How to make a pumpkin for Halloween. Making a beautiful lantern for the holiday. Sinister pumpkin for Halloween - how to make a Jack-o'-lantern How to make a beautiful pumpkin for Halloween

Carved from a pumpkin in the form of a terrifying head. Everyone can create their own design to decorate a pumpkin for Halloween. To develop your child's creativity, you can make your own pumpkin together.

The autumn holiday is coming soon and are you thinking about what you could make beautiful and unique with your own hands? The solution to this issue is described step by step in this article. We read and make beautiful pumpkin crafts with our own hands step by step.

It doesn't matter who you are: a child or an adult; If we're talking about carving a holiday pumpkin, the process will be messy, difficult, and frustrating when the artwork starts to rot after just a few days.

To save you and your little one from a tearful goodbye to your pumpkin friend, there are plenty of simple tricks that will make Halloween pumpkin carving a much more enjoyable experience for the whole family.

From ways to make the process easier to tips on how to extend the life of your masterpiece, here are 16 life hacks you need to carve a Halloween pumpkin.

How to peel a pumpkin

Choose the most beautiful and symmetrical pumpkin. Then use a knife to cut a hole in it. Use a spoon to remove pulp and seeds from the pumpkin.

Lifehack! If you plan to put a candle inside the pumpkin, make a hole in the top. If instead of a candle you put a jar with a garland, make a hole at the bottom.

Lifehack! When your child plans to participate in pumpkin carving, encourage them to scrape out the middle of the pumpkin using an ice cream scoop to make it easier for them.

How to carve a pattern on a pumpkin

Prepare in advance a template that you will use to carve the pumpkin. You can draw or even print it on paper, then tape it to the pumpkin and transfer the design by piercing it along the outline. Then remove the template and cut out the pattern using a knife along the dotted line.

Lifehack! If you decide to draw the design directly on the pumpkin before carving, use a regular marker, not a permanent one, so that you can safely erase incorrectly drawn lines.

The second way to cut out designs on your Halloween pumpkin is with metal cookie cutters. You will need a hammer and pliers.

The third way to make a beautiful and original pumpkin for Halloween is to drill the patterns with a drill. To make them even, stick masking tape or colored tape along the line of the future pattern.

How to put candles in a pumpkin

If you plan to use traditional candles, it's best to leave the top of the pumpkin exposed to prevent it from baking. But you can also take a small tea light, put it in a small glass or jar, and cover it with a pumpkin on top, the main thing is that there are enough holes and the air inside the pumpkin has time to cool.

A safer lighting option is safe garlands and candles that run on batteries. Wrap the garland around the jar so that the light is distributed evenly and the bulbs do not come into contact with the wet walls of the pumpkin.

Multi-colored glow sticks can also serve as pumpkin lights.

To prevent the pumpkin from withering on the first day, lubricate its inner surface with a solution of water and vinegar, and the edges of the patterns with Vaseline.

Lifehack! Inside the pumpkin, place a packet of silica gel, which is usually found in shoe boxes, to prevent mold from forming. Just remember, if you have a small child, it is better to place the pumpkin with silica gel so that the baby cannot reach it and cannot swallow the gel balls.

We hope this article was useful to you and you can easily and beautifully carve a pumpkin for Halloween. And your family and guests will appreciate the originality of pumpkin crafts at the highest level.

Although Celtic monks have long made lanterns from vegetables, usually rutabaga, beets and turnips, to drive away evil spirits, the tradition of lighting a jack-o'-lantern comes from North America. They were the first to use pumpkin and made it one of the main attributes of the most “terrible” holiday.

Classic Halloween Pumpkin

Traditionally, the jack-o'-lantern is carved into the shape of a scary head. Americans call it the Jack-O-Lantern. It appeared thanks to an old legend about an old farmer named Jack. This man was lazy, dishonest and very fond of drinking. At the same time, he managed to deceive the devil twice. After death, there was no place for Jack in heaven or hell. Looking for a way in the darkness, the farmer asked the devil for a lamp, but he only threw him a few smoldering coals. Jack had to make a jack-o'-lantern and put coals in it. With him he began to wander in search of peace between earth and sky.

Making your own pumpkin for Halloween is not that difficult.

