The traditional welcome decorations for the trick-or-treaters have been always been the jack-o-lanterns. They become an invitation to stop by for a Halloween surprise and are made from the leftovers that you cannot use for Halloween cooking. Although carving a pumpkin seems easy to learn, it will take more tenacity than skill to achieve the best result. Here are the steps on how to carve the pumpkin into jack-o-lanterns decoration.
Pumpkin
- Choose a fresh pumpkin in a shape that you like. Some people like their pumpkins round and low while others prefer them tall and oval-shaped.
- Draw a hexagon or a circle on top of the pumpkin to prepare for an opening. Make sure the opening is large enough for your hand to reach through. Cut through the stem end of the pumpkin along your outline using a sharp knife or pumpkin-carve-tool. Cut through the tough and thick skin by using a back and forth slicing motion.
- Remove the stem end which acts as a cap. Scrape off any seeds or pulp inside the pumpkin. You can use a large spoon to scope out the seeds and pulp by holding the spoon by its bowl to get extra leverage while scooping.
- Make a pattern for the face on the clean pumpkin using a felt-tip pen. You can also use a pencil to scribe the lines into the skin. Draw the nose, eyes and mouth large enough to prevent difficulties during cutting out when a big knife blade is used to saw through the tough skin.
- As you cut all the way through the pumpkin, follow the pattern carefully to have a precise cut-out. Gently push the cut-out features from the inside of the pumpkin and discard the pieces.
- Create an eerie glow to your pumpkin by putting a votive candle inside it.
Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_3983_carve-pumpkin.html
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/denise-ann-wells/5038304740/
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