Pumpkin Carving

Picking the Right Pumpkin

Pumpkin carving is an age old tradition for young and
old alike. Whether you want a simple pumpkin carving to
sit on yur own doorstep or you are planning a pumpkin
carving party, selecting the right pumpkin is a vital part of
the overall process.

As a simple and obvious principle, the pumpkin you select will be
picked according to what you intend to carve on it.

You will have seen in the shops and markets that pumpkins range for tiny to huge and all have a place in the rituals of Halloween. The largest pumpkins make fantastic centerpieces and can take the largest of carved designs and probably the most elaborate as well. The small examples are used to demonstrate fine carving techniques and these 'art' examples usually receive pride of place in any display. For the majority of stencils that you will either make or buy however medium sized pumpkins are ideal.

Before you make your trip to buy your pumpkin, make a mental note of the size of the stencil(s) that you will be using and select pumpkins that fit this mental model. Look for pumpkins that are uniformly orange which indicates that they are ripe, and that have no bruises or other signs of damage. Any damage will adversely affect the life of the carved pumpkin.

As a care point, pumpkins should be lifted from the base never by the stem and care should be taken to transport and store them carefully to avoid damage and bruising which will shorten their life.

  How to Crave your Halloween Pumpkins

  Here are some basic pumpkin carving techinques for you to adopt and
  they should help you carve the perfect Halloween pumpkin......

  • Pumpkin carving can be a messy job and you should cover your work
  area with old newspapers or cardboard
  • Lots of debris produced so a container to put this in as it's produced
  will save on clean-up time at the end
  • Determine whether you will be cutting from the top of the pumpkin or
  from the bottom. This will usually depend on whether you are using a
  battery powered light source of or a candle. If using a candle, then
  cutting from the top creates a great venting point, if using a battery,
  cutting from the bottom will allow easier access to any switch
  • If your stencil doesn't identify how large a hole to cut, cut a hole around 6"
  diameter for access. This will allow you to get a scraper and scoop into the pumpkin
• If you are intending to draw directly onto the pumpkin do not use permanent marker - it will
  not come off and don't use a hard tipped pencil or pen as these bruise the pumpkin. Use a
  crayon or washable marker
• The first cut into the pumpkin is the access hole. This should be cut at an angle of 45
  degrees so that it can sit back on when the pumpkin is complete
• The front of your pumpkin should be that with the smoothest feel as this will be easiest to
  carve
• Once the lid (or base) has been cut, remove all of the seeds and stringy material from
  inside the pumpkin
• Scrape the inside pumpkin walls so thert athey are around 3/4" to 1" thick, this will make the
  actual carving process easier
• Once the inside of the pumpkin is clean, either draw your design on the front of the pumpkin
  or attach the design template to be carved using tape
• If using a template, use a pricker to mark the design onto the face of the pumpkin
• Carve your pumpkin using either small knives or specialist pumpkin saws and tools which
  are easily available in kits
• If you make a mistake and remove too much by mistake, you can reattach a piece by using
  toothpicks
• Take care of your pumpkin by smearing the cut edges with petroleum jelly to prevent them
  drying out
• Until you need to stand your carved pumpkins out, keep them cool