pumpkins,” Bullman said. “They just glide right through and you can carve really intricate designs.”
Bullman reveals his tips on how to keep your pumpkin fresh as long as possible: spray bleach water on it every couple of days to keep the mildew away from it.
The less carving you do, the longer they’ll last,” Bullman advises. “A completely gutted and carved pumpkin might last two weeks. If it’s just a surface carving, it might last 30 days.”
Bullman occasionally takes his show on the road for live pumpkin carvings. He did one downtown last year for Sun King Brewing. This year, due to COVID-19, he has just one on the calendar.
Dead Headers — not a bar, but a greenhouse — is hosting a Pumpkin Lighting from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 10 at the greenhouse at 1634 W. U.S. Highway 40 in Spiceland. With a goal to display 500 lighted pumpkins, the greenhouse is asking for individuals, businesses and families to drop off carved pumpkins by 6:30 p.m. The lighted pumpkin show starts at 7:30 p.m. The pumpkins will be on display again from 7:30 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 11 for drive-through visitors. All events are free.
Bullman will be carving live and offering tips to those who come by to watch.
Although Bullman has turned his craft into a small business, he still carves the family pumpkin each year.
“I love it,” he admits. “My daughter likes to sit and watch. It drives my wife crazy, but she usually comes out and helps me with them. It’s my favorite season of the year.”
