Pumpkin Carving - Fun Ideas to Make the Holiday Festive

Besides the allure of candy and costumes on Halloween, one important thing beyond that are decorations. Namely, the Jack-O-Lantern. For some, this in itself is something that is the big deal of October 31st - even though there is always the chance of some mischievious children who may smash the piece of art work before the night is over. Below are a few ideas to expand beyond just a typical pumpkin face. As with all of these, simply using a search engine such as Google could lead you to pictures and perhaps even print-out patterns to get your halloween pumpkin carved.

Cat

While a cat may seem near impossible to carve out, perhaps the most popular image of any cat on halloween is a side profile of its back being arched. Not overly difficult, the main thing to remember is that with all the little lags of cat fur being arched is to go slow. One wrong move and kitty loses part of its fur - not that it can't be repaired with a little cleverness, but it's often times easier to just avoid mistakes. Be sure always as with all of these ideas, to make sure the pattern is taped or secured properly onto the pumpkin before marking the outlines.

Devil Trident

Not really too popular, this devilish idea can be drawn easily by even the clumsiest of artists. In fact, I have never seen one carved, perhaps because a real steady hand is needed in order to keep the thin 'poles' in the trident even and, more importantly, in tact. If you make the poles too wide, the pumpkin that remains between the spaces of the three poles can weaken and, unfortunately, break. So make sure you measure twice and if you have any doubts, be sure to re-consider your dimensions and change them as needed. And if you are still uncertain - check online for a visual aide.

Devil Pumpkin Face

Using the same 'generic' pattern for a standard pumpkin carving, this one is modified slightly by making two horns up near the top close to where the opening for the candle or light would be placed. Not too much skill is needed for this one and is finished relatively fast. Perhaps not the most classy, it can add to the fun moreso than seeing a dozen 'generic' cut faces on a street.

Star

Simple in style and easy to cut out as well as draw out your own pattern, one can variate how many stars they have on a pumpkin, or make one large pumpkin. Some creativity into play one could easily make the points slightly wavy instead of perfectly straight, creating something truly unique. While I know not how to do it, some skilled carvers even leave some of the inside of the pumpkin there, creating different styles of glow light from the pumpkin. This maneuver is quite tricky and if you want to try it I wish you the best of luck. Besides, it's easily repaired if you go too thin by simply removing the entire back.

Moons

One can create a celestial night scene using the aforementioned stars and the simple crescent shape pattern which is available anywhere - or easily drawn. This can be done to several pumpkins, giving a creative light-way to a house if one wanted. Be sure when doing this that you don't make the moon too large, however. Because too large an opening and the visual just isn't the same. I would suggest trying to thin out the moon, making it stand out with the light orange-glow of the inside pumpkin to wide open stars - or vice versa. Either should be pleasing to the eye.

As with costumes on halloween, decorations for the ever present Jack-O-Lantern are as infinite as the mind will stretch. If none of these ideas sound like something you would want to do, many stores sell packs of cutouts for halloween time. They offer some beginner, intermediate and difficult-to-do patterns which may even assist in one of the ways I have mentioned. Remember, when planning your pattern take your time, measure twice and be careful - the knives are sharp and parents SHOULD watch their children closely.