These jaw-dropping fruit and veg carvings will get you pumped for Halloween
With Halloween just round the corner, here's one extreme carver that offers top tips for this year's frightful celebration
IF these jaw-dropping pumpkin creations do not inspire you to step-up your carving skills for Halloween- then nothing will.
These creepy carvings by Clive Cooper, who lives in Vancouver, Canada, are not just a seasonal hobby - he's turned to watermelons to keep him busy for the rest of the year.
Clive, who carved his first pumpkin for a work competition, said: "Pumpkins are only around for a month or so, I thought what else can I carve?
"I had seen watermelons carved in Asia and I thought why not carve them in the style of a pumpkin as they're around for a good eight months of the year."
When asked where he finds his inspiration from, the local government worker said: "I used to get my ideas from comic books but now with gaming like Xbox and PlayStation, I get a lot of characters from that but sometimes I just get them from my head.
Clive, was born in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester but moved to Canada with his family at the age of six, and is now living with partner of 35 years, Sharon Smith.
Together they run - a business which showcases their individual and collaborative artwork.
The expert carver said this Halloween is the biggest yet for him with pumpkins as he revealed he and a pal are carving 75 for Van Dusen Botanical Gardens - a public garden in Vancouver.
He added: "Not all of them will be skinned carvings, there'll be different varieties but all of them fun."
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Clive, who loves pumpkin pie and toasted seeds, admitted he never eats his own carvings because the inside is no longer edible once he has fully showcased his designs.
His incredible artwork has landed him some serious recognition.
He was recently commissioned by 20th Century Fox to carve Samuel L. Jackson's latest character in promotion of movie, Peculiar Children.
For budding and aspiring pumpkin carvers this Halloween, Clive shared some of his tips.
"They last longer when you don't gut them out," he advised. "If you don't gut them out and cut them through, they can last from anywhere from five days to a week.
"But as soon as you cut into them your window goes down to three or four days. Many people have tried many things like protection products from bleach and vinegar.
He added: "It's the mould which destroys it but I try not to use those products because you never know who's going to touch it and it smells, who wants their pumpkins to smell like vinegar?
"I try to use lemon juice on the outside because it does protect the surface a little bit.
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