You can’t have Halloween without pumpkins, it’d be like having Easter without chocolate or Christmas without a fight. There’s just something satisfying about carving gruesome faces into orange flesh, just like Sumo Cyco showed us last year. Don’t believe us? Just ask Sam Serridge.
Sam is a concept artist by day, but by night he’s a master pumpkin carver, and turned his trusty knife toward the latest issue of Metal Hammer for his latest work. He was able to recreate the lipstick-smothered Marilyn Manson from Metal Hammer issue 302 in the form of a pumpkin, and we have to say it looks amazing. Just look at it!
You can check out more of Sam’s concept art on his official website. Read our chat with the man himself below.
Hey Sam, what’s your fascination with carving pumpkins?
“I wouldn’t say it’s a fascination for the fruit itself, but I do find it to be very therapeutic doing any craft that doesn’t involve a computer screen, it keeps me sane.”
What were the challenges of doing Marilyn Manson?
“The first trick is actually finding a decent-sized pumpkin that has a similar shape to Marilyn’s head. I was first introduced to his music when I heard Rock Is Dead as a Matrix-obsessed teenager – I loved that soundtrack.”
What are your tips for carving the perfect pumpkin?
“Patience! Also try and think about what it is you want to create before committing knife to pumpkin. Having good quality carving tools will always go a long way, unlike me who has one slightly rusty kitchen knife. Finally don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, you can treat yourself to a nice hot bath afterwards while you bask in your artistic glory.”
What do you do when you’re not carving pumpkins?
“I’m a concept artist by profession with a 3D background, so my work is mostly in digital form but nothing will ever beat the simplicity of pencil to paper. I’m also a huge film lover, so I enjoy watching many movies, good and bad. Then I do the very geeky thing of researching the ones I love to an unnatural degree.”
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What projects have you worked on so far?
“Anything project-related is usually my own work, it’s still early days for me but I have been involved in numerous fields that involve design. After I finished my degree I started off in architectural visualisation and in more recent years moved to advertising and freelance. Film is really my true calling, but all worthy things come in good time.”
What’s been your biggest challenge?
“I like to think my biggest challenge hasn’t happened yet, but devoting yourself to a future in any creative field is a huge challenge and risk to take. I would say as a digital artist gaining the technological knowledge expected of you just to do the work will never get any easier, but to also create new and interesting imagery that doesn’t feel derivative is extremely hard. Generally, creating anything that feels ‘new’ after decades of incredible pop culture is always a daunting feeling.”
And your highlight?
“I’m afraid the struggles to highlights ratio is rather uneven for me, but travelling and gaining work/life experience along the way has been a pleasant part of the journey thus far, and of course my hugely supportive fiancé Amber always gives the best words of encouragement to keep me going the extra mile.”
What’s next for you?
“I’m currently developing a short film of mine called Runner, which I plan to shoot this time next year in London. I also plan to use a super 16mm format for it to add fuel to fire. A Kickstarter campaign should begin in the very near future so if anybody out there doesn’t mind giving another idiot with a camera a little contribution, it will be hugely honoured. Hey, if all else fails at least there’s always pumpkin pie!”
