Pumpkin carving is not only a fun fall activity to do with family and friends but also an opportunity to create a work of ephemeral art. According to the National Retail Federation, 44 percent of Americans plan to carve a pumpkin this year. If you count yourself in that group, hereās what we recommend after trying out six pumpkin carving kits and how to safely carve a pumpkin. And while thereās no wrong way to carve a pumpkin, there are steps even the experts follow that can help make your pumpkin carving experience more successful.
For pointers on making a great jack-oā-lantern, we spoke with Marc Evans of Maniac Pumpkins, a Brooklyn-based professional artistic pumpkin carving company, and fellow expert pumpkin carver Gene Granata of Masterpiece Pumpkins, a custom carving company based in California.
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āThere are a few simple things that turn pumpkin carving from a task into something enjoyable,ā says Granata. āBut ultimately, there are no rules. Itās about getting together and having fun.ā
1. Start With a Pumpkin Carving Kit
āMost people think picking a pumpkin is where it all begins,ā Granata says. āBut itās better to get your carving kit and choose your design before you head to the pumpkin patch.ā
Thatās because the stencil you choose or the pumpkin design you have in mind will determine the best size and type of pumpkin you should buy.
Pumpkin Design Informs the Right Pumpkin
To keep things simple, experts recommend designs that stick to the center of the pumpkināthey also advise using a stencil if youāre not an expert yourself.
Carving Pumpkins With Kids?
Granata suggests looking for a smooth-faced pumpkin for kids under 7āone with no deep ridges, and that feels lightweight when you lift it. These pumpkins tend to have thinner rinds and more water inside, making them easier for kids to carve.
2. Let the Pumpkin Stem Be
āI keep the stems on my pumpkins,ā Granata says. āInstead, I carve out the plug at the base of the pumpkin.ā
This works better for two reasons, he says.
- When you pull out the plug, a lot of the seeds and pumpkin innards come out with it, which cuts down on the time you have to spend removing the pumpkin guts.
- When youāre done and go to put your candle in, you can just set the candle on a surface and set the pumpkin over it, rather than reaching into the pumpkin to place your candle.
3. Clean Out the Pumpkin and Thin the Rind Where You Plan to Carve
Cleaning out the pumpkin is always my least favorite part of carving. I donāt like the pumpkin goop getting all over my hands (if you have so much as a paper cut, it stings!), my arm gets tired, and it seems to take forever.
Granata offers a solution: A tool called a pumpkin gutter that can be attached to a power drill to clean out your pumpkin in āabout 40 seconds.ā
āThere are videos you can watch on YouTube to see how to use it,ā Granata says.
Granata suggests that carvers tape their stencils securely to the face of the pumpkin so that they can see just how large an area of the rind they need to thin.
āThis makes carving the pieces out a cinch,ā he says. āThe rind should be about three-fourths of an inch.ā
How to Measure Pumpkin Rinds
Three-fourths of an inch can be difficult to eyeball, so one way to test whether youāve thinned down your rind enough is to stick one of your carving saws through the rind in a space you intend to cut out until you see the saw poking out on the inside of the pumpkin. Then mark the saw where it goes into the pumpkin and pull it out. You should be able to assess how much rind you have left to thin by measuring how much of the saw had to go into the pumpkin.
4. Use Sewing Paper to Transfer the Stencil to the Pumpkin
Whether you create your own design or use a pre-designed stencil, there are a few different ways to transfer your design to your pumpkinās face.
First, you can tape the stencil to the face of the pumpkin, securing all four corners so that the stencil lies flat against the rind, and then carve right through the paper. If you donāt feel comfortable doing that, many kits come with a poking roller that will cut through the paper to poke little dotted lines on your pumpkin that you can then follow with your saw after removing the stencil. Some stencils allow you to dampen them, which then transfers the design onto the pumpkin.
āMy trick is to use sewing transfer paper,ā says Granata. āYou put the bright side of the transfer paper against the face of the pumpkin, and then tape your stencil over it. After that, you can take a pen or marker and trace around the pattern. Remove the stencil and the transfer paper, and you should have your pattern on the pumpkin face.ā
Sewing transfer paper is available at most craft stores, as well as major retailers like Amazon.
5. Carve the Pumpkin in a Large Bowl
Now that you have your design blueprinted on the pumpkin, you can start to carve. To make the process easier, Granata recommends putting your pumpkin in a large bowlāthat way it wonāt roll around as you carve.
Then, to retain the structural integrity of the pumpkin, Granata recommends starting from the center of the design and moving outward.
āOnce you cut a section out, donāt remove it right away,ā he says. āKeep that piece in so that the pumpkin stays whole while youāre still handling it. That way youāre less likely to break any connecting pieces as you continue to carve. Once you finish, you can pop them all out.ā
You can also break larger windows or shapes into smaller ones, says Evans.
āPumpkins are heavy for their size and loaded with water,ā he says. āIf you remove too much, they can collapse, so make sure the connecting sections are solid.ā
Granata also suggests tackling the most difficult parts of your design first, rather than saving them for the end, when you might be less focused.
6. Use an LED Candle
āPersonally, I like LED candles,ā Granata says.
Pumpkin carving purists may prefer a real votive over an electric one, but Granata points out that an LED candle has certain advantages.
- Itās safer than a real flame.
- Your pumpkin will last longer if youāre not heating it up with fire.
- LED lights come in a variety of colors, so you can choose something unique and fitting for your design.
7. How to Preserve Your Pumpkin
If you donāt do anything to preserve your pumpkin, you can count on it lasting about 3 to 5 days. It depends on where you keep it, the weather in your area, and the type of pumpkin you carvedābig pumpkins with thick rinds will generally last longer. Design also counts. The more intricate your design, the shorter your pumpkinās life span. Thatās because the connecting pieces of the design will start to shrivel, and eventually your pumpkinās face will sink in.
But there are a few things you can do to make your pumpkin last a little bit longer. First, if you donāt have it out all the time and you have the space, Granata recommends putting the pumpkin in a large sealable plastic bag and sticking it in the fridge. That can help stave off mold growth or prevent your pumpkin from drying out.
āBut donāt put it in the freezer,ā Granata says. āThat wonāt work. When your pumpkin defrosts, all youāll have is a pile of pulp.ā
If you see that parts of the rind are shriveling, you can also give your pumpkin a cold bath.
āWhat a lot of people donāt know is that the pumpkin will just soak that water right back up, and all those shriveled parts will re-inflate,ā says Granata. āYou can extend the life of your pumpkin for up to a week.ā
Pumpkins Arenāt Just for Halloween!
Pumpkin carving ideas donāt have to be limited to Halloween. āIāve carved just about anything you can think of into a pumpkināpets, family members, show cars, even body parts for a medical convention!ā Granata says.
These gourds are good all season long, and they donāt have to be ghoulish. Pumpkins tend to go on sale on Nov. 1, so Granata encourages carvers to take advantage of the low prices and scoop up some pumpkins to carve for Thanksgiving.
Marc Evans agrees. āWeāre big advocates of carving throughout the season. Pumpkins are a symbol of fall and really enhance the dĆ©cor at any fall event. Thereās something wonderful about the impermanence of a jack-oā-lantern, it parallels life itself.ā