To keep your pumpkin decor fresh for a long time, soak the vegetable in water for several hours.
To make the pattern last longer, it should be coated with vegetable oil or Vaseline.
To prevent the jack-o-lantern from frying from the inside, make several small holes in the lid of the vegetable - streams of hot air will flow out.
If you rub the inside of a lantern with nutmeg, it will emit a pleasant aroma when lit.
Try to choose a fresh pumpkin for your lantern. The fruit has a not too hard skin, so it will be easier for you to cut out patterns on it.

Making a lamp

Take a pumpkin, its size may vary, but its color is only orange. Draw a circle, square or zigzag around its stem. The size of the figure must be large to free the vegetable from the pulp. Using a thin knife, cut through the fruit along the marked lines. Do this at a slight angle so that the cut top does not fall inside the lantern.

Using a spoon, remove the pulp and seeds from the vegetable. Using a felt-tip pen, draw the contours of the fetus’s eyes, mouth and nose – the mouth is often shaped like a crescent with a pair of fangs, the eyes and nose are shaped like triangles. If you have a stencil, attach it to the vegetable with tape, and then transfer the outline of the design by piercing the lines with a thin awl or needle. Cut through the peel of the fruit along the marked lines.

You can remove the cut pieces by prying them with a knife, or push them inside. To make the outline beautiful, scrape off the protruding pulp with a knife. Remove the cut pieces from the fruit, place a candle inside and cover it with a “lid”. The Halloween pumpkin is ready.

Original pumpkin ideas

Halloween doesn't have to be limited to just Jack-O-Lantern. The house can be decorated with other pumpkin crafts. This fruit is an excellent material for creativity. You can create many unusual decorative items from it.

Modern pumpkin

If you don't really like the sinister face, you can decorate the vegetable in a more modern way. For example, using rivets.

This pumpkin is easy to make. Purchase several packs of rivets from a craft or sewing store. They need to be stuck in a row so that they run parallel to the stripes of the fruit. This is how you need to decorate the entire pumpkin.

Another unusual Halloween pumpkin, the photo of which is presented above, is also simple to create. You will need acrylic paints in contrasting colors. They need to paint the peel through the sections.

Elegant lamp

Option 1

In addition to its intended purpose, such a lamp can serve as a vase.

You will need:

drill and drill bits of different sizes;
glow sticks – plastic tubes that, after breaking, can glow for a while or wireless LED lights;
pumpkin;
tape or tape;
glass beaker or jar;
large knife;
flowers;
scissors.

Using a marker or felt-tip pen, outline the design with which you plan to decorate the fruit. It should consist of holes of different diameters. They are best done using various verifiers. To make the design symmetrical, use electrical tape. When all the holes have been drilled, use a knife to cut off the top of the vegetable at an angle and scoop out its contents with a spoon.

Glowing pumpkin

These pumpkins will look beautiful with the lights off.

You will need:

fluorescent neon paints of different colors;
several pumpkins;

Clean the surface of the vegetable. Starting from the stem, draw thin vertical stripes, then next to them draw stripes of a different color.

The lines do not have to be neat; they can go down to the bottom of the fruit or up to the middle. You don’t have to paint over the entire surface of the vegetable. You can apply other designs this way. Before painting, the pumpkin can be coated with acrylic paint of any desired shade.

Pumpkin candle holder

Candlesticks like these, depending on how you decorate them, can make beautiful fall decor or a worthy decoration for Halloween.

You will need:

small pumpkin;
brush;
drill;
candle;
glitter;
universal glue.

Measure the diameter of the candle and select a hole saw of the appropriate diameter. Cut off the stem of the fruit, determine its middle and carefully drill out the core. From time to time, clearing the drill from the pulp, drill the vegetable to the required depth. If you don't have such a tool, you can use a sharp knife with a thin blade.

When the hole is ready, cover the fruit with glue and sprinkle it generously with glitter. Once dry, spray with hairspray to prevent glitter from falling off. Now place the candle in the hole.

Spooky pumpkin ideas

For those who are sure that they need to scare someone on Halloween, we suggest making scary crafts out of pumpkins.

creepy pumpkin

This is a variation on the Jack-O-Lantern theme. This Halloween pumpkin will impress your friends and family. To make it you will need 2 pumpkins - large and small.

Let's deal with the big fruit first. Cut off its top; do this at an angle so that later the “lid” does not fall through. Use a spoon to remove all the pulp and seeds. After that, apply the design as in the photo. The opening of the “mouth” should be large enough to fit a smaller pumpkin.

