Carving Tips
Carving:
Everything up to this point was just prep work. Now comes your time to shine. It’s time to put your surgeon-like hands to the test and start slicing up that pumpkin like it has appendicitis. Start by cutting out the smallest holes and then gradually moving on to the bigger ones. Make sure you’re only cutting the parts that are meant to be cut. There’s no “undo” button you can press that will put that piece of pumpkin back on. Have a copy of the pattern nearby so you can look at it for guidance. Don’t make the common mistake of thinking that one section was meant to be cut out when, in fact, the pattern called for the exact opposite.
Depending on the complexity of your pattern, you may have to create areas with a mid-tone to them. To do this, you simply scrape off the outer layer of skin from the pumpkin and leave the flesh underneath it intact. I recommend that you do this after you have already cut out all of the sections that need to be completely removed. If you work on only one type of pattern-tone at a time it will help reduce confusion compared to switching between them.
