@kaboompics
13 Easy
Pumpkin Carving
Ideas
By Sofia Dias
07 of October 2021
@kaboompics
13 Easy
Pumpkin Carving
Ideas
By Sofia Dias
07 of October 2021
Have you ever found yourself thinking of which design to use for your pumpkins this year?
Well, fear no more! We’re going to give you thirteen ideas (yes, eerie 13) to carve your pumpkin.
From cool, to scary, to elegant, you’ll find plenty of ideas to choose from below. And they require little effort and will look great!
Family fun
@daisy-anderson
You can’t really fully embrace the spirit of the Halloween season without a glowing Jack-o’-lantern on your doorstep. And carving one can be a fun family activity that brings everyone together and creates those family memories we all cherish.
If you have little ones, participating in these activities will encourage their creativity and create a sense of accomplishment. So for those of us out there that love to join the pleasant to the useful, this is the perfect family activity.
You can use your pumpkins to decorate your fireplace mantel, your front porch or even your dining table.
So gather up your gear and gourds, set the mood with your favorite Halloween movie and let’s do this!
And so we begin…
The first thing to do will be to get yourself a few pumpkins. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with a farmers’ market, this pumpkin hunt can be a fun activity to do with your family.
Find a nice, big plump pumpkin. This will make it easier to carve out smaller details and will have a bigger impact on your room decor. Choose one with an intact stem—the greener the better. This will help your pumpkin stay fresher for longer.
You can also get yourself some smaller pumpkins to use as decoration around the main one.
Pro Tip: Decide on your designs before heading out to buy the pumpkins, so that you know which shape you need to get.
You might also want to consider where you will be placing the pumpkins to decide on the size you should get.
And so we begin…
The first thing to do will be to get yourself a few pumpkins. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with a farmers’ market, this pumpkin hunt can be a fun activity to do with your family.
Find a nice, big plump pumpkin. This will make it easier to carve out smaller details and will have a bigger impact on your room decor. Choose one with an intact stem—the greener the better. This will help your pumpkin stay fresher for longer.
You can also get yourself some smaller pumpkins to use as decoration around the main one.
Pro Tip: Decide on your designs before heading out to buy the pumpkins, so that you know which shape you need to get.
You might also want to consider where you will be placing the pumpkins to decide on the size you should get.
The tools
1 – You will need a sharp and strong knife for the main carving, and a smaller knife (like a paring knife) for the smaller details.
Beware of safety, especially if you have kids around. Make sure that if you’re not using the knife to store it away safely. Or you can get a kitchen cloth of a bright color to use as your dedicated “knife resting place” to place it when you’re not using it.
2 – You can use a lemon zester and vegetable peeler for decorative effects and textures. A melon baller can also be used to make eyeballs for example.
3 – Lastly, and ice cream scooper will help you remove the strings and seeds.
And which designs should i choose?
You can choose whatever fancies you the most!
You can pick a classic spooky Halloween design, a movie or character you like, or simple twirls and stripes to match the decor of your home.
If you choose to use stencils, you can use them two ways: to draw out the shapes or to puncture the shapes.
You can follow the below instructions for each option:
1 – draw out the shapes
- cut out the black areas of the stencil.
- use tape to stick the template to you pumpkin.
- with a light colored marking pen draw out the shapes you cut out.
- Remove the template
2 – puncture the shapes
- Use tape to use tape to stick the template to you pumpkin.
- With a puncher (or another sharp object) start punching the template around the edges of the black areas of the template. If you lift the template you will see a row of small holes that will guide you in the carving process.
3. Remove the template
This process reminds me of what we used to do in pre-school with sponges and a fun image. And it’s apparently very good for practicing hand-eye coordination for the little ones!
It’s something that you can let the kids do by themselves. It takes a while longer so it’ll keep them busy while you prepare other tasks you might be busy with. Just beware of safety again and make sure to supervise them and collect back all the sharp thingies! I found this puncher for sale here.
Once you’re done with the markings, take a step back from your master piece to ensure it looks right, and then carve away!
Take out the bigger areas first, like the eyes, and finish the lighter details like the mouth with the paring knife.
You can then use a dark grey pen to lightly paint these areas. This will darken these areas a little bit to give your pumpkin more impact.
And which designs should i choose?
