Pumpkins will be attacking our homes as Halloween approaches. Furthermore, Halloween is one of the best festivals for decorating. There is a lot you can do with all the decorations, the most famous of which is the jack-o-lantern. For those unfamiliar with the jack-o-lantern, it is a pumpkin with design carvings. Some people utilize pumpkin carving templates, while others sketch their designs on them freehand. There are so many hacks that many people do not even consider, but we will try to present you with fantastic pumpkin carving hacks in this blog post.
1) Use a dry-erase Marker.
The first thing you’d have to do is draw a pattern on the pumpkin. And it is natural to make mistakes when drawing. So, instead of a permanent marker, use a dry-erase marker for the same purpose. This will be useful if you need to redo your pattern. By doing this you merely have to use a damp paper towel to remove the marker.
2) Bottoms Up
After precisely carving your pumpkin, you may be eager to bring your work of art to life by inserting a candle inside. Your instinct may be to cut the hole from the front but always cut from the bottom as this hides the cuts and keeps the front of the pumpkin intact and ready for your design. Plus, poking a light flame through the top of a jack-o-lantern isn’t exactly a feast, and you can wind up burning your fingers. Place a lit candle on top of the cut-out base. You will never have to battle again if you place the hollow gourd over the flame.
3) Cutting it out
Cutting a pumpkin to get the pulp out can take a long time, and you may need to be patient, especially if you’re attempting to get the pulp from a small aperture. You must excel in making a deep side cut to allow for better movement while using a scoop or scraper. This will eventually aid in removing all of the pulp from inside the pumpkin.
4) Gutting the pumpkin
You must use an ice cream scoop to get the gut out of your pumpkin. This ice cream scoop is designed solely for scooping. To carve a great pumpkin, try to get the gut out of your pumpkin entirely. Not only will the scooping assist in removing the gut, but its sharp edges will assist in making the pumpkin thinner before carving it.
5) Experimenting with the drill
Everyone loves the jack-o-lantern with triangular eyes and a toothy grin. But what if you try something different this time? Instead of carving a simple jack-o-lantern, use a drill to create a dotted pattern around your pumpkin. You can pick a drill and begin drilling on the pumpkin when carving.
6) Use Cookie cutters
Suppose you intend to carve standard shapes on the pumpkin, such as stars, circles, and numbers. Then, instead of a knife, use cookie cutters to complete the task. Place your pumpkin on a level surface and use the pointed side of your cookie cutter to carve the shape. Hold the cutter carefully with your fingers out of the way, then tap the center with a rubber waddy until it goes all the way inside the pumpkin. Another tip: if you’re carving on a giant pumpkin, it’s a good idea to thin down the pumpkin’s walls so that carving is easier.
7) Going by the lines
If you choose a stencil-based pattern, your pumpkin will have uneven lines, which may be a significant difficulty for any carver. Don’t worry. In that case, you may use this trick, which requires only three items: thumbtacks, tape, and baby powder. You may need to use tape to adhere the stencil to your pumpkin, and then use a pin or thumbtack to poke tiny holes along the outlines. Then, remove the stencil and sprinkle the baby powder over the pumpkin. White powder will fill in the microscopic gaps, making carving easier.
8) Carve two days before Halloween
A carved pumpkin will begin to rot within days of breaking the skin. If you want to preserve your carved pumpkin looking as good as new, moisturize it with petroleum jelly. This will slow down the browning and withering of the pumpkin. You can apply petroleum jelly to the cut surfaces to seal moisture and slow dehydration. If you want to offer your pumpkin an extra layer of rot protection, apply the jelly inside the gourd.
9) Etch instead of carving
Etching a pumpkin is significantly easier than carving it since it only requires removing the top layer of its surface, which is far easier than slicing a pumpkin through its flesh. You can use a Lino cutter, mainly intended for cutting linoleum tiles, to carve intricate designs you may have desired. Begin by carefully etching around your pattern using a thin blade attachment, then move to a thick one to etch in the center of your design. Keep your pumpkin steady and your hand out of the way as you etch.
10) Lightening it up
If you use candles, one of the oldest ways to light up your jack-o-lantern, it’s time to change, as the candle will blow off if it is exposed to cold winds. However, if you want your lantern to glow all night, you must use solar lights or reusable battery lights. Some light bulbs on the market also flicker like an original candle, but you won’t notice the difference. A plus point here is that you can utilize your flickering lights next Halloween.
11) Put some cinnamon
To execute this hack, lightly dust the top of the pumpkin lid with a tiny bit of cinnamon. After that, blot with a paper towel. Before lighting a candle or reinstalling the lid, make sure there is no loose cinnamon within the pumpkin that could catch fire. After a few minutes, your room will then smell like cinnamon spice.
12) Pumpkin Fangs
Do you want to make your pumpkin scarier than ever before? Then this is the hack for you. All you had to do was cut a small rectangular hole in the side of a more miniature pumpkin and insert a set of fake vampire fangs from any store nearby. You may also use round map tacks to make red eyes or go for googly eyes.
Conclusion:
So here are the top 12 pumpkin craving hacks to make your craving process much smoother and more precise. So get ready to wow every ghoul who comes knocking. Children and adults appreciate Halloween and making things simple is what everyone wants. We have tried to do the same by providing you with simple and quick hacks and methods for carving out the perfect pumpkin for Halloween.