Cut out the mouth along the contour and highlight the teeth. The latter need a little polishing.

You can start making the eyes. Make pupils - they will give the craft a more frightening look.

Now take a small pumpkin. She needs to be made scared. It is better to remove the pulp from the fruit through the mouth, so it must be large. When the small pumpkin is ready, insert it into the large mouth.

Pumpkin - bat

The symbols of Halloween are evil spirits, including bats. So why not make these ominous creatures from another traditional attribute - pumpkins.

You will need:

black acrylic paint;
white cardboard;
small pumpkin;
black paper.

Cover the surface of the pumpkin with paint. While it dries, start making the eyes, ears and wings. Cut out eyes from white cardboard. Make pupils from black paper and glue them to the center of the cardboard eye blanks.

Draw a pattern of wings and ears. Place them on black paper and cut out four identical shapes. Place 2 shapes together and glue them together, after placing part of a toothpick inside. For the wings, you can use skewers or stiff wire.

Paper pumpkin

Not everyone has the opportunity or desire to tinker with a real pumpkin. The house can be decorated with a paper pumpkin.

Option 1

Cut out blanks from green and orange paper, as shown in the photo. Sizes may vary depending on how big you want your pumpkin to be. Take a rectangular piece - the middle of the fruit, bend it so that a cylinder comes out, and glue it together. Bend all the cloves outward.

Apply glue to the bottom and top teeth of the cylinder. Glue one of the long strips to the teeth. Glue the remaining strips in the same way.

Take 2 green pieces and score them, cutting one piece from bottom to middle and the other from top to middle. Connect the parts. Glue the tail to one side of the pumpkin.

Option 2

You will need:

orange paper;
thin green ribbon;
thin wire;
needle;
scissors;
pencil;
glue;
pliers.

Make a template that matches the picture below and use it to cut out blanks from orange paper.

Bend each segment slightly inward, and then do the same with their round parts.

Gather the round ends of the lower parts together and insert the wire with the sharp end into the hole.

Glue the first and last segment together, then slide the top round pieces onto the wire and round the end of the wire.

Tie a ribbon to the curve.

Pumpkin from a book

If you have unnecessary books lying around, you can find a worthy use for them, for example, make something unusual out of them. There are many crafts that can be made from unwanted publications - postcards, frames, boxes, lamps and even flower pots. We'll show you how to make a Halloween pumpkin from an old book.

You will need:

Old book;
paper;
paper cutting knife;
glue – glue in a gun is suitable, it can be replaced with PVA;
a can of orange paint;
green decorative ribbon;
twig;
pencil.

Draw the outline of the future pumpkin on paper. To make it symmetrical, fold the sheet in half, draw only half of the fruit, and then cut it out. Separate the cover from the book and fold the prepared template onto the binding.

Trace the template with a pencil, separating several pages - 5-6, and start cutting out the shape.

Continue cutting out book pages until you run out. When you cut out the pumpkin half, try to cut a couple of millimeters closer to the center each time, otherwise your fruit will begin to expand. It is better to cut off unnecessary pages from the spine with a paper knife.

When the blank is ready, glue the first and last pages. Apply glue to one sheet at a distance of 5 mm from the binding, attach another to it and press. To make the pumpkin stable, glue a few more pages in different places. Place the book vertically and, slightly pulling away from the binding, straighten each leaf, making the pumpkin more symmetrical. If necessary, you can glue the pages.

Once the pumpkin has the desired shape, start painting. Place the product on the paper and spray paint on it from a can. You can paint the edges or the entire surface of the petals.

Cut a small piece from the prepared stick, apply glue to one of its ends and insert it into the core of the product. Hold the stick until the glue dries, and then tie a ribbon.

The Halloween pumpkin is as much a symbol of the holiday as numerous costumes, specific dishes and scary stories. With the appearance of a pumpkin with a candle inside, the magic unique to this holiday penetrates into our home, and everything takes on some special, mystical meaning.

It's simply impossible to forget about pumpkins on the eve of Halloween. There are many articles, photographs and recommendations on the Internet about ways and techniques of carving pumpkins for Halloween. Almost everywhere they say that there is nothing difficult about carving a funny or scary face out of a pumpkin. However, if you have ever tried to make a Jack-o'-lantern yourself, you have probably encountered a number of problems.

