Digsby the Fossil Dinosaur

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Pick a smooth pumpkin and prep the wall

   Since this is a concept image, you get to build your own version. Choose a round pumpkin with a wide, smooth front face and few ribs so the shapes sit flat. Cut a lid or a bottom hatch and scrape the inside wall behind the design down to about one inch thick. A thinner wall makes the square teeth and bone tips much easier to cut cleanly.

2. 2

   Transfer the three shapes

   Sketch or print a simple side-view dino skull, then a pair of crossed bones to sit below it like a warning label. Tape the paper on and poke the outlines with a pushpin, spacing the dots close together on the tight curves. Keep the two crossed bones as one connected shape where they overlap so the pumpkin stays strong. Step back and check the spacing before you cut anything.

3. 3

   Notch the square teeth

   Start with the small detail while the pumpkin wall is firm. Cut the row of little square teeth along the lower jaw first, removing one small block at a time with a fine saw or a craft knife. Leave the thin uncut ridges between teeth in place, since those bridges are what make it read as a toothy jaw. Take your time here because these small cuts set the whole cartoon feel.

4. 4

   Cut the bones, tips last

   Move down to the crossed bones and cut the long shafts first, saving the rounded knob ends for last so the shape does not tear. Keep the point where the two bones cross uncut so they lock together and support each other. Angle your blade slightly outward as you go to widen the hole toward the inside, which lets more light through. Clear the plugs gently by pushing them inward.

5. 5

   Open the skull last

   Now cut the big skull outline, working from the snout around to the back of the head. Because this is the largest opening, doing it last keeps the pumpkin rigid while you handle the delicate teeth and bones. Save the small eye hole and the curved brow notch for the very end. Trim any ragged edges from the back so the light spreads evenly.

6. 6

   Light it and photograph

   Drop in an amber or warm white LED, never a candle, and set it low so the light climbs up through the skull. Place the pumpkin on a step at dusk and check that the teeth and bone knobs all glow. If any area looks dim, scrape a little more flesh from the inside wall behind it. Snap your photo just after sunset when the surrounding skin still shows dark orange.

Written with AI to match this design