Welcome to Pumpkin Carving Submissions Highlights, Issue 1
This column is set up specially for you and your pumpkin; around Halloween, more and more people are carving pumpkins, and the carvings keep getting better, so we decided to start a column to collect the designs worth seeing and go through each one to explain what makes it good and how it was carved, so more people who want to carve can follow along and make their own
To be honest, among the submissions we received this time, what truly stood out were not the most complicated designs but a few that are simple and effective; here are the highlights of this issue, starting with the easiest
Highlight 1: Classic Grinning Pumpkin
First, the most reliable design this issue is the grinning pumpkin; it is also the one most people carve and the easiest to get started with, but what earned it a spot is a small detail: the teeth are kept well
How to carve: choose a round, stable pumpkin; cut the lid at an angle so it won't fall in, scoop out the pulp, and draw a big upward-curving smile with a marker; the key is the mouth: draw the mouth outline large and curved, then draw a few small squares at the lower lip, and when carving, leave those squares uncut, creating a wide grin plus square teeth
What makes it good: with the teeth kept well, the pumpkin turns from an ordinary smiling face into a beaming one; carve the eyes smaller and the mouth bigger, and once the contrast shows, the smile comes to life; beginners following along can hardly go wrong, and this is the best one for a first attempt this issue
Highlight 2: Spooky Skeleton Pumpkin
If you want something scarier, look at this one: the spooky skeleton; it wasn't chosen because it's difficult, but because it makes excellent use of the principle that more cutouts mean scarier
How to carve: carve the eyes as two large, sharp inverted triangles (or round, deep eye sockets like a skeleton's), carve the nose as an inverted triangle, and carve the mouth into a grinning skeleton smile with exposed teeth; for a stronger effect, cut a few more small openings in the forehead and cheeks, and as light comes through these openings, the whole face looks emptier and creepier
What makes it good: a scary face is the easiest to carve into something that looks like nothing; the clever part is that this design captures the skeleton's most iconic features (deep eye sockets, an inverted-triangle nose, and a toothy smile) without trying to do too much; less is more: too many cutouts placed randomly will hurt the effect, so keep the core structure and the scare factor comes out
Highlight 3: Black Cat Face Pumpkin
The most fitting design this issue is the black cat face pumpkin; it maxes out the Halloween theme and perfectly matches the black cat legend we told earlier
How to carve: first carve the outline of a cat face (two pointed ears and a round face); then carve the eyes as two curved crescent eyes (or round, bright cat eyes), and add a small meow-shaped mouth; the finishing touch is the whiskers: use a small knife to cut a few thin, long lines on both cheeks to represent the whiskers; keep the knife shallow when cutting them and don't cut all the way through
Why it works: The moment the whiskers are added, it instantly feels like a cat. This one also has a built-in double appeal of Halloween + cute: by day it's a well-behaved cat, and at night when lit up, the cat eyes glow and a mysterious vibe appears. Pair it with a real black cat at the door and the effect doubles
Featured pick 4: Lettered pumpkin
The pick with the most commemorative value this issue — the lettered pumpkin. Instead of carving a face, carve words, which makes it the least likely to duplicate someone else's design
How to carve: On a clean pumpkin surface, write the words you want with a marker — the most classic is BOO, Halloween's iconic sound effect. You can also carve family names, years (like 2026), or a phrase such as Trick or Treat. Write the letters big and bold, then cut along the strokes with a small knife and hollow out the pumpkin skin
What's great: letter pumpkins don't care if you're all thumbs or not — if your handwriting isn't good, you can keep revising it with a marker first; carving is just one thing, hollowing out the strokes, so it's not hard at all. And it's the most meaningful: carve a name and put it at the front door, and the whole Halloween feels like your family's own. If your kids can write, let them write it themselves for a stronger sense of involvement
Featured pick 5: Mini pumpkin cluster
The most delightful pick of this issue — the mini pumpkin cluster. Instead of carving one big pumpkin, carve a row of small pumpkins
How to carve: Find five or six small pumpkins of similar size (or small gourds) and carve a simple smiley face on each. They can all be big grins, or a row of different expressions (squinting eyes, a crooked mouth, a gap in the teeth). When done, line them up at the door or on the windowsill
Why it works: A single small pumpkin is easy to miss, but a row of little smiling faces lined up is more charming than one big pumpkin, and passersby will stop to count them. Small pumpkins are also easy and quick to carve, making them especially great for getting kids involved — each person takes one, and the whole family works together to create a pumpkin smile squad
Why these picks made the cut
To be honest, these picks made it into issue 1 not because they're flashy, but for three words: they can be recreated
Recreatable: every pick clearly explains how to carve it, using pumpkins and tools commonly found at home. Beginners who follow along can basically make all of them. A good design shouldn't be just for looking at; it should be something you can try when you get home
It delivers results: the grin has teeth, the skeleton is properly scary, the cat face has whiskers, the lettering has meaning, and a row of smiles is charming. Each pick has one or two finishing touches, so after carving you won't feel like nothing has changed
No overdoing it: these picks are all restrained, nailing one or two key points rather than piling on elements. That's also the rarest quality in submissions — a clean carve stands out more than a complicated one
Want to submit too? Come, listen to these tips
That's all for issue 1. If you've also carved a pumpkin and want it featured in the next issue, submitting is simple, just follow these steps:
Take a good photo. Your phone is enough, but make sure the light is bright and even — don't use the flash directly on the face — and photograph the front of the pumpkin clearly. The cleaner the background, the better, so don't let clutter steal the show
Give your work a name. Don't just call it pumpkin. Names like Happy Grin Lele, Mr. Skeleton, and Big Orange Cat Face are fun to say out loud
Write two or three sentences about your creative concept. Tell us why you carved this or which step you're most proud of — the judges (that's us editors) love these behind-the-scenes stories
Write your group and category clearly. If you're submitting to the costume contest, remember to include the participant, group, and category. If you're just submitting to this section, just write your name and a one-sentence idea
Next issue, we look forward to seeing your pumpkin
That's all for issue 1 of the pumpkin carving submission highlights
This issue, we went over a few easy-to-make designs: the grin, the skeleton face, the black cat face, the letter pumpkin, and a cluster of mini pumpkins. Each one is simple yet eye-catching, and each has its own finishing touch
Next issue, I want to see something different. Maybe a strange shape you carved on a whim, maybe an emoji pumpkin for each of the three family members, or maybe the smiling face your kid drew for the first time
The submission door is always open. If you carve it, we'll look at it
See you next issue, and remember to bring your pumpkin
Further readingHalloween costume、Halloween decoration、Pumpkin carving and DIY、Halloween party。
