Pumpkin-Carving Tips and Tools From a Pro Carver

What's Halloween without a carved pumpkin? We asked professional sculptor and pumpkin carver Adam Bierton to demonstrate his carving techniques for creating showstopping jack-o-‘lanterns — and they’re not as complicated as you might think. He also shares his essential carving tools — some of which you probably already have. Plus, Adam explains how to use potatoes to make pumpkin eyes and teeth.

Pumpkin-Carving Tools

Adam prefers a small paring knife instead of a large kitchen knife because a paring knife is safer and easier to use. He says the small knives in most pumpkin carving kits are fine, but he also likes to use a grapefruit knife to make curved cuts.

How to Make Potato Eyes

1. Cut Eye Cavities

Adam’s googly-eyed pumpkin uses a russet potato and a sweet potato. To begin, press an ice cream scoop into the pumpkin to outline the shape and location of the eyes. Then use a craft knife to define the eyes further. The craft knife allows for a cleaner cut than just trying to hollow out the eyes with the ice cream scooper. Stabilize the pumpkin with one hand while you cut with the other, and always cut away from yourself. Once the edges of the eyes are defined, use the melon baller to scoop out the eye cavities. Don’t cut all the way through into the pumpkin, leave some flesh in the eye cavity, this will help your pumpkin last longer.

2. Make Potato Eyeballs

Adam prefers russet potatoes. If it’s big enough you should be able to get both eyes from one potato. Use the ice cream scooper to cut the eyeball from the potato. If the eyeball has cut marks, gently rub a scouring pad over the marks to erase them. To prevent the potatoes from browning, immediately submerge them in a solution of lemon juice and water. Fresh lemons or lemon juice concentrate will work. After the potatoes soak for a few minutes, insert them into the eye cavities on the pumpkin.

3. Create the Pupil + Iris

You’ll need three hole cutters or brass pipes of varying sizes to make the pupil and iris. Cut a 1/2"-thick slice of sweet potato. For the iris, use your biggest hole cutter (about a 1/2” diameter) to cut a circle out of the sweet potato. If the edges of the sweet potato are rough, use a scouring pad to smooth it. Then to make the pupil, press the medium-size hole cutter into the iris piece. Repeat for the second eye. When done, you should have two tiny donut shapes.

Use the biggest hole cutter that you used for the iris to cut matching holes in the white potatoes. Save the drops that you cut out of the potatoes and put them in the lemon juice and let them soak for a few minutes.

4. Add a Little White to the Eyes

Adam adds a little piece of white potato to the inside edge of the sweet potato iris to pick up the light in the eyeball to make the pumpkin’s eyes come alive. To do this, use the smallest hole cutter to cut two tiny tubes from those soaked potato pieces. You may have to use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to push the potato pieces out of the hole cutter.

To make the hole in the sweet potato, press the same smallest hole cutter into the inside edge of the sweet potato hole so you have a little indentation. Use a craft knife to pick up the tiny potato tubes and place them into that indentation. Make sure the tiny white pieces are at the same angle when you place the sweet potatoes into the pumpkin's eyeballs. Use the back end of the craft knife to help push the sweet potatoes into the eyeballs.

How to Make Potato Teeth

To make potato teeth in a jack-o-‘lantern, cut out the mouth opening. Determine how many and what shape you want the teeth. Cut the teeth from the potato then soak them in lemon juice for a few minutes. Meanwhile, use a clay sculpting tool to create an indent along the edge of the mouth for the teeth to sit. Try to angle the indent towards the inside of the pumpkin. After the potato teeth have soaked for a few minutes, insert one or two pointed toothpicks into the potatoes, then insert the other end into the pumpkin’s mouth along the indent you just created. If needed, continue to shape the teeth using the clay sculpting tools. If the potato teeth aren't staying in place, use a little super glue to adhere them.

How to Etch + Shave a Pumpkin Face

A shaved or etched pumpkin will last a few weeks longer than a traditional jack-o’-lantern because you’re not cutting all the way through it and exposing the inside of the pumpkin. Plus, peeling away the top layer and exposing the brighter orange inner skin of the pumpkin can mimic the look of an illuminated jack-o’-lantern.

