Halloween calls for pumpkin carving and indulging in artistic endeavors. You can
fire your imaginations and use your creativity to the hilt in carving pumpkins.
People with good artistic and craft skills prefer carving their pumpkins
freehand, but those with underdeveloped artistic skills can still create
beautiful and detailed designs on their pumpkin by using stencils for their
carvings. In fact, stencils can be used beautifully to carve pumpkins in a
highly artistic way. Given below is the procedure for pumpkin carving using
stencils, just for you.
Carving Pumpkins
* To prepare the pumpkin for basic carving, cut out the top of the pumpkin, like
a lid and empty whatever is inside.
* Tape the stencil on the pumpkin and then using the transfer tool, press the
pointed tip through the paper stencil and the outer skin of the pumpkin, making
dots that are about 1/8th of an inch apart or may be a little closer.
* Transferring patterns may take time, but it becomes quite helpful when you
start sawing out the design.
* Remove the stencil only when you have transferred all the lines clearly. You
may use the same stencil twice.
* Push the tip of the carving saw blade into the pattern hole and saw through
the designs very carefully, using back and forth motions, connecting the dots.
* Follow the pattern edges carefully and align the saw blade to make straight
cuts into the pumpkin.
* At sharp corners, take out the saw, align the blade and re-insert in the
pattern hole.
* Cut out the pieces carefully, by first sawing them carefully and then giving
them a little push, using the blunt tip of a pencil.
* After removing all the cut pieces, trim the edges of the pumpkin, using the
carving saw at a 45-degree angle, to allow more light to shine through the
design. Remove the cut pieces from inside the pumpkin. Coat the edges with
petroleum jelly.
* If the stem from the pumpkin has broken off, do not cut the lid from the top.
Instead, cut a similar round from the bottom of the pumpkin, to allow you to
insert the candle, so that you won't need the handle for the lid.
* Now, add a lit candle to your pumpkin, so that your design shines eerily
enough and projects desired silhouettes.
Tips
* A carving saw is quite handy while working with fine and detailed carving. On
the other hand, transfer tool assists in transferring the designs from stencil
to the pumpkin.
* You may buy carving stencils, draw on paper or copy a pattern from somewhere
on the paper. Trim the extra paper using the scissors, leaving half an inch of
border to tape the pattern on the pumpkin..
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