Silly Derpy Tiger Pumpkin With Chunky Grin

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Prep and gut the pumpkin

   Select a round pumpkin and cut a back lid so the light source can be positioned without obstructing the face. Scrape the inside wall to about 2 cm thickness in the face area. A thinner wall makes the large eye shapes glow more warmly without requiring extra tools.

2. 2

   Transfer the stencil

   Tape the stencil to the pumpkin face and pin-transfer the eye shapes, grin outline, tooth positions, and stripe slots. Remove the stencil and darken the transfer dots with a marker. Double-check that the two eye openings are the same size and centered on the face before cutting.

3. 3

   Cut the eye openings with rind bars

   Use a thin-blade saw to cut each large eye opening, stopping at both ends of the full rind bar that divides each eye. The rind bars run across the center of each eye hole and must remain intact to maintain the silly divided-eye look. Cut carefully around both ends of each bar.

4. 4

   Cut the grin and teeth

   Cut the wide grin opening next, cutting the upper curved lip line first and then the lower jagged tooth profile. The chunky teeth are rooted at the bottom, so each tooth gap is a separate cut between them rather than a continuous opening. Keep each tooth at least 1.5 cm wide at the base.

5. 5

   Add the stripe slots

   Cut the forehead and cheek stripe slots last, using a narrow detail saw. Each slot is a short rectangular opening separated from its neighbors by intact rind. Keeping at least 5 mm of rind between slots and between any slot and the nearest eye or grin opening prevents cracking.

6. 6

   Light and photograph

   Place a battery tea light inside and view the face in a darkened room. The bold shapes should light up brightly and the rind bars across the eyes give the tiger its signature derpy expression. Photograph before displaying outside so you capture the full warm glow.

Written with AI to match this design