You can choose whatever fancies you the most!
You can pick a classic spooky Halloween design, a movie or character you like, or simple twirls and stripes to match the decor of your home.
If you choose to use stencils, you can use them two ways: to draw out the shapes or to puncture the shapes.
You can follow the below instructions for each option:
1 – draw out the shapes
- cut out the black areas of the stencil.
- use tape to stick the template to you pumpkin.
- with a light colored marking pen draw out the shapes you cut out.
- Remove the template
2 – puncture the shapes
- Use tape to use tape to stick the template to you pumpkin.
- With a puncher (or another sharp object) start punching the template around the edges of the black areas of the template. If you lift the template you will see a row of small holes that will guide you in the carving process.
3. Remove the template
This process reminds me of what we used to do in pre-school with sponges and a fun image. And it’s apparently very good for practicing hand-eye coordination for the little ones!
It’s something that you can let the kids do by themselves. It takes a while longer so it’ll keep them busy while you prepare other tasks you might be busy with. Just beware of safety again and make sure to supervise them and collect back all the sharp thingies! I found this puncher for sale here.
Once you’re done with the markings, take a step back from your master piece to ensure it looks right, and then carve away!
Take out the bigger areas first, like the eyes, and finish the lighter details like the mouth with the paring knife.
You can then use a dark grey pen to lightly paint these areas. This will darken these areas a little bit to give your pumpkin more impact.
When to start carving?
Pumpkins fade away fast. And the more you carve them out, the quicker it happens. So the best time to carve them will be the closest possible time to when you want to use them, about two days before the event.
Also, make sure that you start carving only when you have time to finish it all the way to the end. Once opened the pumpkin will start withering, and you can’t really finish the work properly the next day or even a few hours later.
Pro Tip: To make your carved pumpkin last longer check out this post from Chemistry Cachet by Alexis Rochester that has some really good tips.
And now where do i start?
First, be prepared for a bit of a (fun!) mess.
Use a work surface with plenty of space and use an old tablecloth to make sure that your surface doesn’t get any stains.
Then scoop out everything that you can. You can use your hands or the ice cream scoop to remove the seeds and insides. This will help your pumpkin stay fresher for longer since there are fewer moist bits to begin the molding process. It will also help to keep squirrels and other small animals away.
Pro tip: While it’s traditional to make the jack-o-lantern’s hole at the top, cutting around the stem, this will actually cause your pumpkin to decay quicker, since the stem keeps “feeding” the pumpkin even after being picked.
It’s also best to not cut the pumpkin at the bottom, since this will cause it to have a soft and soggy bottom, making it more likely to cave in.
Most professionals recommend cutting a hole in the back wall, opposite from where you will carve your design. Then, you can hollow out the seeds and insides from that back opening.
Also, don’t make a perfect circle when you cut out the opening. Add one jagged notch at the top of the circle so that I’ll be easier to fit the pieces back together.
And now where do i start?
First, be prepared for a bit of a (fun!) mess.
Use a work surface with plenty of space and use an old tablecloth to make sure that your surface doesn’t get any stains.
Then scoop out everything that you can. You can use your hands or the ice cream scoop to remove the seeds and insides. This will help your pumpkin stay fresher for longer since there are fewer moist bits to begin the molding process. It will also help to keep squirrels and other small animals away.
Pro tip: While it’s traditional to make the Jack-o-lantern’s hole at the top, cutting around the stem, this will actually cause your pumpkin to decay quicker, since the stem keeps “feeding” the pumpkin even after being picked.
It’s also best to not cut the pumpkin at the bottom, since this will cause it to have a soft and soggy bottom, making it more likely to cave in.
Most professionals recommend cutting a hole in the back wall, opposite from where you will carve your design. Then, you can hollow out the seeds and insides from that back opening.
Also, don’t make a perfect circle when you cut out the opening. Add one jagged notch at the top of the circle so that I’ll be easier to fit the pieces back together.
So now that you’re all set and ready, find below thirteen ideas to choose from, and make your Halloween decor extra special!
1 The Nightmare Before Christmas
@yuliachinato
A classic Halloween movie (should we call it vintage by now?), The Nightmare Before Christmas is packed with cool ideas for Halloween. Carve out a Jack Skellington that’s super easy and looks super cool.
