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People with good artistic and craft skills may 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. Here are some tips on pumpkin carving using stencils:
- A carving saw is quite handy while working with fine and detailed carving.
- Transfer tool assists in transferring the designs from stencil to the pumpkin.
- You ma buy carving stencils in store, 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.
- 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 can be about a 1/8 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 saw blade of the carving saw 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 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 project desired silhouettes.
