A light touch is helpful when you’re carving through etched pumpkin sections, like when you’re creating this upside-down bat’s carved eyes. Try using a long pin tool, like the one you use to prick the stencil pattern, to gently pierce the etched section using a twisting motion. For cutout sections bordering etched sections (like the sections forming the bat’s nose), saw gently and slowly along the etched border to prevent accidental breakage.
To carve:
- Tape your bat stencil to a pumpkin that you’ve cleaned out thoroughly. Use a long pin tool to prick holes along the stencil’s lines, keeping the pinpricks close together. Tear off the stencil, but keep it nearby.
- Refer to the stencil to locate areas surrounded by dotted lines. Etch those areas with a gouge, removing just the pumpkin’s top layer of skin.
- Locate areas on the stencil surrounded by solid lines, and carve those areas with a thin crafts knife. Saw gently, following the pinpricks, and leave cutout sections in place until the entire design has been carved.
- Press gently on the cutout sections to push them outward, and light up your pumpkin’s design by adding a flameless candle to the interior.
