For the first year ever, we've had a crack at creating an Unreality TV themed pumpkin! I had to simply the logo somewhat to make this work, but was able to carve it with bat's wings and vampire teeth and remarkably...nothing fell apart!

I left some of the pumpkin skin on in order to form lines to give the shape definition and darkness. And as an experiment, I've added a "sunburst" type effect around the top of the television set.

It's pumpkin-carving time again! I've discovered that Halloween is the peak of my creative output each year - from hacking up pumpkins to painting faces (mostly my own, I admit).

Whenever Halloween rolls around, I'm often thrown back to my teenage obsession with Alice Cooper and the theatrical horror and wicked makeup that he wore on stage. That's why I always gravitate toward blood or strange markings around the eyes.

Thought I'd share this one - on the morning of the kids' Halloween dress-up day at school, I decided to slap on a bit of make-up and join in the fun!

I always love doing make-up around the eyes, which probably stems from my fascination with Alice Cooper when I was younger. A little bit of sponge work sorted out the cheekbone definition!

You should have seen the stares as we walked the kids into school!

This pumpkin is based on a design I found online - unfortunately it was a Google Image search, so I can't credit the original designer. I loved the intricacy of the branches. They present a real challenge to cut out without snapping parts off.

If I was doing this again, I'd cut the hanging man separately and hang it from the branch with a piece of string. As a matter of fact, having seen some of the amazingly detailed designs online, I'd love to get some practise in carving some more complicated designs.

Only a fortnight after Halloween, and I'm finally getting around to posting this year's pumpkin photos. I carved this goofy faced one first - I love doing pumpkins with big, chunky teeth and crazy eyes.

Normally we fill the pumpkin with paper after Halloween and set light to it (outdoors, of course) - it's fun to watch the flames billowing out the top, and when the paper blackens, it makes a brilliant backdrop for the eyes.

OK, this is my favourite pumpkin from this year's batch so far - the cyclops. I'd have preferred a taller pumpkin to work this on, but I'm fairly pleased with the result, especially the carved teeth.

This one's to my own design - a kind of devil-vampire face I sketched out before I started carving. Unfortunately, the features are quite small and they don't let the light out in quite the right way.

I asked my daughter what she'd like to see on the first pumpkin I carved this year. And out of an almost limitless stock of gore and spooky images, what did she choose? Spongebob Squarepants, her idol, moral guide and favourite person/sponge ever.

It was actually a little more difficult to carve than your usual pumpkin, but it came through in the end without falling apart.