Sculpting and carving are niche art talents.
But carving on pumpkin is a unique idea.
It is interesting how experts carve a monster, a dragon, a funny face and also a house on a pumpkin.
Choose a heavy pumpkin.
They may be round or look like a rugby ball.
Work to scoop out the rind.
When scooping the rind, do not yank it entirely as a little is needed for layering and effect.
Once you cut through the pumpkin from top or center, you get an idea of the thickness and depth.
Choose your symmetry accordingly.
If you are a novice, then choose a simple design.
Indigenous efforts are time consuming so pumpkin carving is surely a leisure activity.
Full fledged classes are available for learning pumpkin carving.
One can keep a picture or a model for first time carving.
Buy fresh pumpkins available directly at farms or visit the supermarket.
Make a funny faced pumpkin initially, when you get confident go on to make a monster or dragon.
Use some shells and seeds to create effects on ears, eyes and nostrils.
The colour need not be retained and spray paints are available to colour your pumpkin.
Be sure about the coats you need to apply to get the final colour.
Invest in carving tools like an ice cream scoop to dig out the inner rinds and any watery substances.
A jig saw is necessary to cut the pumpkin effectively.
Use it for a short time as it cuts the pumpkin perfectly.
The speed has to be adjusted to produce the right effect.
Use a good quality router to scrape the skin of the pumpkin.
Use a dab cloth often as the mess is very sticky and illusions the eye.
Use stencils and pencils to create the eyes, eyebrows and hair.
Firstly draw on a plain durable white paper and attach to the pumpkin through a small nail.
Stencil well and start the carving.
Daring ideas of flaming pumpkins can be achieved by insulating the inside of the pumpkin and throwing in a few fire sticks.
This minimally burns the pumpkin.
Use candle for glow.
A painted pumpkin with beady eyes and a candle inside makes it an interesting piece of art.
The art and craft can be acquired or one may possess a natural talent in carving ideas.
But the trick lies in preserving the pumpkin.
Spraying it with Lyson or fragrant listerine is an idea.
Metal lubricants work too.
Preserve it with ice, damp cloth cover, in an air conditioned atmosphere, use lemon juice or finally use an anti fungal application.
Sadly though, the life of a vegetable is limited and make sure to capture a number of photographs and shoot many videos to preserve your talent rather than the pumpkin.