Oct 11 2008
Secrets to a Perfect Jack-o-Lantern
By Sirena Van Schaik
Despite all the new Halloween decorations that are available at stores across the country, I have found that the most important item you can have on your doorstep isn’t some screaming witch or twitching robot zombie but actually a well-carved Jack-o-Lantern. I have seen it over and over, the carefully decorated yard, the scary figures swaying on the patio and the first thing the children say is, “Look at the pumpkin.”
It is a little refreshing to hear that after years spent with high tech equipment, something as simple as a carved pumpkin is still enjoyed by the masses. But with that comforting thought, many Halloween decorators find themselves in the whole new area; how to have the perfect Jack-o-Lantern.
Thankfully, having a perfect Jack-o-Lantern really isn’t that difficult and it all comes down to a few things that you should remember; shape, size, color and carving. In this article, I will take you through the process of carving and if you are looking for more information on finding an excellent pumpkin; read our article “The Great Pumpkin Hunt.”
So you think you’re an expert carver? Yep, I’ve been there; my Jack-o-Lanterns have featured many different shapes for eyes, mouths and noses. I have even added the occasional ear. As nice as those pumpkins were, and I still carve traditional Jack-o-Lanterns now and then, I definitely wasn’t an expert carver.
And what does it take to become an expert carver? Well, actually, it isn’t a very hard thing to become. Basically, it all comes down to having the right tools and possibly the right patterns.
If you go to any store, you will probably see a handful of pumpkin carving kits. They are filled with scoops, cheap knives with orange handles and a few other instruments that you usually just toss away. These are not the tools that I was talking about. Sure, some of them come in really handy but for the most part, they either break or bend or they are simply not used.
Now, if you are serious about becoming an expert carver, by-pass all those useful pumpkin carving sets and drive over to a local craft store. There you will pick up a few of the following items and it will probably run you the same amount as the pre-made kits.
• Exacto knife and blade: If you can find a scalpel blade, all the better, but if you can’t don’t worry. A sharp exacto is fine but try to find one with a good grip since things get slippery during pumpkin carving.
• Clay Loop Tools: These are tools found in art and craft stores in the sculpting department. Basically, they are a looped blade on a wooden handle. You can buy complete sets but I have found that I only use the large loop and the small loop.
• Serrated Pumpkin Saw: Okay, this is actually not a must and I prefer to use a serrated kitchen knife but it is a matter of preference.
• Drill Bits: This is used to simply poke holes and lift out pieces of pumpkin.
There are a number of other tools that you can purchase but I have never really needed them.
After you have the tools, you will need to have a pattern to go from, or you will need to draw one onto the pumpkin if you happen to be more artistic than I am. Pumpkin patterns can be purchased at many stores or you can download them from sites such as Zombie Pumpkins or The Pumpkin Wizard.
Once you have a pumpkin pattern, it’s time to get started. Many carvers will recommend that the pattern be pricked into the pumpkin but I find it much easier to follow a pattern if I trace it onto the skin of the pumpkin with a marker – or have my husband sketch it on for me. If you choose the former, take a large needle and poke through the pattern, tracing it with pin pricks.
Remove the pattern and start cutting. Well…sort of.
It is actually a little more advanced than that, especially when you are trying to carve SpongeBob Squarepants into a pumpkin. Like all pumpkin carving, you want to start by opening up the top and scooping out the guts of the pumpkin.
Once it is cleaned, you can start carving. Most patterns are done with black and gray patterns and these designs show you where to cut through the pumpkin and where to simply carve away the pumpkin skin and part of the flesh.
The first step that you will do, following your pattern, is cut out the spaces where you are carving straight through the pumpkin. One tip that most carvers will give is to leave the pieces in the pumpkin until after everything has been cut. Once all the holes have been carved into the pumpkin, simply pop the pieces out.
After that, you will need to carve the other areas. This is done with the exacto blade, cutting down halfway through the pumpkin. Lift out pieces as you go along with the various tools at your disposal.
Lastly, using the clay tools, clean up the spots you have carved. At this point, you will want to work in a dark area with the pumpkin lit from inside. This will give you the opportunity to see where you need to thin out the pumpkin and will also show you how the image is coming out.
After that, your pumpkin will be the awe of the neighborhood and you will be able to enjoy that sentence that everyone loves, “Look at the wonderful pumpkin!”
[...] you are looking to create a pumpkin with several layers, I would recommend reading our article on Secrets to a Perfect Jack-o-Lantern but whether you are going all out or simply cutting a traditional Jack, I would strongly recommend [...]
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