Pumpkin Carving for Beginners
Let This Gallery of Ghoulish Designs Inspire Your Next Masterpiece
Oct 20, 2007
GUIDE TO GREAT PUMPKIN CARVING
Pumpkin carving is one of the treasured rituals of the fall season. Over 100 million pumpkins are grown in the United States each year.
For best results, use the right tools and methods for carving. The serrated blades of a good pumpkin-carving kit are the safest and most effective. For more detailed work, use wood chisels, melon ballers and X-acto knives. Draw the design you plan to carve on a sheet of paper, tape it to the gourd and trace the pattern with pushpin pricks. If you prefer to draw it directly onto the skin, use a felt-tip pen so you won't bruise the pumpkin. To leave a layer of translucent flesh, use a melon baller or a wood chisel. Colored waxed paper attached to the inside with pushpins creates a stained-glass look and keeps the candle from blowing out. If you choose to use a candle to illuminate your pumpkin, make sure it is short and sturdy so the paper doesn't burn. As an alternative to using candles, try using battery-operated touch lights. You can also use electric lights (just make sure the bulb has a low wattage to prevent the inside of the pumpkin from burning). For an even lighting effect, try wrapping a strand of white Christmas lights around a glass jar and insert the jar into the interior of the carved pumpkin.
PUMPKIN CARVING GALLERY OF GHOULISH DESIGNS
The old Irish Halloween tale goes that a ne'er-do-well named Jack tricked the devil. When judgment day came, Jack couldn't get into heaven, and the devil wouldn't let him into hell. So, Jack was turned away with only a glowing bit of charcoal to light the darkness. He put it inside a hollowed-out turnip, and the jack-o'-lantern was born. The legend doesn't tell us what Jack's original design looked like, nor does it reveal what his sin was, but the possibilities that you can achieve with a set of pumpkin carving tools are limitless. With just a little imagination and creativity, you can turn any pumpkin you choose into something very special for Halloween.
Below, you'll find several images of my favorite ideas for pumpkin carving. Also, discover some tips for selecting the right tools and helpful instructions for achieving expert results. Explore your local art-supply, craft and hardware stores for the tools of the trade, then gather friends and family and carve some handsome (or horrific) jack-o'-lanterns.
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