Carve the Perfect Pumpkin for Halloween!

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Halloween Pumpkin Carving

Carving your Halloween pumpkin is quite an experience. The whole family can take part in the fun. All you need is a pumpkin, a little prep work, and the proper tools. Let's dig in and get to some Halloween pumpkin carving...

What is a Pumpkin? 

Pumpkins

Category: File - :PumpkinPiePiece.JPG|thumb|A piece of pumpkin pie

Pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae (which also includes gourds). It is a common name of or can refer to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata. They are typically orange or yellow and have many creases running from the stem to the bottom. They have a thick shell on the outside, with seeds and pulp on the inside.

read the rest of the Wikipedia article

Halloween Pumpkin Carvings for Your Enjoyment! 

Pumpkins through the Years

curated content from YouTube

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Raw!

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Basics 

Items to have on hand

Happy Halloween!



What You Need



A nice big pumpkin, Tall or Wide depending on your template design. Ensure at least one side of the pumpkin is smooth and well shaped. Especially, if you're picking from the last of the bunch. Check for soft spots, you don't want any of those.

A sponge and soapy water for cleaning.

Paper towels to dry your pumpkin.

Plenty of newspaper to spread around your work area. This is a messy job.

Good cutting tools get the job done best. A kit like the one featured on this lens has just the right pumpkin saws and a scraper. It also has detailed templates you can use for your Halloween pumpkin carving design.

A sharpie or marker that will write on your pumpkin without smearing or wearing off.

Scotch Tape.

A trash can.

Boo! Happy Halloween to you!

The Perfect Halloween Pumpkin Carving Kit! 

This is our favorite kit! We use it every year to carve our Halloween Pumpkin. It comes with all you need to make your Halloween pumpkin carving easy!
Could not locate item B000I8ZHVQ. Please try again.Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.

Halloween Pumpkin Carving by Video! 

An Expert in Action...

This 3 part series on Halloween pumpkin Carving is really something to strive for!

Carving a pumpkin portrait part 1 of 3

Runtime: 478
5264 views
1 Comments:


Carving a pumpkin portrait part 2 of 3

Runtime: 513
7807 views
2 Comments:


Carving a pumpkin portrait part 3 of 3

Runtime: 513
9783 views
16 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

Halloween Pumpkin Carving: Prepare Your Pumpkin 

Get Ready!

Pumpkin Carving Preparation



Prepare Your Pumpkin



One day I hope to carve my Halloween pumpkin like the artist in the video series above. Until then, I'll be using templates, sharpies, and my little pumpkin carving kit.

Prepare your work area by removing anything you don't want pumpkin on.

Spread out a good thick layer of newspaper.

Place your trash can in a nearby, convenient spot.

Clean and dry your pumpkin. Be careful not to scrub too hard, you don't want to scar the surface.

Place your dry pumpkin in your work area. Determine where you want your lid cut out. You should cut an area around the stem with your pumpkin saw angled inward. The hole should be cut large enough for you to get your hand in and out of easily for cleaning. Try to cut a notch out also so your lid can be aligned right every time.

The fun part is cleaning it out! Let the kids do this. They can get all the seeds and stringy stuff out while you sit back and watch. When they're done you will need to give the inner walls a good scrape for any loose debris.

Clean and dry the surface again, if a really good time was had while cleaning.

Trick or Treat!

Halloween Pumpkin Carving: Design Your Pumpkin 

Pumpkin Characterization



Your Pumpkin Face



Now for the pumpkin face, you can draw your face design by hand. However, I really like to use templates. I'm not the best artist. If you are, go for it!

The templates in the kit we use have negative areas you punch out. These should be removed. You then tape the template securely to your pumpkin and trace the design.

Boo!

Halloween Pumpkin Carving: Cutting and Lighting 

Drum Roll Please!

Finishing Your Pumpkin



Carving Your Pumpkin



Once your design is marked, start cutting those negative areas out. An adult should do all carving. Those pumpkin saws in the kit are sharper than they look.

As you get to cutting, you will see your Halloween pumpkin carving begin to take shape. Take some time to finesse your work and cut out any loose, frayed, or missed sections.

When you're done, light that baby up and enjoy it! We like to use tea lights to light our pumpkin carvings. But we have tried battery powered pumpkin lights. The flicker from the candle really gives the pumpkin a nicer glow.

By the time you get to the end you will feel like a professional Halloween pumpkin carver. You may even want to run out and buy another pumpkin to carve after you see your work all lit up. The more pumpkin carvings, the merrier!

Happy Halloween Pumpkin Carving!

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Lit!

Halloween Blurbs 

Let's See What's Hot in Halloween...

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Party at Quinn's House!
He had a Halloween bash for trick-or-treaters and an Easter egg hunt at Easter. Quinn inherited the governor's job in January after former Gov. ...
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The crackdown has been ordered amid fears of hooligan violence in the wake of a horrifying incident when the two clubs last clashed on Halloween. ...
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by Eclectic_Muse



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Make pumpkin carving a family event. Enjoy the love and laughter it will bring! (more)

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