You may think that you’re a pro at carving a Halloween pumpkin, but some useful tricks and techniques will improve your results and make the entire process much easier.
Following this guide, you’ll never again be pumpkin jealous when you look at the perfect curbside decoration while your children look at the small and dying lantern.
To gather everything one needs to be aware of about amazing pumpkins, including how to select them up to the best way to store them, Good Housekeeping asked for assistance from Natasha Guidon of carving service YEG Pumpkins.
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Natasha is an avid pumpkin carver who has turned her passion for carving into a business of cutting for hotels, brand venues, private customers, and event venues.
Ideas for carving pumpkins: a step-by-step tutorial
If you’re not fully prepared to tackle carvings as complex as those of Natasha, We asked her to share what beginner carvers should be aware of…
Pumpkin Carving Stencils
The beginner at carving pumpkins might not realize that many of the designs are created with stencils so that you could apply the Sharpie.
“You can free hand a very simple face — eyes, nose, mouth — especially if you’re good at drawing. But a lot of the time the challenge is figuring out how to carve so that pieces don’t fall through. You have to make sure there are places for every part of the design to actually attach onto the pumpkin. Stencils do that figuring out for you,” Natasha clarifies.
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Natasha’s preferred stencil source is for well-engineered designs with difficulty levels. There are a variety of stencils for free and great options for beginners, she suggests.
Natasha’s best Tip: “First-time pumpkin carvers should pick something straightforward. Start with traditional jack-o’-lantern before you get into more intricate designs like bats and witches. Faces are a really good place to start, and so classic.”
The most beautiful pumpkin to carve is a pumpkin
It is important to give some consideration to the selection of your pumpkin. What exactly is it that determines a great pumpkin selection?
“The most important thing that you’re looking for is that the flesh hasn’t started to go bad. Make sure that the flesh is still firm,” says Natasha.
In terms of size and shape, bigger pumpkins with flatter sides are easier to put on your stencil, but it all comes down to the design you want to create.
“If I have a design that I really want to try, I’ll print it and take that to the store with me so that I know I’m getting a pumpkin that’s an appropriate shape. It’s geeky but I don’t care,” she acknowledged.
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How do you create a hollowed-out pumpkin?
Before you start carving, you must prepare your pumpkin. But you don’t have to do it by collecting the seeds.
“Cut out the top so that you can hollow out and clean up the inside, I do this in the sink to contain the mess,” Natasha explained.
“A lot of the kits come with a handy pumpkin scraper that will help you get out the seeds, but it also helps you to thin down the walls of the pumpkin,” she added. “Thin down to around 1/4 inch in order that when you cut your blade, it goes completely through the pumpkin, and you are able to cut through the flesh.
“If you know what side you’re going to carve, you don’t need to thin all the way around.”
How do you stencil your pumpkin?
The stenciling process of transferring the design onto your pumpkin is typically accomplished by marking your design with numerous tiny holes.
“I print my stencil out on a regular sheet of paper, tape it on, and then my Transfer Tool looks like a giant pushpin,” said Natasha.
“Line your cut lines with punctures and then it’s like playing connect the dots with a pumpkin.”
Natasha’s top suggestion: “Once you have the design transferred onto the pumpkin, keep that stencil as a reference point because sometimes the dots will all start to look like they blend together. The stencil will help you remember what they all mean.”
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How do you carve your Halloween pumpkin?
“Start cutting the pieces out from the center of the design and then work your way out towards a stable pumpkin. If you’re cutting inward, it’s going to make the center of the pumpkin really unstable,” she said.
“If you’re right-handed work yourself out to the left, then around to the right, so that you never have your arm or wrist resting on cut pumpkin – and vice versa.”
It is possible to feel the tool that is most effective for you. However, a good guideline that Natasha has shared with Natasha is to: “Use a larger blade to cut through long large lines, and then smaller blades for fine detail work.”
Natasha’s top Tip: “Leave all the pieces in until you’ve carved everything, that leaves more stability in the pumpkin so you have a lower chance of breaking it. Then be very patient taking them out because sometimes you won’t have cut all the way through and will have to re-cut.”
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How do you make an impressive display for a pumpkin
Natasha also has some creative ways to arrange several pumpkins in order to create a visually appealing presentation.
“Vary the sizes of the pumpkins and vary the heights,” she suggests.
“I purchase small hay bales for my pumpkins to change the heights of the pumpkins. I also use the two steps that lead up the stairs to my house in order to add depth and height to my display of pumpkins.
“Odd numbers look best. If I have just two I make sure that I have different sizes, so that it makes it interesting.”
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