Advanced Carving

Image courtesy Amazon An ice pick

You can make a wide variety of jack-o'-lanterns using basic pumpkin-carving techniques and simple sketches. But if you aren't skilled in drawing or want a really elaborate jack-o'-lantern, you may want to try using a stencil.

You can find stencils online or purchase books that include a selection of stencils. It's a good idea to select your stencil before you buy your pumpkin -- you want to make sure your stencil will fit on the pumpkin you choose. Take your stencil with you when you go shopping.

When carving from a stencil, you'll need all the tools used for basic pumpkin carving. In addition, you'll need an artist's stylus, an ice pick or an awl. These are all long, narrow, pointed tools that can make small holes in the surface of the pumpkin. You'll use these holes to transfer the design from the stencil to the pumpkin.

We found Homestar Runner stencils that we could download and print from the Homestar Runner site.

Prepare your stencil before you start carving the pumpkin. Cut the excess paper from the edge of the stencil, leaving enough room to tape the stencil to the pumpkin. Study your stencil carefully and figure out which parts of the pumpkin will be removed in the cutting process. You may want to cut out the corresponding parts of the stencil if you find the lines too confusing.

Use a sharp tool to transfer the stencil to the pumpkin's surface.

Once you're comfortable with your stencil, prepare your pumpkin. Clean the surface, cut out the lid, remove the pulp and crape the inside clean. Then, tape your stencil to the pumpkin. Make sure it follows the pumpkin's curves as much as possible. You may need to cut your stencil into smaller pieces that will match the contours of your pumpkin.

Once your stencil is securely in place, use your stylus to punch small holes into the skin of the pumpkin. Follow the lines of the stencil carefully, and make your holes fairly close together. Don't try to punch your stylus all the way through the pumpkin -- just make holes in the skin that you can use as a guide. Once you've made small holes along each line in the stencil, remove it and keep it nearby for your reference.

You may find it helpful to use a utility or craft knife to connect the dots before you start carving to create a guide for your knife. Use a paring knife or a keyhole saw to connect the dots that you made with the stylus, referring to your printed stencil as needed. Cut out large pieces first, and fill in the details later. If necessary, go back around your design and clean up the edges.

Carving in Relief
Rather than cutting holes all the way through a pumpkin's skin, some people remove layers of the skin to create designs. You can do this one of two ways. You can scrape your design into the surface of the pumpkin so that the light shines directly through it. Or, you can scrape away all of the skin in a circle around your design so that the silhouette creates the image. You can create a design yourself, or you can find patterns in books or on Web sites.

Image courtesy Robert Gusick On this jack-o'-lantern, SpongeBob Squarepants' body is carved in relief.

To carve a design in relief, first clean your pumpkin and cut out a lid. Remove the pulp from the pumpkin and scrape the inside. Then, draw your design on your pumpkin using avgrease pencil or dry-erase marker. You may also want to cut along your design using a utility or craft knife. The cut will help you guide the tool you use to remove the pumpkin's skin.

Watch this video to see how we removed the skin.

Then, you'll remove the skin from the design or from the area around it. The deeper you make the pattern, the brighter the design will be when you light the pumpkin. You can use several tools to do this, including:

• A wood gouge
• A linoleum cutter
• A Dremel tool or similar handheld device
• A router

Images courtesy Amazon

If you're using a wood gouge or a linoleum cutter, make sure it's clean and sharp. Using dull tools is dangerous because it takes far more force to cut into the pumpkin skin. If you use a Dremel tool or router, be careful. Both are power tools, and they can send pieces of pumpkin flying at high speeds. Using power tools to carve a pumpkin can also be significantly messier than using a gouge or other cutter. If you decide to use power tools to carve your pumpkin, it's a good idea to:

• Practice on a test pumpkin to get a feel for how the tools cut into its surface.
• Wear safety glasses and old clothes.
• Carve the pumpkin outside.
• Make sure children and pets stay back from the work area.

Preserving and Displaying Your Pumpkin
After you finish your jack-o'-lantern, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to all of the cut surfaces and any area from which you've removed the skin. This will help preserve the jack-o'-lantern by keeping it from drying out. If your jack-o'-lantern starts to dry out, you can soak it facedown in cold water for a couple of hours to help it last a little longer. You can also extend the life of your pumpkin by refrigerating it during the day.

Many people use candles to light their pumpkins. Short, squat candles like tea lights or votive candles work well because they're less likely to tip over. If you'd prefer not to use candles, you can use glow sticks, electric holiday lights or battery-operated lights made specifically for jack-o'-lanterns.

Check out some of our favorite jack-o'-lanterns in the next section.

Toasting Pumpkin Seeds If you save the pulp from the inside of your pumpkin, you can toast the seeds in the oven. Here's what to do: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius). Use your fingers to separate the seeds from the pulp. Throw the pulp away. Rinse the seeds and spread them out to dry. Put the seeds in a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, vegetable oil or melted butter. Add a little table salt, sea salt, garlic salt or other seasoning to taste. Stir until the seeds are evenly coated. Spread the seeds on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally (about 45 minutes).