Carving a Fancy Pumpkin

Carved pumpkins are typical decorations during the Halloween celebration. People will come out with many ideas on what to carve on their pumpkins. The basic of making a pumpkin decoration is by removing the tough orange skins from some areas. The other sections of the pumpkin will be carved out to let the light from a candle or a small flashlight to shine through. Making your own fancy pumpkin decoration is not as hard as it seems. Here are the steps on how to carve a fancy pumpkin.

You will need:

  1. Paring knives
  2. Pumpkins
  3. Candles
  4. Peelers
  5. Spoons
  6. Pumpkin Carving Knives

Fancy Pumpkin

Steps:

  1. First, go to your farmer’s shop or any supermarket to purchase the pumpkins. You should select a pumpkin with a smooth surface for easier carving process and a better result.
  2. Then, make a pattern on a separate piece of paper. You can draw bats, spiders, skulls and ghosts or anything that relates to the Halloween celebration. You can find the images in decorations magazines or in the internet to help you.
  3. Next, prepare your pumpkin by cutting away the top section of the pumpkin surrounding the stem. Remove any of the seeds and pulps from the inside of the pumpkin. Clean any messy part with a clean paper towel.
  4. Take the pattern that you draw and place it on the pumpkin. Think about the areas which you will cut out completely or just remove the orange skin.
  5. Areas which the skins are left in place will appear darker than those where the skin has been removed completely. For example, if you make a ghost pattern, carve out the eyes holes and perhaps the mouth completely. But, you could only remove the pumpkin’s skin in the area of the ghost’s body.
  6. Use a sharp knife to cut the outline of your design carefully. Remove the areas that are needed to be completely cut.
  7. You should also cut around any raised areas such as spider legs or folds of fabric. Carefully remove the orange skin slowly from the desired areas with a vegetable peeler.
  8. Use your pumpkin carving knives too. As this will be the hardest part, take your time while doing it. More interesting designs will be created when you use variations in depth.
  9. When your fancy carved pumpkin is ready, put a candle or a battery-powered light inside the pumpkin. The pumpkin candle’s glow will create an eerie ambiance to your overall Halloween decoration.

Image Credit:

Flickr CC

Additional Reading:

Fancy Pumpkin – Betsy Decorative Banner

Fancy Solid Pumpkin 31677 34 by Duralee