2018-10-22, 11:51 AM
https://www.wikihow.com/Carve-a-Pumpkin
- How to Carve a Pumpkin - Five Parts
Part 1: Choosing a Pumpkin
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Buy a pumpkin shortly before Halloween. Although Halloween excitement can build early in October (especially for children), do not buy your pumpkin too early. Most pumpkins will be rotten beyond recovery after a week and a half to two weeks. With this in mind, buy your pumpkin about a week or less before Halloween.
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Select a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch or supermarket.
Many venues will sell carving pumpkins as Halloween approaches. Visit your local supermarket or pumpkin patch for a good offering. If you live near a farmer’s market, vendors there may also sell pumpkins. Find a location with a healthy selection of pumpkins and a range of sizes. - If you’re pumpkin hunting with young children, a pumpkin patch may be the most fun for them. You can find a local pumpkin patch by searching online or keeping an eye open for advertisements around the area where you live.
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Select a healthy pumpkin.
When you’re choosing a pumpkin, try to pick one that’s free of nicks, bruises, and cuts. Look for a sturdy stem that doesn’t feel too bendable, and for mostly consistent color all the way around. Knock or thump on the skin like you would a melon; if you hear a hollow sound, the pumpkin is ripe. - Look for a pumpkin with a flat base. This will make it easier to display the carved pumpkin on Halloween night.
- It’s not important if the pumpkin you like is clean or dirty. Remember you can always wash the pumpkin with an old cloth when you get home.
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Pick the size you need.
If you’re planning on an elaborate pumpkin carving, note that a larger gourd will provide more surface space, but also takes more work to carve. Selecting a round, medium-sized pumpkin is a popular option. - If you have kids and simply plan on drawing faces on your pumpkins with a permanent marker, try picking up several small to medium samples for them to put different designs on.
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Choose a design before you start carving.
Before you start cutting, figure out what kind of design or face you want on your pumpkin: you can carve a typical “spooky” face with a toothed grin, a haunted house, or the silhouette of a cat or a bat. - Many jack-o’-lantern designs are available online; try searching for more ideas. Alternatively, drop into your local library and borrow a book of carving ideas. A variety of images can be very inspirational for developing your own.
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Choose a method for carving your pumpkin.
While it’s conventional to hollow your pumpkin and then carve through the outer gourd into the hollow center, other methods of carving will allow your pumpkin to last longer, and involve less work with knives. A few popular carving options include: - Carve a traditional jack-o’-lantern. Plan to cut out eyes, a mouth, and perhaps a nose. This design is easiest for beginners.
- Carve a silhouette. Pick a shape—for instance, a ghost—and carve out the “negative space” around the ghost’s shape, then carve out features like eyes or a mouth. You’ll end up with a circle of light around the dark shape, with lighted details.
- Carve down to the pulp. For a daytime jack-o’-lantern that you don’t intend to light, use an x-acto knife to scratch away the pumpkin skin and reveal the pulp. Don’t carve all the way into the gourd.
- Trace your design on the pumpkin. For traditional, silhouette and pulp carving, use a permanent marker or dry-erase marker to outline your design on the pumpkin. (Dry-erase markings can be wiped off if you mess up.) If you’d rather not draw your jack-o’-lantern design free-hand, you can find a pattern online and trace if onto your pumpkin.
- If you’re decorating pumpkins with children, letting them draw the designs can be a fun way to include them, yet avoid having them handle sharp carving tools.