Saja Boys Five-Panel Jack-O-Lantern With Hat Brims

Map the five panels

Use a ruler and marker to draw five equally spaced vertical rectangles across the pumpkin face. Leave at least 1.5 cm of rind between panels and around the outer edges. Take time to get the spacing right before cutting since cramped panels are harder to carve and look less polished when lit.

Cut the outer panel frames

Cut each rectangular panel opening with a thin-blade saw, working all five frames before moving to any interior detail. Cutting frames first gives you solid rind to grip while doing detail work later. Remove each panel piece cleanly and keep cut edges perpendicular to the shell surface.

Position and trace figure details

Pin-transfer the hat-brim, bust, neck, and eye-hole positions within each open panel. Mark hat brim join points to the side posts clearly. Double-check that each figure is centered within its panel before committing to the interior cuts.

Cut hat brim joins and eye holes

Use a narrow detail saw to cut the hat brims from inside each panel, leaving the brim-to-side-post joins intact. Then cut the small circular or slot eye holes fully through. These retained hat brims and the solid busts below them are now the main structural elements of each figure.

Shallow-back the collar lines

Use a fine gouge or the tip of a paring knife to shallow-back the fine collar lines within each bust. Remove the outer skin and about half the rind thickness. This creates a softer mid-glow on the collar detail without cutting the thin lines all the way through, which would weaken the bust.

Light and final check

Insert an LED and view all five panels from the front. The glowing background inside each panel should frame the dark retained busts, and the eye holes and collar detail should show two distinct light intensities. Correct any shallow-backed areas that appear too dark by removing a little more rind with the gouge.