Side-Glancing Mummy Bust Pumpkin

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Pick a tall pumpkin and clean it out

   Choose a slightly oval pumpkin with a smooth, flat area on one side for the face. Cut a lid from the back or bottom so the front stays uninterrupted, then scoop the guts and thin the carving wall to about one inch. A thinner wall makes the skinny bandage gaps much easier to cut cleanly. Let an adult handle the large opening cut.

2. 2

   Transfer the mummy pattern

   Tape your printed stencil smoothly over the flat face area and poke through the outlines with a pushpin or transfer tool. Mark the outer edge of the head and shoulders, the diagonal bandage lines, the single eye, and the grasping hands at the bottom. Go back and shade in every strip you plan to keep as bandage so you do not accidentally cut it out later. Double check the dot pattern before removing the paper.

3. 3

   Cut the fragile base gaps first

   Start at the bottom where the hands and lowest wraps sit, cutting the narrow slivers between bandages while the surrounding wall is still full strength. Use a small detail saw and take short, steady strokes, pulling scraps out gently. These skinny gaps are the most fragile part of the whole design, so doing them early gives you the most support. Leave a little uncut bridge anywhere two gaps nearly meet so strips stay anchored.

4. 4

   Open the eye and upper wraps

   Move up to the face and cut the single exposed eye as one clean shape, then work the diagonal bandage gaps across the head. Keep each cut line thin and consistent so the stripes look like real wrappings. Rotate the pumpkin instead of forcing the saw sideways, and clear cut pieces as you go so nothing crumbles into finished areas. Save the widest openings for last.

5. 5

   Peel the bandage faces for depth

   Use a lino or ribbon tool to skin the top layer of skin off the bandage strips themselves so they glow a soft dim orange between the bright cut gaps. This gives the wraps a layered, cloth-like look instead of flat dark skin. Keep the peeling shallow and even, and leave the background pumpkin skin untouched so the mummy pops. Test-fit an LED light to check the contrast.

6. 6

   Light it and photograph

   Drop in a battery LED light, never a candle, since the thin strips can scorch and dry out fast. Set the pumpkin on a porch or step at dusk and take your photo while there is still a little sky color behind it. A puff of cornstarch or a dab of petroleum jelly on the cut edges slows drying if you want it to last a few days. Store it somewhere cool overnight to keep the stripes crisp.