Raven on a Branch Pumpkin in a Glowing Window

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Hollow and check the front face

   Scoop to a uniform one-inch wall. The circular window is the dominant cut on this design, so choose a pumpkin whose face is large enough to fit the circle with at least an inch of rind on every side of the outer edge. Pat the interior dry.

2. 2

   Transfer the full template

   Print the template so the circular window outer edge, raven body, branch, and all wing slots are shown together. Confirm that the branch, tail, and beak all clearly touch the circle edge before pin-poking. Trace all outlines including the wing slot positions with a marker.

3. 3

   Cut the branch and confirm frame connections

   Cut the branch outline first, confirming it joins the circular frame at the planned contact points. Leave the connection rind solid. Check the tail contact at one side of the circle and the beak contact at the upper area. Do not open the circle's solid background yet.

4. 4

   Open the circular window background

   Once the raven's structural connections are established, carefully saw out the background areas inside the circle that are not part of the raven or branch. Work in sections, removing background pieces without disturbing the raven connections. The result is a circle filled with the raven silhouette rather than open space.

5. 5

   Cut the wing slots

   Add the separate wing slot openings within the raven's body. Each slot is isolated from the body edge by solid rind. Use a detail knife for any slot shorter than an inch. Saw from one end to the other in single clean strokes.

6. 6

   Seal and display

   Coat all cut surfaces with petroleum jelly. Place a battery LED candle inside. Display on a lit mantel or table so the circular glowing frame is visible at standing height, which makes the raven portrait look like a piece of illuminated artwork.

Written with AI to match this design