Snuggles the Cuddly Koala

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Pick a round pumpkin and open the back

   Choose a tall, evenly round pumpkin so the koala face has room to fill the front. Since this is a surface-carved design, cut a small access hole in the back or bottom rather than the top. Scoop the inside and thin the front wall to about one inch so light passes through the peeled areas. A thinner wall glows brighter, so take your time scraping.

2. 2

   Transfer the koala outline

   Tape your stencil to the front and poke the outline with a pin, marking the round face, the two big ears, the oval nose, both dot eyes, and the little smile. Space the dots so they poke through the skin cleanly. Keep the ear fringe marks close together so you remember where the fluffy edges go. Peel the paper and connect any faint dots with a washable marker.

3. 3

   Score all the lines you will keep

   With a small detail knife, lightly trace around every feature that stays dark: the nose, both eyes, the mouth, and the outer edge of each ear. Cut only about a quarter inch deep here, just enough to give the peel a clean stopping point. Keeping these edges crisp matters most on the nose, since it anchors the whole face. Do not remove anything yet.

4. 4

   Peel the face to one shallow level

   Using a ribbon or lino-style tool, shave the skin off the whole face and the inside of the ears, staying inside your scored lines. Aim for one even depth so the glow is consistent across the face. Work up to the nose and eyes and stop, leaving those raised and dark. A smooth, uniform peel is what makes this design look tidy.

5. 5

   Cut the fluffy ear fringe

   For the ears, make short angled strokes along the inner edge to suggest tufts of fur. Peel the flat inner ear like the face, but leave the jagged fringe marks as dark skin so they stand out. Keep each stroke shallow and connected to the ear so nothing snaps off. This texture is what gives the koala its soft, cuddly look.

6. 6

   Light it and photograph

   Drop in an LED puck or string light and set the pumpkin in a dim room. The peeled face should glow warm while the nose, eyes, and fringe stay dark. If any area looks too faint, scrape the inside wall a little thinner behind it. Take your photo slightly off to the side so the raised features cast tiny shadows.

Written with AI to match this design