Pumpkin Face Patterns: Tips and Techniques

Pumpkins that are chosen for carving purposes need to be firm to the touch and have no soft areas that are seen or felt. Always check under the bottom of any pumpkin to make sure that the area does not have discoloration present. Having a stem can add character and charm to the pumpkin face patterns you make, but it this is not a “must have” feature. If your selection has a long stem do not carry your pumpkin by holding the stem in your fist, it is very easy to break the stem or drop the pumpkin by doing this. A pumpkin that is bumped, kicked, or banged about will develop darkened areas that turn soft quickly.
While some kids like pumpkin face patterns that can be made on an intact pumpkin by using markers or paint, most prefer carved pumpkin face patterns so they can enjoy the way these look at night with a light placed in the hollow cavity. Kids can help make the pumpkin design, but the carving should be done by an adult because handling a pumpkin can be slippery work.

When you are ready to begin you should have a thick layer of newspapers arranged so that you can clean up easily. Pumpkin face patterns are great fun to make, but these are very messy. The first thing to do is to cut a hole in the pumpkin so you can hollow it out. Some people will cut a circle in the top of the pumpkin and use the stem as an easy handle to lift the cut top when needed. Others will choose to hollow the pumpkin by slicing a large round circle from the bottom. This will give you a more secure base for your pumpkin and a bigger opening for scooping out the pumpkin and the seeds. The best scooping implements are large cooking spoons or soup ladles.

The pumpkin sections that you remove can be used to make pumpkin soups, bread or pies, and the seeds can be roasted and eaten. Once the pumpkin is hollowed out to your satisfaction you can decide on exactly what type of pumpkin character you want to create. There are many designs like witches, moons, and stars that can be used as well as the more common jack o’ lantern faces.

Some pumpkin face patterns are made by cutting triangle shaped eyes and nose and a grinning mouth that are all carved by completely cutting through the pumpkin shell. There are some pumpkin face patterns that can be traced onto the outer shell with a marker and then hollowed out down to the inner membrane but leaving this area intact, which gives your pumpkin face a more eerie glow at night.

Stores and online sites carry a variety of pumpkin face patterns on templates that can be purchased for very little money. Some of these templates are stencils and some are stickers that attach to the pumpkin to show you where to cut. You will even be able to find plastic, cutters, and knives that are made especially to help trim those hard to cut lines and corners on your favorite pumpkin face patterns.

There are even ways to make unique pumpkin face patterns by using an awl or knitting needle to punch holes around the edges of your desired shape to make a silhouette that lights up at night. Making a spider or a witch on a broom come to life in this fashion is easy to do and great fun. When making different pumpkin face patterns you can change any common design by expanding the lines of the mouth and eyes or angling the lines down or up. For the best results with any pumpkin face patterns, let your imagination be your lead.