Rainbow Arch Pumpkin With Two Cloud Cutouts at Dusk

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Hollow and prepare

   Cut a back lid and clean out all seeds and pulp. Bring the wall to roughly one inch throughout. Dry the inner surface so the LED light source sits firmly without sliding.

2. 2

   Transfer arch and cloud positions

   Tape the template to the face and trace the arch endpoints and cloud outlines with a pushpin. Make sure both cloud shapes fall clearly to the sides of the rainbow base rather than overlapping the arch endpoints, so they remain fully independent openings.

3. 3

   Cut the rainbow arches

   Starting with the outermost arch, cut the top and bottom edges of each slot and remove the rind strip between them. Keep the slot endpoints firmly anchored in the lower rind. Work from outermost to innermost arch, pausing after each one to confirm the rind bands are intact.

4. 4

   Cut the cloud openings

   Using a detail knife or small saw, cut each cloud shape as a single enclosed opening. Cloud shapes are bumpy on top and straight on the bottom, so cut the scalloped top edge first with small careful strokes, then connect it with the straight base cut.

5. 5

   Clean up edges

   Run a detail knife lightly along any rough cut edges to smooth them. Remove all loose rind bits from inside the pumpkin with a long-handled brush. Clean edges produce sharper, more defined glow shapes on walls and surfaces.

6. 6

   Display at dusk

   Place a warm LED inside and set the pumpkin outdoors as the sun sets. The ambient dusk light softens the pumpkin's outline while the interior glow through the arches and clouds creates the storybook rainbow effect shown in the reference image.

Written with AI to match this design