Firstly, the pumpkin peel can be quite dense and tough, which creates significant difficulties when cutting; in addition to the fact that significant physical force is required, the chance of cutting yourself increases sharply. Secondly, even if you managed to cut off the top of the pumpkin and take out the insides, when cutting the pumpkin easily breaks, cracks, and in general everything turns out not as beautiful and neat as in numerous pictures on the Internet. And thirdly, the pumpkin must be cut out exactly on October 30-31, otherwise it will begin to dry out, wither, or even worse, become moldy.

Faced with all these problems, you might think that there is a special profession in the world called pumpkin carving, which is in great demand on the eve of Halloween. Of course, in reality such a profession does not exist, but knowing the technology and with a little practice, you can carve the most creepy and impressive pumpkin for Halloween. To begin with, it would be a good idea to prepare and stock up on all the necessary tools and materials. You should start by choosing a pumpkin. A classic Halloween pumpkin should be orange; the brighter and more saturated the color, the better. But in fact, it is not at all necessary to look for an orange pumpkin. There are many varieties of pumpkins of different colors, and you can take any, because in the twilight of the night, when the uneven flame of a candle sparkles inside this pumpkin, it will be difficult to make out the color of the pumpkin itself.

Color is not the most important thing about a pumpkin. Examine it carefully; the fresher it is, the better. It is also worth paying attention to the shape; try to choose a pumpkin with the most rounded shapes. Oval, flattened or any other shapes may be generally interesting for decoration, but they will be much more difficult to carve into. Once your Halloween pumpkin has been chosen, prepare the basic tools that will definitely come in handy during carving. You will need dishwashing liquid, a sponge, a marker, several very sharp knives with blades of different lengths, a board, a plate, a tablespoon, alcohol, cotton wool, an awl and a candle. Don’t be intimidated by such a long list; each of these tools will definitely come in handy.

You need to start by thoroughly washing the pumpkin. Use a sponge and dish soap to not only clean, but also degrease the peel. This is necessary so that the marker fits better on the surface. Now it's time to use the marker. Using it, draw a circle around the stalk; the diameter can be any, the main thing is that your hand can fit freely into the future hole. Take a sharp knife with a strong, rigid blade and cut out the “lid” along the drawn circle. In this case, the knife should be held at an angle to form a cone-shaped cut, then the future lid will not fall into the pumpkin. Now you will need strength and accuracy. Grab the stem and begin to turn the cap while pulling it out, using the knife again if necessary. Trim off excess pulp and fibers from the lid. Now use an awl to make several holes in it. They are necessary so that the hot air from the candle comes out of the pumpkin better, and it does not start to fry from the inside. Half the job is done, your Halloween pumpkin is almost ready.

Now you need to clean the inside of the pumpkin. First, remove the seeds and fibers with your hands, place them on a plate and do not throw them away. The seeds can then be dried and added to soups and many other dishes. Next, a spoon will come in handy. Surely, the walls of the pumpkin are still quite wide, and you can’t remove all the fibers with your hands, so you can’t do without a strong tablespoon. Carefully scrape out any remaining fibers, seeds, and excess pulp. The optimal thickness of the pumpkin walls is about 2 centimeters. In this case, it will be easier for you to cut it, and at the same time it will not break.

And now the most difficult part - cutting out the face. To get the most original and impressive Halloween pumpkin, you need to be patient. Think about what exactly you want to carve out of your pumpkin. Whether it will be a classic face or something else, if it is still a face, then what kind of face it will be - cheerful, angry or surprised. You can find a template, cut it out and use a marker to transfer it to your prepared pumpkin, or you can show your imagination and draw something yourself. Before you start carving, look at the pumpkin again, make sure that the design meets all your requirements, if you don’t like something, use cotton wool and alcohol, carefully erase the marker and redo the design. Paint over the places that you need to cut, this will avoid annoying mistakes. Now you can start cutting. Place the tip of the knife on the outline and press gently, now the main thing is not to rush and follow the pattern as closely as possible. If you need to cut a corner, do not try to turn the knife, it is better to pull it out and stick it in at a different angle. Once the face is cut out, remove any remaining marker.

