A jack-o’-lantern, no matter how spooky or silly, may be a bit blase and predictable as far as pumpkin carvings are concerned. Rather than whip up yet another variation on misaligned pumpkin teeth, treat your pumpkin to a carved makeover inspired by “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” This animated classic has plenty of pumpkin-worthy elements to embody in pumpkin form, from Jack Skellington to the Oogie Boogies. For the most success recreating your chosen animation image in pumpkin form, print out a pumpkin-carving stencil and use it on a pumpkin of appropriate size, fitting a large image on a large pumpkin, for instance.
Pre-Carving Preparation
Prepare your chosen “The Nightmare Before Christmas” pumpkin stencil and the pumpkin itself ahead of time to avoid potential problems while carving. Print out a pre-made stencil or template from a pumpkin-carving website, or draw up your own on paper, using a movie image for inspiration. Color areas that are meant to be carved in black, or outline them with a dotted line, so you know where to cut the pumpkin. Tape your design on a washed, pre-gutted pumpkin, picking a somewhat flat carving area for best results. Poke holes along the outline of the images using a pin, a needle, an awl or the tip of a knife so you know where to cut the pumpkin once you peel the paper away.
Jack Skellington
If a jack-o’-lantern had a skull, it would look much like Jack Skellington’s head. Skellington, a main character in this animated classic, has two dots for nose holes and a smile reminiscent of a zipper. Carving a Skellington visage is much like carving a jack-o’-lantern face, but with a zippered smile line. Fill the entire front of a pumpkin with a Skellington face, or create an image of Skellington’s entire head or torso and hands, which are skeleton hands.
Oogie Boogies
Oogie Boogie ghosts from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” are somewhat simple shapes that do not require intricate carving, so these offer a nice introduction to decorative pumpkin ideas beyond jack-‘o-lanterns. Choose your favorite Oogie Boogie to trace onto the pumpkin, or place two or three all within view on the same side of the pumpkin for a group display. Carve out a circle of light behind the Oogie Boogies, illuminating the space behind them, leaving their ghostly body shapes solid as you cut out the eye and mouth areas.
Lock, Shock and Barrel
This cute-but-creepy trick-or-treating trio offers an ideal Halloween pumpkin display. Decorate three different pumpkins, each featuring one of the characters, or recreate a movie scene featuring all three characters’ faces on one pumpkin. Carve some details completely through the pumpkin innards in areas where you wish light to shine the brightest from a candle or LED candle inside; carve some areas almost completely through to offer a bit of shading and a bit of of light, such as details on the children’s faces or costumes.
