Get Pumpkin Carving Tips From Hudson Valley’s Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze Master Carver and Creative Director

Michael Anthony Natiello brings a childlike sense of joy to work every day — and that's because his 9-to-5 is to curate, create and display two dozen themed installations and 7,000+ hand-carved pumpkins for The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze in Hudson Valley. From gorgeous gourd jellyfish to stunning arched bridges, Michael shares his favorite way to properly carve a pumpkin with tips and tricks learned a lifetime ago. "My love of pumpkin carving started as a kid," Michael says. "So, carving pumpkins in the eighties in New Jersey with my parents. And little did I know that someday it would become this big, a passion."

If pumpkin carving is your passion, there's a job for that. "We have a team of 20 working five days a week carving pumpkins to replace the ones that rot," master carver Michael says. "And there's an application process. As pumpkin carving as an art form becomes more and more popular, people are applying with pumpkin carving resumes."

Decades of carving have honed Michael's craft, boiling down the process to a short list of must-dos. First things first: Choose the right one. "When you’re looking for a pumpkin, the carve [design] will usually dictate the type of pumpkin you choose ... or the pumpkin [shape] could dictate what it becomes," he says.

"The design I’m carving today will be on the top," Michael continues. "It's based upon 18th-century creamware." To carve this design, you will need a pumpkin, tracing paper, a pencil, a permanent marker, a pumpkin scoop, pushpins, a keyhole saw, a drywall hand saw, a candle, a lighter and a bucket.

Much like thumping a watermelon to indicate ripeness, the rind of the pumpkin also holds a secret to carving success. Michael explains, "You want to test [the pumpkin] by using your fingernail to gently poke into the rind. If your fingernail leaves a deep mark, it’s not so good — it’s soft. You want a harder pumpkin that will last longer. And you also want to look for a pumpkin that has a good stem because that’s where all the nutrients come in."

Contrary to traditional carving styles, Michael prefers to cut from the bottom. If the pumpkin design is on top, like the 18th-century creamware design, keep the top and stem intact. But for Michael's Jack O'Lantern Blaze team, efficiency is key. "The reason we cut the hole in the bottom is so you can put it right over a candle easily and quickly. But for me, it’s aesthetics — that line of light [at the top] always bugs the heck out of me."

While you certainly can use a grocery store carving kit or serrated kitchen knife, Michael favors a little more bite for his creative carving. "I prefer a drywall hand saw," he says. "I carefully insert the blade into the pumpkin and use a gentle sawing motion to go around in a circle. "

Once the bottom of the pumpkin is removed, it's time to get messy. And Michael has a trick for that. "The guts and the seeds of the pumpkin grow up in lines," he says. "So I like to find where the seed growths are and just loosen them up with a scooper, going with the grain of the seeds."

"Then I do a swirling motion with the scooper and dump the seeds out into a bucket," Michael says. "And I save the seeds for eating." Pro tip: These pumpkin seed recipes are delicious and will be your new go-to for a healthy fall snack.

Once gutted, transfer the design pattern onto the pumpkin. Michael's 18th-century creamware design is drawn onto tracing paper with a permanent marker and then placed onto the pumpkin.

"I use pushpins to attach [the pattern] to the rind so it stays in place. But you can also use tape or a stapler," he continues. Tip: Be sure to place the pins into the center of the shapes that will eventually be carved out so as to avoid making small holes in the actual pumpkin design.

The next step is as easy as color-by-number craft books. "Transfer the pattern using a sharp pencil to poke holes onto the pattern and into the pumpkin rind," Michael explains.

Make small holes around each shape on the pattern to create a cutting guide. Once the pattern is fully outlined, remove the pins and paper from the pumpkin and prepare for detailed carving by using another one of Michael's favorite crafting tools.

"When carving the small individual shapes out, I use a small keyhole saw," Michael says. "You can find them at a craft store." A keyhole saw is perfect for pumpkin carving because it features a long, narrow blade ideal for creating crisp lines at small angles. "With a gentle pushing motion, insert the keyhole saw into the pumpkin and follow the small hole patterns," he continues.

As you carefully cut the pattern into the pumpkin, Michael recommends pushing out the loose pieces from the bottom as you go along.

Once the pumpkin has been carved, light a candle and place the pumpkin over it. Dim the lights and enjoy the soft Halloween glow.

You can see more of Michael's pumpkin themes and grand designs at The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze Hudson Valley. The Crafty Lumberjacks paid a visit to New York's original Halloween event, which features 7,000+ hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins, including this pumpkin patch of carved tulip designs.

According to Rob Schweitzer, director of marketing, The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze started in 2005 and wows nearly 150,000 visitors each year. "There’s more than two dozen themed installations and [they are] all different," he says. "The pumpkins are all around you, and they’re above you in some cases."

Halloween is huge in Hudson Valley. Perhaps short-story writer Washington Irving, who famously penned The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, might have a little something to do with that. Located on the mysterious Van Cortlandt Manor, one of the main attractions at the Blaze is the Headless Horseman Bridge packed with pumpkins that lead down a narrow, arched path.

Walking through the Headless Horseman Bridge is nothing short of amazing, with stops along the way for selfies beneath the illuminated glow above. For added drama, hidden speakers along the path play sounds of horses galloping and fading into the distance.