![\"The](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,format=auto,quality=90\/card\/6148cd06a03faf0001453b3f\/6148cd06a03faf0001453b3f_medium.jpg?version=1\")
![\"@2Fs](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/profile\/5d0ba0b3679da551b6b91925\/5d0ba0b3679da551b6b91925_picture_medium.jpg?version=1\")
@2Fs Design<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/div>
![\"Bite](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,format=auto,quality=90\/card\/612e8b479cb1330001b73016\/612e8b479cb1330001b73016_medium.jpg?version=1\")
![\"Jade](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/profile\/6088782629ab5d0001a3f5ca\/6088782629ab5d0001a3f5ca_picture_medium.jpg?version=3\")
Jade Muat-Dodd<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/div>
![\"Fang-Tastic](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,format=auto,quality=90\/card\/613769452dd2080001f0865b\/613769452dd2080001f0865b_medium.jpg?version=1\")
![\"Creaternet\"](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/profile\/5e9193062326740001494386\/5e9193062326740001494386_picture_medium.jpg?version=3\")
Creaternet<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/div>
![\"The](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,format=auto,quality=90\/card\/616b2b2211da7600016e3f0e\/616b2b2211da7600016e3f0e_medium.jpg?version=1\")
![\"Simply](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/profile\/5eb095ef4c9c3c00019ec8be\/5eb095ef4c9c3c00019ec8be_picture_medium.jpg?version=2\")
Simply Fe<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/div>
![\"Happy](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,format=auto,quality=90\/card\/5f88a62961fba70001112765\/5f88a62961fba70001112765_medium.jpg?version=1\")
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Cheeky Witch\u00ae<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/div>
![\"Boo!](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,format=auto,quality=90\/card\/5f85f07c287a0200015f3304\/5f85f07c287a0200015f3304_medium.jpg?version=1\")
![\"Studio](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/profile\/5953959ce4b0c0cb59d14e0f\/5953959ce4b0c0cb59d14e0f_picture_medium.jpg?version=6\")
Studio 9<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/div>
![\"Halloween](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,format=auto,quality=90\/card\/61546104a03faf000145bf04\/61546104a03faf000145bf04_medium.jpg?version=1\")
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Jodie Gaul & Co<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/div>
![\"Happy](\"https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,format=auto,quality=90\/card\/617020d55fe58500016316b7\/617020d55fe58500016316b7_medium.jpg?version=1\")
https:\/\/images.thortful.com\/profile\/5ecf8b74c54dbb00015ca50c\/5ecf8b74c54dbb00015ca50c_picture_medium.jpg?version=5<\/p><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n
We\u2019ve also got a guide on what to write in a Halloween card<\/a> if you\u2019re looking for a little bit of inspiration this spooky season.<\/p>\n Forget blunt kitchen knives, or those fiddly, cheap little carving kits. The best way to carve a pumpkin is to have everything prepared ahead of time, and an area laid out at your kitchen table with all of your equipment. Think of carving a pumpkin like preparing food \u2013 having a blunt knife or unsuitable tools will make the job a lot harder, and potentially more dangerous!<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019re going to attempt some more advanced pumpkin carving designs, you\u2019ll need a few extra bits.<\/p>\n thortful pumpkin carving tip:<\/strong> Keep hold of those little silica gel packets you get in boxes and bags throughout the year, and put them in your pumpkins to help dry them out and make them last longer!<\/p>\n Next, it\u2019s time to design a pumpkin! Choose your pumpkin carving designs ahead of time \u2013 some designs won\u2019t work on every pumpkin. For instance, you might need a particularly tall or wide squash to make your scary pumpkin carving ideas come to life. There are tons of awesome ideas on the internet, but here are just a few pumpkin carving ideas:<\/p>\n Remember, the more complicated the design, the greater the risk of something going wrong \u2013 so if you\u2019re not completely confident you know how to carve a pumpkin like a pro, start with something a little simpler.<\/p>\n Lots of pumpkin carving designs feature different levels of carving, where you don\u2019t cut all the way through the pumpkin skin, but instead just scrape away some of the outer skin so the light of a candle shows through. This creates a gradient effect that can look fabulous \u2013 but it\u2019s also a lot harder to do. If you\u2019re not completely confident in your abilities, stick to easier pumpkin carving designs that have clearly marked areas to cut out, and work your way up to the more complex designs.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve found a design you like, print it out and make sure it\u2019s the right size for your pumpkin \u2013 you might need to mess around with the size you\u2019re printing at to get one that\u2019s the right fit.<\/p>\n First, decide where you want to cut the top of your pumpkin \u2013 don\u2019t go too far down, or you risk cutting off space you want to leave for the design. You\u2019ll also need to decide whether you want to prepare your pumpkin from the top or the bottom, depending on what look you\u2019re going for.