Pair it with natural elements, like leaves or sticks, and a few smaller pumpkins to finish the look.
2 A scary Jack-o’-Lantern
@zachlez
Depending on the shape of your pumpkin, here are two ideas for a spooky Jack-o’-lantern pumpkin.
Once you’re finished, you can illuminate the inside for a creepy look at night. You can do this with either small lanterns or small led lights for a less maintenance option. Another benefit to using the lights is that you don’t need to worry about accidents and possible fires. I found these LED candles that might work for you.
Pro Tip: If you cut too deeply and a Jack-o’-lantern tooth fell out just use toothpicks to connect the pumpkin pieces.
2 A scary Jack-o’-Lantern
@zachlez
Depending on the shape of your pumpkin, here are two ideas for a spooky Jack-o’-lantern pumpkin.
Once you’re finished, you can illuminate the inside for a creepy look at night. You can do this with either small lanterns or small led lights for a less maintenance option. Another benefit to using the lights is that you don’t need to worry about accidents and possible fires. I found these LED candles that might work for you.
Pro Tip: If you cut too deeply and a Jack-o’-lantern tooth fell out just use toothpicks to connect the pumpkin pieces.
3 Curls and Twirls
Bring an elegant look to your decor with some simple twirls and stripes designs. Mix and match a few for a combination of textures.
4 Mix different pumpkin types
@andreasavgousti
Different sizes and colors create a nice contrast. So get a few pumpkins and gourds with different colors, shapes and sizes and mix them up.
5 The Grinch
@andreasavgousti
This squash has the perfect shape of the Grinch’s face for a creepy effect. And it’s really simple to cut out. So if you can find one with this shape you can go for it.
Just be careful to leave enough space between the eyes and eyebrows.
6 The Scarecrow
@charles-parker
Love Horror movies? Well then this idea is for you. It has a bit of a cheat to it though. You only carve out about half the depth of the pumpkin and then you paint it black for an extra spooky effect. It’s a great looking Scarecrow inspired idea.
You can try the same technique with other designs as well and see if it gives you what you’re looking for!
7 Boo!
Another super easy and cute idea is to carve out the word “Boo” in your pumpkin. And if you like it check out the sweatshirt we have that is Bootiful!
8 The Marshmello
@anniespratt
This is another themed inspired pumpkin carving idea, this time based on the Marshmello.
Technically speaking, you don’t really carve this one out, except for a hole at the bottom to add a light inside the pumpkin, but it does create an awesome effect!
Get yourself a pumpkin that’s as close as possible to a square shape. Then paint the two crosses on the pumpkin and draw the smile. And that’s it!
9 Horror Movies
Here’s another horror movie theme pumpkin. It’s easy enough to make and super creepy. It’ll be a show stopper!
10 The Happy Jack-o'-lantern
@danilevich_olia
This simple design can easily be done by the kids and will bring a happy vibe to your decor.
This try carving out a bottom tooth only, like the bottom example. It’s too cute!
@juandiegovargas
11 The Happy Family
Another easy and light-hearted design that’s sure to put a smile in the face of the little ones. Love the little guy at the top
12 Love Joy Peace
Try out a set of three simple and uplifting words or quotes, like the above, for a quick decor.
Remember to keep sections between the lines to hold the inside of the letters to the pumpkin.
13 SURPRISE!
This simple design is surprisingly cute. Love the idea of adding it to the Hera. Perhaps you can do something similar with dry leaves? It’s a quick and easy decoration for your garden. You can also replace leaves with some hay and some cobwebs for a more rustic feel.
Running out of time?
Well then, use a couple of cookie cutters. They make excellent “hole punches” for instant cool designs—especially if you have bats, ghosts, and other Halloween shapes at hand. You can use a hammer to gently puncture the pumpkin with the cookie cutter.
It might be an excellent stress release exercise as well!
Another option is to simply use a little paint, no artistic ability needed. For example, paint a pumpkin with a variety of mismatched shapes in different colors, then freehand a few additional cut-outs, and you have yourself a Jackson Pollock pumpkin!
So here you go, 13 easy ideas that you can use to carve your pumpkin this Halloween. Choose the one that matches your theme for this year and then just have fun!
And here are the templates for all the above designs that you can download to help you get started.
Enjoy!
