What would Halloween be without a pumpkin carved on the porch or window sill, ready to welcome the celebrating children? Make this Halloween special by making your own carved pumpkin. Here's how it's done!
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Choosing the Pumpkin
Step 1. Go to a place where pumpkins are sold
Go to the supermarket, a farmer's market or directly to a pumpkin patch. Find a retailer with a large selection of good seasonal pumpkins of various sizes.
Step 2. Choose a healthy pumpkin
During the selection phase, try to focus on the ones without damaged parts, cuts or dents. Look for one that is uniform in color and has a sturdy stem that won't bend easily. Beat on the rind with your knuckles as you would a melon or a watermelon: if the sound is dull, it means that it is ripe. Remember that you can always clean the pumpkin with a cloth once at home. Also remember that if you decide to carve it too early, you can keep it in a bucket full of water for a while, so that it retains moisture.
Step 3. Choose one of the size you need
If you intend to carve it elaborately, consider that the bigger it is, the longer the job. If you have children and you just want to draw faces on the pumpkin with a permanent marker, choose a few that are small to medium in size, so you can make different designs.
Step 4. Choose the right times
A pumpkin tends to rot with no chance of recovery within 10-15 days. Please take this information into account and purchase it a week before Halloween, even better in the days immediately preceding it.
Part 2 of 4: Developing the Design
Step 1. Choose a method for carving the pumpkin
The method you choose will determine the material you will need. Here are some of the most popular ideas:
- Follow a traditional Jack-o'-lantern type pattern. You will need to carve the eyes, mouth, and maybe even the nose. It is the easiest for a beginner to make.
- Carve a figure. Choose a figure (such as a ghost) and sculpt its contours, then engrave features such as the eyes and mouth. The result will be a circle of light all around the figure, with the features illuminated.
- Cut only the zest and stop when the pulp begins. To make a traditional Jack-o'-lantern-like pattern without lighting it from the inside, use a cutter to scrape off the rind, stopping when you get to the pulp. Don't engrave too deeply.
- Make a bas-relief. Carving an elaborate shape with the bas-relief technique combines all three methods indicated above: you can engrave certain parts in depth, carve others only on the surface and leave others completely intact. It is a difficult method to learn, but very rewarding when you can master it. For the bas-relief technique you may need graphic software to posterize the image and make it easier to reproduce.
Step 2. Sketch the pumpkin design
If you want to follow the traditional pattern, carving a figure and penetrating the pulp, use a permanent marker or dry erase pen to trace the outline of the design. A dry erase marker is ideal if there is a risk of making a mess. If you opt for a bas-relief, you may need a projector to project the black and white image onto the pumpkin.
If there are children who want to participate in the decorating work, let them do the drawing with their hands - it can be a fun way to get them involved. But avoid letting them use sharp cutting tools
Part 3 of 4: Carving the Pumpkin
Step 1. Get the right knife
You can use a serrated bread knife, drywall hacksaw, or a knife made specifically for carving pumpkins, if you have a special kit available. As you carve, move the knife back and forth as if you were sawing a tree trunk. If possible, avoid using a traditional or switchblade knife, as it requires more effort and offers less control.
Step 2. Set up a fairly spacious work area
Spread out newspaper or a black garbage bag on a flat surface. This protects the work surface and makes final cleaning easier. Have work tools and a container where you will put the pumpkin scraps at hand.
Step 3. Cut the lid
Draw a circumference of the radius of about 5 cm starting from the petiole. To make the lid you will need to cut along the line of the circumference. Don't make a perfectly vertical cut; instead tilt the tip of the knife towards the center. This way, the lid will stay in place and won't fall into the pumpkin. In addition, engrave a small raised notch anywhere on the circumference - this will tell you exactly where to replace the lid. After removing the lid from the pumpkin, cut off the lower part, to flatten the base and to eliminate the waste pulp.
The lid does not have to be circular in shape. You can make it square, star-shaped, or some other shape. Just make sure you keep the knife angled towards the center of the pumpkin as you cut
Step 4. Remove the pumpkin pulp
With a large spoon or with your hands, pull all the filaments and seeds out of the pumpkin. Scrape the inside of the rind trying to clean it as well as possible, to allow the light to filter through the pumpkin more easily.
- You can skip this step if you just intend to carve the zest by stopping at the pulp, without emptying the pumpkin.
- You can save the seeds and roast them - they are a delicious snack. Extract them from the tangle of filaments and rinse them under running water, then place them on a baking sheet with oil and salt. Toast them in the oven for about 25 minutes at 200 ºC.
- You can even store them for sowing in the spring and grow your own pumpkins! Keep in mind that the pumpkin you bought is probably a cross between different varieties, so the pumpkins that will grow may look completely different.
