5 ideas for carving Halloween pumpkins

I love doing Halloween with my daughter here in the UK, especially since it’s still in its infancy. There’s a bit of trick or treating, there are a few parties but the celebrations aren’t over the top, like what can be a consumer-fest in the U.S.  I also find the whole super-gruesome costume thing that adult revelers have embraced creepy in the extreme.

But one thing I am glad that has caught on here is creative pumpkin carving. I’ve never been particularly skilled in this regard. You have to get one of those little pumpking carving kits – knives can be unwieldy for fine work. In our neighbourhood I’ve been seeing some impressive versions.

Here, my Halloween pumpkin gallery and 5 tips:

Tip 1: Use the natural contours of the pumpkin to create your design. Don’t worry about getting a perfectly shaped gourd. Unusual features can make it more interesting.

We carved this lopsided pumpkin with loads of "laugh lines" and great cheekbones, using the stem as a nose

Tip 2: Two jack-o-lantern heads can be better than one for a front garden display

Group pumpkins together for more impact. Also, don't forget to add eyebrows, noses, funny teeth -- all can be great for characteristics

Tip 3: Carving a big face that covers a large part of the pumpkin lets out a lot of light for a dramatic display

Use a lot of surface area for a big glowing display

Tip 4: You don’t need to restrict yourself to traditional faces. Ghost scenes, cats, witch’s hats — all look great carved into your favourite Halloween gourd.

A friendly ghost flies across the surface of a pumpkin

Tip 5: The important thing is to have fun. A simple jack-o-lantern (triangular eyes, blocky mouth) is the easiest to carve with kids. You can always add a scar or a tooth or two.

A classic simple jack-o-lantern always works

3 Responses to “5 ideas for carving Halloween pumpkins”

1. Mari says:

   October 31, 2012 at 9:46 am

   I know I’ve left it late but this is our playtime task this afternoon, some fab ideas and winner (in my opinion) goes to the guy with the fab cheekbones

   Reply
   • Jennifer Howze says:

     October 31, 2012 at 11:50 am

     Aww thanks Mari. He weighed a ton but I love his face

     Reply
2. Susan Mann says:

   October 31, 2012 at 2:24 pm

   ooh those look fab x

   Reply