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Dot-o'-Lantern

Great for Halloween, or any time you can get a pumpkin! (Okay, Halloween.)
pumpkin head

YOU'LL NEED:

  • a pumpkin
  • a sharp knife
  • a melon baller
  • tracing paper and a pencil
  • masking tape
  • a straight pin
  • linoleum cutter and blades
  • a candle or flashlight
  • a copy of this pattern

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Print out the Dot's face pattern. If you need to, use your computer or a photocopier to make the pattern a size that's appropriate for your pumpkin.

2. Trace the pattern onto tracing paper. (This step is optional, but I find it's a lot easier to work on the pumpkin with tracing paper than it is with printer paper.)

3. Cut a hole in the bottom of your pumpkin, and scoop out the seeds. (Obviously this step is easiest if you lay the pumpkin on its side or stand it upside down in a bowl.) Save the seeds if you want to roast them later.

4. Since you'll want light to shine through your lantern, you may need to thin the pumpkin's walls. Use a melon baller to scrape from the inside, but make sure you don't break through the skin!

5. Tape the traced pattern to the front of your pumpkin. Use a pin to poke small holes all along the lines of the pattern. Remove the paper, and the pin holes will serve as guides when you're carving.

6. Use a linoleum cutter to carve out the design. If you carve out the parts that are white in the pattern, the pumpkin will have a positive copy of the pattern. If you carve out the parts that are black, the pumpkin will have a negative copy of the pattern. It works either way-- just don't switch halfway through! Remember to carve away from your body, and never put your free hand in the path of the blade.

7. Set your hollowed pumpkin down over a candle or bright flashlight, turn off the lights, and watch Dot glow! (If you're using a candle and it goes out quickly, you may need to cut an air hole in the back of the pumpkin.)

glowing lantern

TIPS:

  • To make your carved pumpkin last longer, you can put lemon juice on the cut surfaces. It's also good to keep it in a cool place when you're not displaying it.
  • If you haven't had much practice with a linoleum cutter, you can start by carving a simpler design. An icon or Megabyte's viral symbol would be a good place to begin.
  • If you're looking for something more challenging, try carving a different one of Hex's masks into each side of a pumpkin. Or if you're really clever, you can use my Dot by Numbers pattern to carve different thicknesses into your pumpkin for an extra cool effect.
  • To roast the seeds: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Rinse the pumpkin gunk off of the seeds, and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle on salt, and put the cookie sheet in the oven. The seeds should bake for about 30 minutes. Remember to stir the seeds every 10 minutes or so, and take them out before they turn brown.

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