1. Draw + Outline Design

Begin by drawing a rough outline of the face. Adam prefers G2 gel pens or dry-erase markers for this because they’re easy to erase, unlike a permanent marker. Start with a linoleum cutter because it works great for creating nice clean lines and is easier to use than a knife. Continue to use the cutter until your entire design is outlined. When complete, use a scouring pad to smooth all the edges and erase your pen marks. Use a pottery sculpting tool to peel away the pumpkin skin to reveal your design. The outer skin of a pumpkin can be tough, but once you get off the top layer, the inner layers are much easier to sculpt and etch.

2. Cut in a Toothy Grin

If you want to follow Adam’s lead and cut open part of your etched jack-o’-lantern, Adam suggests using a grapefruit knife to do this because its double-edge blade makes it easy to cut back and forth without removing the knife. For this pumpkin, he cut just a little bit of the bottom of the mouth then used a pottery tool and linoleum cutter to etch teeth into the already-shaved section of the mouth. Lastly, Adam used a paring knife to define the gaps between the teeth. To clean the teeth scrapings, he used a toothbrush. To make your jack-o’-lantern a bit scarier, pull some of the innards out so they hang from the mouth.

More Jack-O'-Lantern Tips

Cutting the hole in the top around the stem has been the standard way to start the pumpkin carving process. But, there is no reason you can't carve the hole in the bottom or the back of the pumpkin. As long as you can reach inside to clean it out or add a light to illuminate it.

A large metal spoon or ice cream scoop is great for removing the pumpkin seeds. Adam's to-go tool is an avocado scooper. Small paring knives are great for carving designs into the pumpkin. Pumpkin-carving kits, made specifically for kids or adults, are another good source. Battery-operated, pumpkin-carving knives also make quick work of intricate designs.

Selecting a Pumpkin

“When I’m in the pumpkin patch, I’m looking for key indicators that are going to tell me what is a good pumpkin and what’s not such a good pumpkin," Adam says. "I’m always looking for a green healthy stem, it’s the first indicator of the health of the pumpkin and also how recently it was picked. The thickness of the stem sometimes indicates (the thickness of) the wall of the pumpkin.” He says he looks for a stem with character, a long one with curves, and, of course, he also looks at the shape and size of the pumpkin.

Illuminating a Pumpkin

Candle-free options are nearly endless for showcasing your jack-o’-lanterns. Look for color-changing strobe lights, battery-operated tea lights and rainbow LEDs that are made specifically for pumpkins and are safe for use in fresh or foam pumpkins. Battery-operated tap lights are a great option for a small pumpkin or gourd, or use several in a larger pumpkin. If the pumpkin will be displayed near an outlet, a string of holiday lights or a small lamp can be used.

Standard candles are the old standby. Votive or pillar candles, placed on a plate that is large enough to catch any drips, are the best option. A good tip when illuminating a pumpkin with a candle is to cut a small hole in the top of the pumpkin, like a chimney, allowing the heat to escape. Safety Note: Candles can only be used in fresh pumpkins; never place a lit candle inside a foam pumpkin.

Tips to Preserve Carved Pumpkins

Mold and dehydration are the two main contributors to pumpkin rot. There are several methods for preserving jack-o'-lanterns including rubbing the inside and the cut marks with petroleum jelly or soaking the pumpkin in bleach or baking soda. However, if you plan on composting your jack-o'-lantern or leaving it out for deer or other critters to eat, do not use bleach because of its toxicity.

“Pumpkins are ephemeral by nature, they’re meant to decay, they’re meant to be composted,” says Adam. But to help preserve his creations, Adam uses a mister bottle to spray a solution of lemon juice and water on his pumpkins. It’s the same solution he used to soak the potato eyes and teeth. “Mist inside the pumpkin after you’ve scooped it, all the cut marks and to keep all those potatoes fresh. The lemon juice acts as a natural preservative and will slow that mold and decay growth down just a little bit,” explains Adam.

Even with these precautions, a cut pumpkin will only last for a few days to a week, so it's best to cut your pumpkin no earlier than a few days before your Halloween festivities.

If you’re not ready to display your jack-o’-lantern right after carving, Adam suggests covering it in plastic wrap and keeping it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to display it.