Black Cat and Full Moon Etched Pumpkin

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Prep and transfer the design

   Pick a firm, evenly round pumpkin and cut a lid or a back door so you can reach the wall to thin it later. Scrape the inside wall behind the moon down to about one inch so light passes through more easily. Tape your stencil on smoothly, clipping the edges so it hugs the curve, then poke the outlines with a pin or transfer tool. Peel the paper and lightly connect the dots with a washable marker so you can see the cat, branches, and moon clearly.

2. 2

   Score all your outlines first

   With a fine detail saw or a craft knife, trace shallow score lines around the cat, the branches, and the moon circle. Do not cut through anything yet; you are just setting clean borders so later etching stops in the right place. Keep the cat and branch edges crisp since those stay dark and carry the silhouette. Take your time on the cat's fur outline so the fluffy edge reads well when lit.

3. 3

   Etch the moon to set your glow

   Switch to a ribbon or U gouge and peel the skin off the whole moon disk, staying inside your score line. Work in smooth curved passes so the surface glows evenly with soft tool marks, like the pictured moon. Thin the flesh gradually and hold the pumpkin up to a light now and then to check brightness. Leave a little thickness so the wall stays strong; you want a warm glow, not a hole.

4. 4

   Skin-peel the background branches area

   Lightly peel the negative spaces between the branches so the gnarled limbs stand out as darker lines against a mid glow. Keep the branches themselves as untouched skin, and leave narrow bridges of skin where thin twigs cross so nothing snaps off. Vary your depth a touch to give the sky some texture. This keeps the whole scene readable without cutting big openings.

5. 5

   Texture the cat and brighten the eyes

   Leave the cat body as dark, untouched skin so it reads as a solid silhouette. Use a small V gouge to flick short strokes along the edges of the fur, tail, and ruff so the outline looks soft and fluffy against the bright moon. For the eyes, etch the two eye shapes thin and, if you like, thin the wall behind them so they glow the brightest. Keep the pupils as skin lines so the stare stays sharp.

6. 6

   Light it and photograph

   Drop in an LED puck or string, never a candle, since the thin moon area can scorch with real flame. Turn off the room lights and check that the moon glows warm while the cat stays dark and crisp. If any area looks dull, thin it a little more from the inside. Rub cut edges with a bit of petroleum jelly to slow drying, then shoot your photo slightly off center to catch the eye glow.