Wrapface the Bandaged Mummy Pumpkin Carving Idea

Prep the pumpkin and pick a flat face

Choose a large pumpkin with a broad, even front so the bandage strips have room to stack. Cut a lid from the bottom rather than the top so the design stays intact and the pumpkin sits steady. Scoop the inside and thin the carving wall to about one inch with a sturdy scraper. A thinner wall makes the many parallel slots much easier to pierce cleanly.

Transfer the layout

Print or draw the mummy face and tape it flat to the front, snipping the edges so the paper hugs the curve. Poke your design lines with a transfer tool or pushpin, spacing dots close together along each bandage gap. Mark the two eyes, the triangular nose, and the small teeth row clearly since those are your brightest features. Peel the paper and connect the dots lightly with a marker before you cut.

Cut the eyes first to anchor the face

Start with the two narrow eye openings, since they set the spacing for everything else. Use a small carving saw and gentle pressure, cutting fully through so they read as sharp bright slits. Keep the little bridge of pumpkin between the eyes intact for that classic mummy squint. This anchor point gives you a reference for aligning the bandage strips above and below.

Add the nose and teeth

Cut the small triangular nose opening next, keeping it modest so it does not overwhelm the eyes. Carve the short row of tiny teeth below as separate slots, leaving thin walls between each one so they stay attached and structurally sound. Do not connect all the teeth into one big hole, or the strip above them can sag. These small openings will glow brightest, so cut them cleanly.

Slot the bandage strips from center outward

Now pierce the horizontal bandage gaps, working from the middle of the face out toward the edges. Cut each thin slot fully through, but leave a solid rib of pumpkin between every strip so the wall never loses its strength. Vary the length and slight angle of the strips so the wraps look layered rather than mechanical. Always keep uncut pumpkin on both sides of your saw to brace against, and save the longest slots for last.

Light it and photograph

Set a bright LED puck or a string of battery lights inside, never a candle, since the dense slots need even light to glow across the whole face. Test in the dark and add or widen slots if any area looks flat. Wipe the surface dry, since a wet pumpkin like the one pictured shows off reflections nicely at dusk. Shoot slightly off center so the parallel gaps catch the light.