Every year, Halloween is celebrated world-over as the spookiest time of the year! For the little ones, Halloween is a free-for-all candy fest as they happily go door-to-door, collecting treats. For others, the festival is a chance to challenge their creativity and find their inner craftsman.
When it comes to scary pumpkin faces, there is, of course, no one way to do it right. Think witch or a classic zombie face — from the creepy black cat to the good ol’ laughing ghoul — here are some of the best DIY ideas to help you decorate your pumpkins.
1. Classic Ghoul-Face
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If you are a beginner at pumpkin carving, the classic ghoul-face is your pumpkin of choice.
After removing the top of the pumpkin using a knife, you can start extracting the pulp inside. Once your pumpkin is hollowed out, draw the eyes and a zig-zag-shaped mouth pattern using a marker or a pencil. Cut the pumpkin around the markings you just drew on.
For an additional dramatic effect, place a bulb or lantern inside, and watch the shadows dance! Your easy-to-carve ghoul-face is ready to scare.
2. Scary Witch
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Ready to cast a magic spell on your pre-teen visitors? To create the full look of the scary witch, you will need a hat, a parsnip, and your usual carving tools. Once you have marked the eyes and the mouth using a knife or a fork, you will start digging.
For that signature long witch-nose, use parsnip or a similar-shaped vegetable. Cut the parsnip in half and attach its base to the pumpkin using toothpicks (or warm adhesive). To make the hat, you can print out a simple white (or black) pattern and fold the paper into a cone. Finally, place this hat on top of artificial stems or twigs from a broom, so it looks like messy witch’s hair.
Ta-da — your classic witch is here to make your night a little more nightmarish!
3. The 3D Zombie-Face
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Here’s one for the pros! If you are looking to really test your pumpkin-carving skills, this 3-D zombie mission is a chance to prove your mettle. Inspired by none other than the professional pumpkin maestro Paulo Machado, all you need for this recipe are your carving tools.
After peeling the area you want to carve with a pair of peelers, you start by carving out the details of the zombie-face using a blade. As you go along, you will learn how to use different types of blades or knives to carve out specific details.
For instance, making the eyes will require a knife that can cut into the pumpkin pulp a little deeper. On the other hand, to carve out the folds and crevices of the skin, you will need a knife with a ring-shaped end.
A video tutorial for making this little masterpiece is available on YouTube here.
4. Scary Feline
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Crossing paths with a black cat is universally recognized as a bad omen. Popular culture has vilified these poor little kitties to the point that no Halloween is now complete without your standard scary feline.
Start off by finding the perfect, orb-shaped pumpkin. Now cover the entire surface of the pumpkin using black paint. For ears, use black foam and glue them on each side. To make the eyes and nose, you can draw triangle shapes onto the pumpkin skin, and then carve these out using a knife.
For the mouth, carve out a semi-circle while making room for at least two upper and three lower teeth. And finally, for a little bit of that whisker realness, you can glue on pipe-cleaners or blackened candy sticks (three on each side).
And there you go! Your scary feline is ready to give you the scare of the night.
5. Scary Clown-Face
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Clowns send some of us into fits of laughter. For others, it is jitters of scares. Bizarre and mysterious, there is absolutely nothing that creeps us out more than seeing an evil clown-face carved on a pumpkin.
And what’s more, you can make one of your own using these simple, easy-to-follow instructions:
• You will need a carving knife, white paint, and three oil markers (red, white, and yellow).
• Use white paint to cover the entire surface of the pumpkin.
• Then, using a pencil, draw the eyes as two crescent shapes tilting slightly upwards.
• Draw on a broad, toothy smile in place of the mouth.
• Cut into the patterns using a knife for a more enhanced, grin-like effect.
• Use markers to color the rest of the clown face.
As a cherry on the clown, you can attach a red tennis ball for that signature clown nose.
For a visual demo, here’s a Youtube video to help you turn your pumpkin into a scary clown. Happy carving!