Step 5. Decide if you need to level the base
If the pumpkin already has a relatively flat base and is resting firmly on it, you can skip this step. If not, turn it sideways and cut a slice off the base flat. If the pumpkin remains stationary when it is resting and does not swing, it means that you have cut a slice of sufficient thickness; otherwise, try again and cut another slice.
Step 6. Start carving the figure
Gently move the knife back and forth and don't work in a hurry. Eliminate the scraps as you go, throwing them into the container you have prepared. Keep following the design until you've carved it all out.
Part 4 of 4: Illuminating the Carved Pumpkin
Step 1. If you have hollowed out the pumpkin, choose a light source
Jack-o'-lantern pumpkins are traditionally lit with candles or tealights, but flashlights or flashing LED bulbs can also be used, which are a more modern solution. Decide based on potential safety issues and the shape of the pumpkin base - if you haven't cut a slice off the base and the pumpkin has an unstable balance, balancing a candle inside it could be a problem.
Provide necessary ventilation. If you have chosen to use a real candle, make sure that the internal space provides enough oxygen for the flame not to go out. If you've drilled several holes of a certain width, you should be good to go. Otherwise, consider creating an air vent by making a small opening in the lid or removing it entirely
Step 2. Choose a risk-free place to set it up
If you put a candle inside the pumpkin, place it in a place away from flammable objects. For example, never place it near a hay bale or scarecrow - if someone bumps into the pumpkin and drops it, it could catch fire. Also, be careful that children's costumes, generally large and bulky, do not catch fire when they come into contact with the flame.
If you use candles and place the pumpkin on a wooden surface, place a plate with a diameter of 25 cm under it, to collect the dripping wax and to prevent verandas, tables or wooden stairs from catching fire
Advice
- If the gourd begins to wilt, fill a deep sink with water and soak the hollow gourd in it for a couple of hours - it will rehydrate by swelling slightly and flourish enough to be presentable for another couple of days!
- If you can't tear off a section of the design on the first try, go over the edges with the blade and press it from the inside to pop it out. It can also be helpful to stick a toothpick into the zest and use it as a pin to pull out the cutout.
- Leaving the pumpkin cool in the open air will have the effect of extending its shelf life.
- Don't just carve one side. Make designs that run all around the surface of the pumpkin, such as cat footprints or flying bats - it's extra details that make the difference. Carving another small figure on the back of the pumpkin can also make the effect more striking and the carved face expression more impressive. For example, if your drawing features a terrified pumpkin looking over its shoulder, you can have a ghost peeking out on its back. When you light it and place it near a wall, the candle will shine through the back and cast a ghost on the wall behind your "terrified" pumpkin!
- If your hand slips and you make a mess, you can always reattach the various parts with the help of some toothpicks. Insert one halfway into the spot where you accidentally cut off a piece, then stick the missing piece over it and secure it further from the inside. Unfortunately, the piece reattached this way will wilt much faster than the rest of the pumpkin, so be prepared to replace it if necessary.
- Try to prevent it from wilting prematurely by rubbing petroleum jelly on the exposed parts immediately after carving the pumpkin. Do not put petroleum jelly inside, as it is flammable material and could ignite on contact with the candle.
- One idea is to use the scraps of peel to make the eyebrows, ears, tongue etc. Then fix them in the right places on the pumpkin always using toothpicks. You can also add parts of "Mr. Potato's" face. Other accessories that enhance the three-dimensional effect can be wool threads or corn beards to make "hair", feathers, artificial flower stalks, etc.
- Many patterns for the traditional Jack-o'-lantern are available online - try searching for more inspiration. Alternatively, pop into your local library and borrow a book with photos of sculptures - images of other people's creations can be a great source of inspiration.
- If you use a candle to light up the pumpkin, it can be fun to sprinkle the lid or inner top with a handful of spices used to flavor pumpkin dishes. When the candle warms the spices, a wonderful pumpkin pie aroma will spread through the air and throughout the house.
- Spread some vinyl glue (the white one that doesn't dry out) all around the mouth of the pumpkin, so that it makes bubbles. Your pumpkin will look like it has a fit of anger!
- Make a notch in the lid so you know exactly where to put it back when you're done carving.
- Follow the instructions and you will see that your pumpkin will make a splash.
- Eventually you can find special kits with adhesive stencils to be applied on the pumpkin rind.
Warnings
- Keep children away from candles and knives. If children are fascinated by a particular pumpkin and want to carve it themselves, buy a baby knife so they don't get hurt. If the children are small, they can use the markers to draw the face or decorate the pumpkin with Mr. Potato's accessories and toys. Another thing children can do is take the seeds out of the pumpkin.
- Watch out for animals like squirrels and roe deer: for them, pumpkin is a succulent meal waiting for them in the garden!
- Use great caution with candles. Flashlights and LED bulbs are certainly safer.
