- 1). Cut the top of the pumpkin off using a sharp knife. Set the top aside for later. Scoop out the insides of the pumpkin and dispose.
- 2). Scrape away the inner lining of the pumpkin in the area you want to carve. Scrape off 1/2 an inch of the pumpkin wall, using a spoon to gently tear away the skin. Continue scraping until you have thinned the surface of the carving area.
- 3). Trace an image onto the front of the pumpkin, using a pencil. Draw the shape you want to create on the pumpkin, such as a ghost or black cat. Use a stencil to make the tracing if you're free hand drawing skills aren't strong.
- 4). Draw a circle around the image so the whole picture is contained within the circle. Draw the circle so the bottom of it hits the bottom of the traced image. For example, if you drew a cat onto the pumpkin, make the bottom of the circle meet the cat's feet.
- 5). Scrape away the skin of the pumpkin around the image inside the circle. Use a spoon or other sharp tool to scrape off a 1/4 inch of pumpkin, so there is still a pale orange skin left in the negative space between the image and the circle.
- 6). Place a lit candle inside the pumpkin and place the top back on the pumpkin. The candle will illuminate the thinly carved pumpkin skin so the light shines through and casts an eerie glow on the image.
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