Archive for the ‘Pumpkin Carving Articles’ Category
The creativity of graphic designers has blossomed, manufacturing a never-ending array of pumpkin carving stencils for Halloween. Stencils basically combine 2 great values in one. They are an ultra-easy way to scratch an outline on the pumpkin face with an icepick, which can be carved with ease later. Or, you may use a black marker and just restrict yourself to the drawing if you are in a hurry.
The Halloween Pumpkin carving options available are unlimited. Gone is the straightforward Jack o'Lantern that used to be the sole Halloween Pumpkin carving style. Or, more exactingly, it's not gone but has been joined by 1,000 new ones to make the holiday even more fun.
Cats are a big percentage of the total. That is's not surprising since black moggies play such an outstanding role in Halloween mythology. You will find everything from the friendly, smiling kitty to the evil, grinning demon-in-animal-form among the choices. Go beyond the cat-face, though and carve a complete animal so you can include the tail. That long slit in the pumpkin makes for a great lighting effect.
Pirates are another preferred Halloween Pumpkin carving design. Why pirates should be related to Halloween isn't clear. Perhaps that is because it's such a common costume, or folks just believe they look malicious. But whatever the reason, they offer an outstanding series of shapes that are easy to make. When you add a pipe to the final face design, it adds an engaging asymmetry that makes your pumpkin a little different.
Here are a few of the Pumpkin Carving Kit options available on Ebay:
US $9.99
Batman Halloween Pumpkin carving designs are always popular, thanks to the hit movie. But bats have for some time been related to Halloween, so the theme fits right in. Instead of just do one, go wild and carve twelve little ones all around the surface. When you light the interior, it splashes yellow-orange light in all directions. Very cool.
You can include heaps of non-traditional elements to make your Halloween Pumpkin carving design unique.
Old Mummy films ( and the most recent one, too ) make ancient Egypt a part of Halloween myth. They include poltergeists, zombies, crypts, black cats and the like so that the mix works really well. Exploit that and carve a Pharaoh's head on your pumpkin. The headdress offers a geometrical pattern that makes the lantern cast shadows that add to your house decorations.
You can create some truly gross Halloween Pumpkin carving designs like having a smaller pumpkin in the mouth of a bigger one, getting eaten. Huge fun. Go one step further and carve your pumpkin to appear like a Great White shark's mouth and have it swallowing 3 people. If only the legs show out of the pumpkin mouth, you've got a hit. See how weird you can be with Halloween Pumpkin carving and get away with it?
Complete your party fun with the right Halloween Pumpkin carving and shop cleverly with online discount voucher codes.
Halloween Pumpkin carving
About the Author
The author is an online trader and freelance writer. When shopping online use discount voucher codes from http://mydiscountvouchercodes.co.uk/discounts for great savings.
(ArticlesBase SC #1328995)
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Halloween Pumpkin carving Tips
We all loved to carve Jack O'Lanterns as kids and I am always amazed at the new designs that contemporary artists are creating. Despite the widespread appeal of carving pumpkins that goes on in this country every October, few of us have ever heard the story of why or when the jack o'lantern tradition began. The phrase "jack o'lantern" dates all the way back to 17th century Britain. It meant "man with a lantern". What we might call a night watchman.
The original idea of carving lanterns out of vegetables actually came from Scotland and Ireland. The Irish Potato Famine of 1845 to 1850 caused over 700,000 people to immigrate throughout Europe and the Americas. The immigrants brought their traditions of Halloween and Jack o'Lanterns with them. At the time, the Jack o'Lanterns were made out of turnips which were widely available back home. The American pumpkin turned out to be a great replacement, especially because of the size of the pumpkin. This immigrant tradition has made the carved pumpkin the most famous icon of the holiday while creating a $106 million a year industry. U.S. farmers grow over one billion pounds of pumpkins a year. So what was the legend of Jack o’ Lantern that started all of this?
Pumpkin Carving Kits currently available on Ebay:
The Legend of Stingy Jack.
Stingy Jack was a cheap and bold Irishman who found himself having a drink with the Devil. When the bill came for the drinks came Stingy Jack refused to pay. (I told you he was bold.)
Jack convinces the devil to turn himself into a coin, and once this is done, Jack puts the devil/coin in his pocket. Stingy Jack had a cross in his pocket, which made the Devil powerless. Before Jack would release the Devil, he made the Devil promise never to claim his soul.
Pretty smart of Jack, right?
That might depend on how you look at it. Jack did manage to save his soul from the Devil, however God wouldn't let Jack into Heaven. Jack found himself doomed to wander the earth in darkness. When Jack cried to the Devil and asked how he would be able to find his way through the darkness the Devil laughed. Then the Devil threw Jack an ember from the eternal fire. Because the ember was too hot to hold, Jack quickly carved a hole into one of his turnips. Jack dropped the little ember into the turnip, creating the first Jack o'Lantern.
There is another story of Stingy Jack. One day Jack is out in the woods and he comes across the Devil. Jack tricks the Devil into a tree and gets the Devil to throw down some fruit. Once The Devil has helped him, Jack quickly carves a cross into the tree and traps the Devil. He then strikes a deal that the Devil would leave his soul alone when he dies. Then the story is the same. I like the version with Jack drinking with the Devil. It shows how tough Jack was.
Posted in Pumpkin Carving Articles | 
Tags: legend, pumpkin carving history, stingy jack | 
2 Comments »