<\/p>\n Draw a circle on the top or on the base of your pumpkin, around the stalk or around the dimple on the bottom. Make sure the hole is big enough that you can comfortably reach in to scoop out the inside of the pumpkin. Then, use your sharp knife to carefully cut out the hole, and make sure the lid fits back on snugly.<\/p>\n Then comes the gross bit \u2013 scoop out the insides of your pumpkin, making sure you get all of the seeds and stringy fibrous strands. Your ice scream scoop will work great for this \u2013 and if you have a spoon with good, flat edges, it\u2019s also really helpful for making sure you\u2019ve got all of the gunk off the interior \u2018walls\u2019 of the pumpkin.<\/p>\n Once the interior of your pumpkin is free of pumpkin bits, pat it dry with some paper towels, and get ready to learn how to carve a pumpkin.<\/p>\n thortful pumpkin carving tip:<\/strong> If you\u2019re going to carve out your pumpkin by scraping off the skin instead of cutting through, make sure you cut out your pumpkin lid on the top \u2013 otherwise when you put a candle in, there won\u2019t be enough oxygen to burn, and it will snuff out.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re super confident, you can try to carve your design freehand \u2013 but if you\u2019re just graduating from your basic pumpkin face to something more complex, the best way to carve a pumpkin is by using a stencil. Once you\u2019ve done this a few times, you might find you feel you\u2019re a bit closer to carving a pumpkin like a pro, and you can attempt it by following the look of the design without needing to tape the stencil on.<\/p>\n For the time being though, stick to taping your printed design onto the pumpkin and following it instead. Cut around the rough shape of your face or illustration, leaving plenty of space around the main design to attach it to the \u2018face\u2019 of the pumpkin. Use masking tape to stick your stencil down, folding the paper over itself where the pumpkin curves.<\/p>\n Score a line around the edge of your design with your sharp knife, without cutting through so you can see easily where your design starts and ends. Then, use your cocktail stick or the tip of a pen to make dotted lines along the black parts of your stencil, leaving you with dotted lines on the pumpkin\u2019s skin. This will make it a lot easier to carve, and means you can remove the stencil altogether.<\/p>\n It\u2019s finally time to get carving. But what\u2019s the best way to carve a pumpkin? Well, use your sharp knife to follow the dotted lines, and don\u2019t be tempted to cut in big slices. Keep your knife movements small and steady, and work your way through the wall of the pumpkin without punching through and slicing a bigger cut than you intended.<\/p>\n If you really want to know how to carve a pumpkin like a pro, instead of cutting through, try the \u2018scraping\u2019 method we mentioned before – carve away the dark bits of the design, so you\u2019re not cutting all the way through, but are instead carving through the wall of the pumpkin\u2019s skin to a depth of about half a centimetre.<\/p>\n It\u2019s sometimes easier to go from the centre of the areas you\u2019re cutting out towards your scored lines, as this helps you keep the details intact. You can also use a potato peeler to help you scrape away some of the larger areas.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re wondering how to carve pumpkin faces, the steps are pretty much the same \u2013 but if you\u2019re looking at some of the impressive 3D textured faces, you might want to invest in a proper sculpting kit, or at least some craft knives.<\/p>\n thortful pumpkin carving tip:<\/strong> Make sure you keep your hands dry to avoid slipping. Spooky severed fingers might be Halloween appropriate, but not when they\u2019re yours.<\/p>\n We know you\u2019re excited to jump straight into your pumpkin carving, but it\u2019s important not to carve it too early this October. Doing so will mean that by the time Halloween rolls around, your pumpkin will look sad and droopy rather than haunting and spooky\u2026<\/p>\n So, we\u2019d recommend carving your pumpkin no earlier than a few days before Halloween. Anytime from the 28th onwards is perfect!<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve followed our guide on how to carve a pumpkin like a pro, you\u2019re now hopefully looking at a showstopping sinister pumpkin, expertly carved and ready to go out on your windowsill or porch. And if your pumpkin is a bit more messy than menacing, that\u2019s alright \u2013 chalk it up to practice, and get ready for next year\u2019s pumpkin to be better than ever.<\/p>\n Well, that\u2019s everything from us on pumpkin carving, but for more Halloween inspiration and crafty how-to guides, simply head over to the thortful blog<\/a>!<\/p>\n You can dive into our Halloween costume ideas<\/a> and Halloween party ideas for adults<\/a>. Or, why not take a look at our top 10 Halloween cakes<\/a> and cook up a spooky sweet treat?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1. Gather your tools<\/h2>\n
\n
2. Choose a design<\/h2>\n
\n
3. Prepare your pumpkin<\/h2>\n
4. Apply your design<\/h2>\n
How to carve a pumpkin<\/h2>\n
When to carve pumpkins<\/h2>\n