Simple Hooded Reaper Pumpkin with Glowing Eyes

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Hollow and prep

   Cut a back-angled lid and scoop the interior walls to about an inch throughout. Pay attention to the upper hood area where the side apertures will sit; consistent wall thickness there ensures the hood glow reads clearly from the sides.

2. 2

   Sketch the hood and face zone

   Draw the hood outline as a large arched shape that wraps around the upper half of the pumpkin face. Mark the two hood-side aperture areas as the negative space on either side of the central face zone. The face zone should remain connected to both the top arch of the hood and the base of the pumpkin.

3. 3

   Cut the hood-side apertures

   Remove the rind from both hood-side areas as large open cuts. Work slowly around each aperture's inner boundary, which borders the connected face zone. Confirm the face zone is still attached at top and bottom after both side cuts before adding any facial details.

4. 4

   Add the eyes

   Mark two eye openings in the connected face zone. Simple oval or triangular eye shapes work well for a reaper's hollow stare. Cut each eye as an isolated aperture within the face zone without letting any eye cut reach the face zone boundary.

5. 5

   Add the mouth opening

   Cut a small mouth or skull-grin opening below the eyes in the face zone. Keep it modest in size so the face zone retains enough rind to stay structurally sound. A thin slot or a small jagged opening reads well against the bright side aperture glow.

6. 6

   Seal and light at night

   Coat all cut edges with petroleum jelly. Place a warm candle or flickering LED inside; the LED's movement deepens the shadow the hood casts over the face zone. Display at slightly below eye level on a porch or path where viewers look slightly into the glowing hood.

Written with AI to match this design