pumpkin - jack-o-lantern pictures

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Ky dad gave me a large pumpkin (we failed to grow any..well we did but the slugs got to it so the pigs had it), and I'm going to carve the usual face etc for halloween

anyone else doing it?
shall we post pictures for a laugh?

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ouchy

[Masco&Bongo]

Did ours last weekend to cheer my sister up (she is very ill)

May I present our first ever go at pumpkin carving..... (p.s. they are Boxer dogs, as we have 2)

('Scuse the pic quality, they were taken on a phone)

[MuddyWitch]

They are superb!!!

Not sure my usual efforts are photo-worthy now.

MW

[Muscroj]

omg they're fantastic!! I take it that some of the darker lit areas were where you 'thinned' the skin rather than cutting all the way through??

I'm feeling less enthusiastic about posting pics of mine now too!!!

[Muscroj]

ahah! I've just been having a look at some pumpkin carving stencils & found the one I *think* you used. I'm going to have a go with a stencil this year, they certainly make for a more impressive carving! Although I don't have a printer so will have to freehand copty a stencil & see if I can transfer it that way.

What tools did you use for the boxer? Just a knife? I'm thinking a melon baller might come in handy?

[Masco&Bongo]

Yup - very light areas are holes, the other bits have the skin removed, and a little bit scraped away on both sides...

We used small kitchen knives for the large sections/big cuts and small craft-type knife for the detail and scraping away. The stencil was taped to the pumpkin, and I used a pin to 'dot' all the lines before removing the stencil.

We hardly had to take much of the flesh out, as they pumpkins were pretty hollow inside, and even the scraped bits aren't scraped too much IYSWIM...

We got the stencil from here: http://www.bhg.com/holidays/halloween/p ... rite-dogs/

Honestly - take heart! I've never ever carved one before, not even a simple face!

[Muscroj]

well they look great, I did my first one last year and it was a rather basic jack-o-lantern, but it still made me smile (even if my then 2 year old was petrified of it!! lol)

I've just been having a look for some inspiration & take a look at this for some impressive pumpkin carving!! What I'd give to be that talented!

(I hope I'm OK to post links??)
http://www.funkydowntown.com/2008/10/in ... m-ray.html

[mamos]

Get some inspiration here http://www.pumpkingutter.com/

They will blow you away

mamos

[Martina]

Those are awesome, M&B!

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blimey - i usually only do a smiley face!!

[Millymollymandy]

blimey - i usually only do a smiley face!!

I haven't even tried that! but I had no idea that one could do such clever things with a pumpkin! Cleverest thing I do with them is make them into pie!

[MuddyWitch]

Thanks to you both for the links.

All inspired now...just wish I'd grown a pumpkin! (off to shop, will keep you posted!)

MW

[Martina]

blimey - i usually only do a smiley face!!

I haven't even tried that! but I had no idea that one could do such clever things with a pumpkin! Cleverest thing I do with them is make them into pie!

I second the pie making. I admire peoples creativity with the carving but nothing comes close to the smell of pumpkin pie!

Martina

[Muscroj]

right this is my attempt at something other than my usual zigzig mouth & triangle eyes. Not quite the masterpiece I had hoped for, but an improvement on last year.