Tips for Pumpkin Carving
How to Carve a Jack-O-Lantern and Make Halloween Decorating Easy
Sep 2, 2009
Autumn brings cooler air, falling leaves and fun decorations. In fact, Halloween is the second most decorated holiday, just behind Christmas, and it's getting bigger every year.
Jack-O-Lanterns are a natural choice for decorating, their flickering glow and fun faces can make Halloween fun, spooky or both.
Instead of carving pumpkins with just a knife, there are easier ways to achieve special effects and decorate like an expert.
Tips for Carving Pumpkins
- Before cutting a pumpkin, wipe it off with a wet paper towel and then dry it with another so there is a nice, clean surface on which to work.
- Cut the lid into a keyhole shape so that it is easily replaced.
- If children are involved, cutting should always be done under the supervision of an adult.
- Use a back and forth, small sawing motion to cut out pieces.
- Pumpkins start to fade fairly quickly after being cut, so to prolong their appearance, after carving, rub a little petroleum jelly along the edges of the lid and on any cutouts.
- To prolong Jack-O-Lantern life, store cut pumpkins in the refrigerator when not using them, especially if they are being used inside for table toppers.
Cookie Cutters for Carving Halloween Pumpkins
Cookie cutters are inexpensive and come in many, many shapes, sizes and themes. Some people have the standard set that includes circles, stars and other basic shapes. Specific designs can be purchased at any major retail or cooking supply store. Even bargain stores sell sets for less than a few U.S. dollars. Metal work best but aren't required.
Simply press the cookie cutters into the outer skin of the pumpkin. Some people prefer to use a light pencil to semi-sketch a layout of where the design will end up. But it isn't necessary to do so.
Cut off the top and scoop out all the innards. Wipe the inside with a paper towel to dry.
Inexpensive carving kits found at craft and variety stores usually include a small serrated saw, scoops and pokers that works better than a kitchen knife for cutting out the design. The also aren't necessary but make work easier and faster. Whichever is used, simply cut out the design imprinted on the pumpkin shell, cutting from the outside so the piece falls into the inside.
Ideas for Jack-O-Lanterns
Using the circles and stars cookie cutters can create an eerie or elegant effect. Make one pumpkin with just stars and another with a scattering of a few stars and use the circle to imprint, but only cut out 2/3 of the circle, into a crescent shape moon. Group three or four varieties of moon and star pumpkins together on the doorstep or on a tabletop for a centerpiece. Add some grapevine or branches entwined through the pumpkins with some colorfall fall leaves to complete the look.
Pumpkin carving kits usually come with a few stencils and patterns but more can be found on carving kit websites.
Which Witch Face
Turn the traditional Jack-O-Lantern face into a friendly or scary witch with a few simple changes. More pointed eyes and a long, thin nose. Or for a completely different effect, find a flat-sided pumpkin, lay the pumpkin on its side, cut the bottom off instead of the top. Use the pumpkin stem as a gnarly nose and carve eyes and mouth around the stem. Place a wig or hat on top to create an impressive witch!
Frankenstein
Bring Shelley's Frankenstein to life with an easy pumpkin face. Simply use two large cookie cutter circles for eyes. When cutting out, add a little length to the upper right and bottom left of each circle to create an oblong, off center circle shape for eyes (see picture). Cut two small circles for the nose and then sketch the mouth with a series of connected chubby T or cross shapes, starting at mid eye on one side, drawing the mouth down and around and up to the other side of the pumpkin, ending mid-eye.
BOO!
Sketch the word B-O-O-! freehand or use stencils to carve out. Another fun way to write out BOO! is to use four pumpkins and write one letter and an explanation point on each.
Animal Stencils are fun and have become much more detailed and accessible.
Pumpkins Come in Many Colors
Very nice pumpkin decorations can be made with many of the new varieties of pumpkins and gourds that are available. Some are off white, cream-colored and even blue! Instead of cutting these open, although that works too, this type of pumpkin can be used to create unusual centerpieces and doorstep decorations. Small, circular grooves cut around the entire gourd and painted a complimentary color or all one color can make a very pretty piece of art. Circles or decorations can be painted free-form as well.
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