Don't expect that this is the end of the Halloween pumpkin carving process. There are still 12 long hours ahead, which will be required to dry the pumpkin. And only then can you put a candle inside and cover the pumpkin with the cut-out lid. The carving procedure is not easy; preparing a pumpkin requires time, patience and accuracy. However, only the first time will be difficult, and each subsequent pumpkin will turn out more accurately than the previous one. While you are fantasizing and coming up with your own ways to decorate a pumpkin for Halloween, we offer several original ways to decorate the main symbol of this holiday.

A Halloween pumpkin is also called a Jack-O-Lantern, so you don't have to cut out a scary face. Patterns made from circles or diamonds carved on a pumpkin will look original. This method is suitable for novice pumpkin carvers, and will also be useful if you decide to carve not one, but several pumpkins at once for Halloween. Prepare the pumpkin in the same way as above, remove the flesh and cut out small circles or diamonds in any order or by folding them into a pattern. Place candles inside and put several pumpkins together, you will get a bright, unusual composition that will surely be remembered by all your guests.

What to do if you can’t find a perfectly shaped pumpkin? Don't despair and use your imagination. Even if you decide that you will carve a face, you can get creative and do something unusual and unusual, and an irregularly shaped pumpkin will only help you with this. Prepare the pumpkin by removing the seeds and carefully scooping out the flesh. Draw the future eyes and mouth of the face. Now use a vegetable peeler and simply peel off the peel from these places. Now you can use a sharp knife with a short blade and carefully cut out the eyes and turn the pumpkin into a charming monster with an equally charming fanged smile. Once the skin of the pumpkin is cut, carving will become much easier, so you won't have any problems creating 3D, sharp teeth. Now you can use wire and a Christmas tree decoration painted in the shape of a Halloween pumpkin. Attach the wire to the stem and hang the toy. You will get an original flashlight that will definitely impress all those invited.

A Halloween pumpkin doesn't have to be scary! It should be just a pumpkin with a candle inside, and what character and “face” it will have is up to you to decide. So, the pumpkin may well turn out to be cute, and it’s not just a matter of smiling. Try making an "elderly" pumpkin for Halloween! Prepare the pumpkin, cut out a kind face smiling with a toothless smile and place it in a preheated oven. The baking time depends on the size of the pumpkin, make sure that it does not start to burn and remove it from the oven as soon as it becomes soft and wrinkled. When the pumpkin has cooled, place a candle in it and surprise your guests!

While preparing for Halloween, you will probably come across many striking examples of the design of the main symbol of the holiday, inspired by which you will come up with and make your most original and amazing pumpkin.

Alena Karamzina

Pumpkin is the main symbol of Halloween (or All Saints' Day). Why exactly a pumpkin and why do they carve beastly faces on it?

The tradition of carving vegetable lanterns comes from Ireland and Great Britain and dates back to the times of the Celtic Druid monks, who used these sinister-looking lanterns to drive out demons and evil spirits.

Lanterns were usually carved from turnips, beets and rutabaga, and until the 19th century had nothing to do with All Saints' Day.

The custom of carving pumpkins for Halloween comes from North America, where pumpkins were associated with the harvest season. The American jack-o-lantern was named the Jack-O-Lantern and became the official symbol of Halloween in 1866.

Who is the Jack-O-Lantern?

A pumpkin light flickering in the darkness symbolizes the souls of the dead wandering between heaven and hell.

Legend has it that once upon a time there lived a careless farmer, a drunkard and a thief, Jack. One day Jack was running away from angry peasants whom he had robbed. And then on the way he met the devil, who announced to Jack that the hour of his death had come. Sly Jack persuaded the devil to delay death in exchange for the opportunity to bewitch the righteous peasants who were chasing the thief. He suggested that the devil turn into a coin, with which Jack would pay for the stolen things, and when the devil/coin disappeared, the peasants would fight with each other, finding out who stole it. The devil agreed and, turning into a silver coin, jumped into Jack's pocket. But he was immediately deprived of his witchcraft power, as he found himself next to the cross that Jack had stolen in the village. Jack promised to let the devil go if he promised not to take his soul to hell.

When the time of death came, Jack could not go to heaven because of his sinful life, but he was not allowed into hell either, because they promised. It was dark around and Jack had nowhere to go. He asked for a lantern, and the devil mockingly threw him embers from hell. Jack carved a lantern out of a pumpkin, put coals in it and began to wander the earth in search of peace.

