| Issue #31, October 27, 2006 |
Carve It Up
Carving pumpkins has become an art form in recent years. I remember when everyone used simple kitchen knives to carve out a rudimentary face in their Jack-O-Lantern. Now, it seems like everyone is a relief sculptor, at least for one day a year. Companies produce entire kits that include mini-toothed saws, stencils, directions, plastic scoopers, and even tea-lights. While on one hand, the whole process of needing kits to carve pumpkins frightens me, I have to admit that I’m impressed with the artistry and level of gourd sculpture that has arisen recently.
My first departure from run-of-the-mill carving technique came about when I wanted “HAPPY HALLOWEEN” to glow from my pumpkin. I wanted to produce something that wasn’t carved in simple block letters. I didn’t have a mini-toothed saw blade to slowly and methodically work my way through the pumpkin; instead, I used a Dremel. The Dremel is a multi-purpose tool with various interchangeable blades, sanding drums, and drill bits. One of the attachments looked like a drill bit, but it was designed to cut with its sides, not drill. It was perfect for what I was doing. I scribbled “HAPPY HALLOWEEN” on the pumpkin with a Sharpie, and then went to town with the Dremel. It wasn’t exactly the cleanest technique; small pieces of pumpkin splattered around the work area, pulp got in the bit, and my hands were covered with juice. But in less then ten minutes, I had carved out all of the words with minimal physical effort. Now, I’m not suggesting you try this technique, as there is a slight chance of electrocution, but you can look into other ways.
The kits are great, not as easy as they seem to be on TV, but if you have the time, are willing to put in the effort, and don’t mind hand cramps from gripping the little saw, then by all means, go for it. But there is another way to go about carving pumpkins with care: sculpture tools.
A purist may think it’s absurd to take your gouges and wire tools to something other than the task for which they were initially intended, but if the goal is to carve the pumpkin, it should be by any means necessary. If you are looking to do relief carving, gouges make quick work of pumpkin flesh. The sharp blades can remove layers easily, saving you time and effort.
Use a circle saw to cut out perfectly round eyes. Use a jig saw to carve an intricate pattern. When in doubt, fine, use one of those cutting kits. They are fine, just be careful because if you’re cutting a hard, thick pumpkin, the blade may very well break. If that’s the case, well, there’s always the chef’s knife.
–Christian McLean
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