Squeaky the Startled Rat

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Pick a round pumpkin and open the lid

   Choose a tall, evenly round pumpkin with a smooth front panel big enough to hold the rat with room around it. Cut a lid from the top at an angle so it cannot fall in, or open a hatch in the back if you want a cleaner face. Scoop the insides and thin the carving wall on the front to about one inch so your blade moves easily. A consistent wall thickness makes the glow even across the whole figure.

2. 2

   Transfer the rat pattern

   Print the rat so the figure sits centered and slightly high on the front, leaving a border of skin all around. Tape it snug, then poke the outline with a pushpin or a transfer wheel, following the paws, ears, and the full tail loop. Keep dots close together on the curved paw tips and the thin tail so the shape stays clear. Peel the paper and connect the dots with a marker if the outline is hard to read.

3. 3

   Shade the fur and whiskers first

   Before any full cuts, use a lino or ribbon tool to peel away just the skin on the whisker lines and a bit of the belly and face for soft texture. Peeled areas glow a dim orange and give the flat silhouette some depth. Keep these shallow, removing only the outer skin and not going through the wall. Doing this shading first means you still have a solid surface to press against.

4. 4

   Cut the body opening

   With a small detail saw, cut through the largest part of the rat first, the main body and head, working from the center outward. Support the wall with your free hand as you go and take short strokes rather than forcing the blade. Leave a thin bridge where the tail loop meets the body so the loop keeps its shape and does not sag. Clear the cut pieces gently so you do not snap anything thin.

5. 5

   Test the glow, then cut the paws and tail last

   Drop in an LED light and check how bright the body reads and how much wall remains near the raised paws. The paw tips and the tail loop are the thinnest points, so cut them only after the big opening is done and you can see your spacing. Make these cuts slow and shallow, connecting them cleanly to the body opening. If a paw tip feels fragile, leave a tiny bridge to hold it in place.

6. 6

   Clean up and light it for a photo

   Trim any ragged edges with your detail knife so the silhouette looks crisp against the dark skin. Rub a little petroleum jelly on the cut edges to slow drying and keep the shape sharp for a few days. Set a battery LED inside, never a candle, since the tight tail loop and paws are delicate. Shoot it at dusk on a table so the warm cutout stands out against the fading sky.

Written with AI to match this design