How to carve a Halloween pumpkin (Jack-O-Lantern)?

You will need:

A knife with a sharp and short blade. It is most convenient to make cuts with a small saw or a short knife with a serrated sharpening, a penknife, or a file knife. If possible, it is best to immediately purchase a special carving kit that includes all the necessary tools. Using regular knives is more difficult to work with pumpkins. A carving knife costs around 50 UAH, and the set shown in the picture below costs 300 UAH.

Template with a face

Awl (thick needle, ballpoint pen)

Scraper (spatula)

Cutting board

Candle. Do not use a candle that is too tall, otherwise the top wall of the pumpkin may burn. If there are small children in the house and you are afraid of experimenting with fire, a regular flashlight will do.

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Instructions

1. Pumpkin selection. Choose the most beautiful, most proportional, round and orange pumpkin. Choose only ripe fruits with a smooth and dense surface without damage or stains. It is desirable that the pumpkin be symmetrical. Pay attention to the tail (stem) of the pumpkin. It should be hard, dry and at least 5 cm long. Pumpkins that have begun to spoil discard the tail. If you plan to place a candle inside later, it is recommended to select a fruit more than 20 cm in height. Remember, we don't care what the pumpkin tastes like, we're only interested in how it looks after carving. Reminder: pumpkin, especially if not dried in fresh air, begins to rot in 5-7 days, so it is best to prepare it 3-4 days before the holiday.

2. Wash, dry, apply a design. Wash and dry the selected pumpkin. If this is your first time carving a pumpkin, put the knife aside and grab a marker first. You will use it to draw lines along which you will then make cuts. Make sure that the marker is easily erased from the surface and does not leave marks.

3. Cleaning the pumpkin. The Jack O'Lantern job begins by cutting out the top of the pumpkin. You can also cut out not the top of the pumpkin, but the bottom. This option is appropriate for those who do not plan to place a candle inside, but want to insert a jar with a candle or a flashlight.

We cut the lid along the contour using a knife, which must be held at an angle to form a cone-shaped cut: this way your lid (eventually) will not fall inside the “head”. To remove the lid, pull the stem and twist the lid if necessary. Trim any excess pulp and fiber from the lid if you use it.
Next we need to clean the inside of the pumpkin. It is very convenient to clean out the seeds and pulp directly with your hands. To do this, use a special spoon for pulp. In the absence of such a tool, you will have to work with an ordinary tablespoon. Remove all the insides from the pumpkin and scrape down the sides. If the pumpkin is large, then the top hole should be no smaller than your fist so that your hand can easily penetrate inside.

For optimal results, the thickness of the walls on the side of the pumpkin where you will cut the face should be 2-3 centimeters. There is no need to thoroughly scrape the sides, otherwise the thin peel will remain unsupported and fall through. The teeth on the knife leave small nicks. The edges of the cut need to be trimmed a little.

4. Applying a pattern to the pumpkin. Now you can move on to applying patterns to the sides of the pumpkin.

Draw a sketch on paper first, make sure this is exactly what you want. Keep in mind that straight lines are much easier to cut later than rounded ones. We attach the design to the smooth and beautiful side of the pumpkin with electrical tape and use an awl (ballpoint pen) to outline the outline that is imprinted on the peel. Paint over the areas of the pumpkin that will be cut out to make them easier to see. This will make it easier for you to cut.

Pumpkin stencils
If you lack artistic skills, the option of using a stencil (template) is perfect for you. Several examples are presented below. By printing such templates on paper, you can make your work much easier and you don’t have to worry about the result.

5. Cut out the design. Place the tip of the knife on the outline and gently press it. Use a back and forth motion to cut the pumpkin. Take your time, try to follow the contour as closely as possible. If you need to make a sharp angle, remove the knife and insert it at a new angle.

6. Making lighting. After finishing the work, leave the pumpkin to dry.

If you lightly sprinkle the inside of the pumpkin with cinnamon, the aroma from such a special candle will fill the whole house with holiday in minutes.

Then the lighting can be installed. This could be a small candle, a garland or a lantern. You can place a candle (or several candles) inside the pumpkin. Place the candle in a glass cup and leave the top of the pumpkin open for ventilation. Another alternative could be a small flashlight.

