From an idea to an invitation
On the evening of 23 October, we were out for a walk when we noticed Halloween decorations outside a restaurant, including a jack-o’-lantern — a pumpkin with a carved face. That made us think: why not create our own little Halloween celebration in iFutureArt? We wanted a little mystery: ghosts, unexpected encounters and light in the dark. But we also wanted room for a smile. So the celebration began with a little boat carrying a ghost, alongside an owl in a wizard hat and a ghost who had wandered into a library.
Then came the work that usually stays behind the picture. We imagined scenes, reviewed them and chose which would join the collection and greet people first. We planned the daily pictures so the celebration would have a next chapter, not just a cover. We prepared the event's name, description and artwork, and submitted it to Apple. That same evening, the App Store event was sent for review.
The story then found a home inside iFutureArt: a separate Halloween category with a pumpkin icon. The App Store event card invites people into the gallery, the category helps them find the collection, and each day a new seasonal scene is added to the app and becomes Picture of the Day. One evening of decisions brought several ways into the same little celebration together.
The App Store event runs from 24 October at 00:00 to 31 October at 23:59, Moscow time. A Little Boat for a Ghost became the first daily picture on 24 October. The app already existed; we imagined and prepared the entire seasonal collection and its event that evening.
Twenty-five pictures, with some surprises still to come
We have prepared 25 pictures for the full seasonal collection. They are digital scenes: none of these twenty-five exists as a physical paint-by-numbers kit made by our factory. Here, an idea could become an event on a screen quickly. A real kit needs canvas preparation, paints, packing and production — a much longer journey.
That makes this especially interesting for iFutureArt, which grew alongside our own paint-by-numbers manufacturing. The app has a connection to real canvases, while a digital collection lets us try a separate seasonal story without waiting for a new range of kits to be made. This time, the celebration began on a screen.
We prepared 17 seasonal scenes and eight daily pictures for the collection. The first five opened during 24 October: A Little Boat for a Ghost, Owl in a Wizard Hat, Ghost in the Library, Halloween Parcel and Ghost Kite. As the next day began, Pumpkin Lantern After Rain was added as the daily picture for 25 October.
Everyone is getting ready for the celebration: a raccoon chooses a mask, a rabbit paints a pumpkin and a frog mixes moonlit colors. A red panda hangs a garland, a mole paints festive plates and a little bear prepares a patchwork cloak. These became small stories about the joy that begins before the party itself.
Elsewhere, a bat plays a xylophone, a shrew rings a mushroom bell and a little owl sorts holiday letters. A dormouse settles into a walnut house; an otter bobs for apples, a ferret dries a ghost costume and a turtle carries a pumpkin lantern. Alongside the owl in a wizard hat, the library ghost, the parcel and the kite, they make seventeen stories filled with cheerful characters, cozy corners and small adventures.
At our snapshot on the evening of 25 October, six daily pictures were still ahead. We will leave their scenes as surprises. From 24 to 31 October, one new seasonal scene is added to the app each day and becomes Picture of the Day. Eight days, eight new encounters. Everything for this journey was prepared ahead of time — even a surprise can have a schedule.
Day one: a little boat, three changes of leader and a team of three
Across the whole first day, 24 October, players finished seasonal pictures on their own 41 times. Nineteen different players reached a finish, with some coloring several scenes. The first daily picture, A Little Boat for a Ghost, accounted for 17 finished works.
Its record did not stand still. The first best time was 8:51. A few minutes later it was 6:35, then 5:59, and by morning, 5:23. After the first result, the lead changed three times, each time going to a different player. From the opening mark to the day's best: a difference of 3 minutes and 28 seconds. Quite an eventful debut for a little boat.
The boat also had two completed shared sessions that day. The first team benchmark of 5:49 gave way to 3:46, with a team of three setting the daily record. Coloring independently and working as a team have separate rankings. Both, though, show how a picture can become a reason to try again or come together.
Day two: one second decided first place
On 25 October, Pumpkin Lantern After Rain took over as Picture of the Day. The first person to finish it on their own took 13:51. Another player brought that down to 8:21 during the night. That result lasted for most of the day, until a new leader finished in 8:20 at 19:06 Moscow time. Just one second — and first place belonged to someone else.
By 20:26 Moscow time, the daily picture for 25 October had been finished independently 24 times. Across the seasonal collection, 25 October had brought 46 completed works by 26 players coloring independently. The total for 24 October was 41 runs for the whole day; by the evening of the 25th, that mark had already been passed before day two was over. People were also returning to the first day’s boat, the owl and the ghost in the library.
By that same snapshot, the lantern had been completed together twice as well: a team benchmark of 5:00 improved to 4:43. The best result again belongs to a team of three. Sometimes a celebration is about a personal second at the finish; sometimes it is a picture brought to life by several pairs of hands.
A beginning worth celebrating
From the start of 24 October to the evening of the 25th, that adds up to 87 works colored independently by 33 different players, plus four shared finishes. Twelve players finished pictures on both days — already returning for more. These are people who finished a picture, not a count of everyone who visited. We love seeing those first completed works, returns for another scene and new names taking the lead.
Figures as of 25 October 2026 at 20:26 Moscow time: all of 24 October, and 25 October up to that point. One person can finish several pictures.
Join us — there is more to come
In one evening, we dreamed up an event. In its first two days, it has gathered achievements of its own. Behind the numbers are people coming back for a new picture, inviting company or finding that extra second. And you can simply color at your own pace: first place is entirely optional.
Open iFutureArt and find the Halloween category in the gallery, or choose Picture of the Day. Come on your own, invite friends, try for a new best — or simply bring a little warm light to your evening. Our small Halloween celebration has more encounters ahead through 31 October. Think of it as our own little pumpkin get-together, with color, company and ghosts who would like to join the fun too.