Glowing Waves and Starfish Beach Pumpkin at Dusk

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Hollow the pumpkin

   Cut the back lid and scoop walls to an even inch thick. The wave slots run across a wide horizontal band, so consistent wall depth throughout the mid-section is particularly important. Dry the face before attaching the template.

2. 2

   Transfer the full scene

   Position the sun circle near the top of the face, arrange three or four wave slots below it in a stacked formation, and place the starfish silhouette near the base. Tape the template flat, trace all outlines with a stylus, and go over the lines with a marker after removing the paper.

3. 3

   Cut the sun aperture

   Start with the circular sun at the top of the composition. Cut in smooth curved arcs with a jab saw, rotating the pumpkin to maintain a comfortable cutting angle. The rind below the sun opening remains intact and wide at this stage.

4. 4

   Cut the wave slots

   Working from the top wave down to the bottom, cut each slot as a slightly curved rectangular aperture. Keep at least three quarters of an inch of rind between adjacent wave slots to prevent one from merging with another. Each slot is an independent cut with no shared walls.

5. 5

   Cut the starfish silhouette

   The starfish is a five-arm silhouette opening at the base. Use a jab saw for the outer arm edges and a detail knife for the tight concave junctions between arms. Score the concave points first before sawing to prevent blade wander.

6. 6

   Light and arrange for dusk

   Place a battery LED inside and set the pumpkin on an outdoor display surface at dusk. Arrange sand dollars or small real shells around the base to reinforce the coastal theme. The staggered glowing wave slots read as rolling ocean movement when viewed from a few feet away.

Written with AI to match this design