Video tutorial "How to carve a pumpkin for Halloween"

Perhaps the most important symbol of Halloween is the sinister pumpkin with a lantern inside. Dom.by will tell you how to carve a pumpkin for Halloween (make a Jack-o'-lantern), as well as how to preserve the result of your labor for a long time. For greater convenience, we suggest using templates for cutting out Halloween pumpkins.

Why pumpkin? - history of Halloween

Before carving a pumpkin for Halloween, let's figure out why we should decorate this particular fruit on the eve of the holiday. The ominous lamp, which is also called a Jack-o'-lantern, symbolizes a cursed soul that cannot find refuge. The whole point, as you might guess, is Jack, a drunkard from Ireland. On the eve of All Saints' Day, he wandered along the street, wanting to drink, without a single penny. Then the devil appeared and offered his help, of course, in exchange for Jack's soul. He was not taken aback, and when the devil turned into a coin, he quickly put it in his pocket - along with a silver cross. Then it was the turn of the lord of darkness himself to ask, and in exchange for freedom, he promised not to touch the drunkard for another 10 years. But even a decade later, Jack managed to wring out a confession that his soul would not go to hell.

It cannot be said that the Irishman lived a good life, so after death he was destined to go to the underworld, but the devil kept his promise and did not accept it. So that the soul would not have to walk in absolute darkness, the devil shared a coal from his fire with Jack, and he put it in a turnip so that it would not go out. Since then, Jack has been wandering around, waiting for a better life. And we are getting ready to carve a jack-o'-lantern for Halloween.

Stage 1

We choose a pumpkin: the larger its size, the more difficult it will be to work, although the appearance, of course, will be very impressive. But for the first time it is better to choose a medium pumpkin. A prerequisite: it must be proportional, and the peel must be without defects, especially in those places that the knife will not touch.

Stage 2

It’s time to choose a lamp; it is he who determines the progress of the work. If there is a light bulb, garland or flashlight inside the pumpkin, then cut a hole from the bottom - this way it will be less noticeable. If you don’t like all these electrical things and you want to “revive” the structure with a candle, then make the cut from the top. This is the advantage of making your own Halloween pumpkin; you can adjust the size of the cuts to suit your lighting.

Stage 3

You need to remove the insides from the pumpkin. Get rid of everything: pulp, seeds, fibers. The less of this is left, the longer the Jack-o'-lantern will last. It is more convenient and faster to remove the insides with your own hands.

DIY Halloween pumpkin: stage 4

Mark the locations of future cuts. To do this, use a marker to draw the outline of a face: a nose, eyes, a smile or a toothy mouth (define the character of your lamp yourself).

No artistic talent? No problem! You can use templates for carving pumpkins - photo below.

Stage 5

Cut out the design along the contour. The knife should have a short, narrow blade. It all depends on your accuracy and the quality of the template for carving a Halloween pumpkin. We hope that everything turned out very accurately.

Stage 6

When the fetus has a “face”, you can give it light. If you choose a candle, then place it in a transparent glass - this will make it more stable. For ventilation, be sure to leave the top opening of the pumpkin open. Brighter light will be provided by electrical objects, for example, a garland. Wrap it around a small jar and place it in the structure. Since in this case the hole will be at the bottom, you can even hide the cord that will lead to the outlet. However, it is better, of course, to look for a battery-powered glow element.

And be sure to remember that this is not just a beautiful thing, but also a fire hazard. Do not leave lit candles or electrical appliances unattended.
Important!

How to save a pumpkin for Halloween?

Before you carve your Halloween jack-o'-lantern, make a solution to sanitize it. Its composition: a liter of water and a tablespoon of bleach. Using a spray bottle, spray the mixture onto the fruit: inside, outside, at the cut sites. Wait about half an hour: let the solution absorb and dry. Or you can put the pumpkin in bleach for a couple of hours, let it dry and then periodically irrigate it with a chlorine solution, which will moisturize the plant and at the same time destroy microorganisms that contribute to rotting. Ordinary Vaseline will also do an excellent job of moisturizing: lubricate the inside of the lantern and the cut lines with it. This method will prevent bacteria and mold from encroaching on the pumpkin.

It's not enough to carve a Halloween pumpkin correctly - you need to store it properly. This lamp does not like direct sunlight and excessive humidity. The optimal temperature is 10-15 °C; at cooler temperatures the plant will soften faster.

We showed you how to carve a jack-o'-lantern for Halloween. The rest is up to you!