Draw and Cut Lid
•
Draw a lid on top of your pumpkin.
•
Draw a "tooth" at the back of the lid as a guide for replacing the lid.
•
Very carefully, cut along lines with a kitchen knife.
•
Angle the blade towards the center of the pumpkin to create a ledge that supports the lid.
Clean and Scrape
•
Clean out the seeds and strings with any large spoon.
•
Scrape inner pulp away from the area you plan to carve until the pumpkin wall is approximately
1" thick.
Attach Pattern
•
Trim the pattern, leaving a 1/2" border around the design. Tape the pattern to your pumpkin.
•
Make pattern fit smoothly with small folds at black slash lines. Tape folds in place.
Transfer Pattern
•
Poke along the lines with a paper clip of a rail about 1/8” apart. Make sure you poke all the
lines.
•
When all the lines are transferred, remove the pattern.
•
I have found taking flour and rubbing it to the surface of the pumpkin help the holes show up.
Learn Sawing Skills
•
Use a detail saw made just for carving pumpkins.
•
Hold pumpkin in your lap. Hold the saw like a pencil and saw steadily with a continuous upand-down motion.
•
Saw at a 90° angle to the pumpkin. Use gentle pressure. These saws are breakable if used
incorrectly.
Having problems making the pattern fit you pumpkin?
Well you can easily shrink the parrten down when printing.
1. Chose the page you want to print. (so you dont print evey single pattern).
2. Resize the print output to what ever % you think you need to reduce it by.
Lighting your Pumpkin
•
When using a candle, cut a hole on the upper, back part of the pumpkin. The hole will work
like a chimney by allowing the candle's heat to escape.
•
If you create an opening from the bottom of the pumpkin (versus the top), attach the light
source to the bottom lid and place the pumpkin over it. Try drilling a hole to secure the can
dle. This provides a little more stability, safety and balances the flickering effect.
•
For a multicolor display, use a battery-operated light with LED bulbs. It anchors to the pump
kin and lasts for up to 72 hours on one 9-volt battery.
•
A flashing light is ideal for spooky pumpkin carvings. The lighting effect delivered by 5 flash
ing bulbs brings the pumpkin to life.
•
Create the smell of Halloween spice. Just sprinkle a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin
spice on the bottom of the pumpkin lid. Once the pumpkin is lit, it will create a wonderful sea
sonal scent.
•
Cast shadows from the back of your pumpkin by carving a unique pattern. It's a unique effect
that will get the neighbors talking.
Preserving your Pumpkin
There are many effective ways to preserve your jack-o'-lanterns. If you can carve 2-3 days before
Halloween, we recommend the following preservation techniques:
1
Prevent your pumpkin from drying out by placing petroleum jelly on the cut edges of your
carving.
2
Spray your pumpkin with water, cover it with plastic wrap then store it in the refrigerator when
it's not on display. This helps prevent premature decomposition.
3
Soak or spray the pumpkin with water mixed with a little bit of bleach. This will help ward off
mold and kill insects for a longer preservation.
If your pumpkin is showing signs of shriveling, soak it in water for several hours. The more shriveled the
pumpkin, the longer it needs to soak. When the pumpkin is removed from the water, dry the inside with a
towel as much as possible to impede mold growth. Dried-out pumpkins and melons can be revived almost
completely with this technique.
Grey sections just cut the skin layer off
Dont carve all the way through
Grey sections just cut the skin layer off
Dont carve all the way through
Gray Areas = shallow cut
(removal of pumpkin skin).
Black Areas = deep cut.
Black Areas = deep cut.
Gray Areas = shallow cut
(removal of pumpkin skin).
Level 2
Intermediate
pattern
created by
Level 3
Advanced
pattern
created by
Level 1
Easy
pattern
created by
Black Areas = deep cut.
Gray Areas = shallow cut
(removal of pumpkin skin).
Gray areas - carve thin (remove
skin only
Gray Areas = shallow cut
(removal of pumpkin skin).
Black Areas = deep cut.
Level 2
Intermediate
pattern
created by
Gollum Face
Do not cut all the way through hatched areas
Do not cut all the way thru on hatched areas
Level 2
Intermediate
pattern
created by
Hades
Hercules
Do not cut all the way thru on hatched areas
Gray Areas = shallow cut
(removal of pumpkin skin).
Black Areas = deep cut.
Level 2
Intermediate
pattern
created by
Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster)
Level 2
Intermediate
pattern
created by
Hook
Peter Pan
Level 3
Advanced
pattern
created by
pumpkinglow.com
Jay Leno
Liberty Bell
Gray Areas = shallow cut
(removal of pumpkin skin).
Black Areas = deep cut.
Panther
Black Areas = deep cut.
Gray Areas = shallow cut
(removal of pumpkin skin).
Level 2
Intermediate
pattern
created by
Shan Yu
Mulan
Do not cut all the way thru on hatched areas
Gray area remove
Gray Areas
skin only
= shallow
(removal of pumpkin sk
ck Areas = deep cut.
Black area cut all the way through
Level 1
Easy
pattern
created by
Turkey
Level 3
Advanced
pattern
created by
Ursula, The Sea Witch
Do not cut all the way thru on hatched areas