LEVEL: EASY
Want to create a trio of festive wood carved pumpkins that are sure to make your Halloween décor stand out?
In this step-by-step tutorial, you'll learn how to craft three stacked pumpkins that spell out "BOO!" It is a perfect wood carving project for adding a charming touch to your seasonal decorations.
I saw a similar design in a ceramic sculpture (shout out to NooliesKnickKnacks) and knew I had to carve it!
This simple project is easy to follow and brings a fun, handmade element to your Halloween setup.
Dive in, follow along, and let’s bring these playful pumpkins to life!
I used a basswood block that is 1 x1 x 4 inches (2.5 x 2.5 x 10 cm). Feel free to double or triple the size of your wood block. Simply adjust the measurements listed below. To go even bigger—and use a band saw to create your roughout—photocopy the pattern at the end of the page to size to fit any wood block.
You will also need:
Watch this quick video before you start carving that covers the key steps for carving your wood carved pumpkins.
You will carve off the corner for this wood carved pumpkins tutorial. Draw three guidelines all around (photo 1):
Free sketch the pumpkins. The bottom pumpkin is leaning to the left and the middle and top pumpkins are leaning to the right (photo 1). Make sure the bottom of the top pumpkin extends just below the top guideline.
Use a stop cut to separate the bottom guideline on the front (photo 2) of your wood carved pumpkins. On the back side, make a stop cut in each corner and remove wood from underneath (photo 3).
Separate the bottom and middle guidelines on the back, which will give you access to round and shape the first pumpkin (photo 4).
Reserve the stem on the first pumpkin (photo 5). You can use whatever cuts are most comfortable for you here. I used a mix of stop cuts and second slicing cuts.
Start to separate the second pumpkin (photo 6). I used V-cuts to remove the wood on each side of the second pumpkin (photo 7). You can also round off the corners in the front and back of the pumpkin.
Shape the stem of the first pumpkin (photo 8) and start to round the backs of the first two pumpkins (photo 9).
Shape the bottom of the third pumpkin all around (photo 10). Note: The third pumpkin is more oblong in shape.
As you roughout this pumpkin, you will also need to round down the front (photo 11) and back corners (photo 12).
Separate the top stem (photo 12).
Sketch the letter “B”, round faces, and eyes (photo 14). Also, mark where you will slice wood off (photo 14) and use a V-cut to make the “B” stand out (completed in photo 16).
Separate the ”B”. I held my knife like a pencil (photo 15) to cut along the guideline and made a second slicing cut. I also removed some wood, cutting up to my previous cut.
Carve the eyes (completed in photo 16) in the same manner that you carved the letter B. You could also use a micro U-gouge to remove wood from the eyes. Once the eyes are carved, separate the circular guidelines of the two faces (completed in photo 16).
Sketch the lines on the front (photo 16) and back (photo 17) of your wood carved pumpkins.
Separate the lines you just sketched all around (completed in photos 18-21). You can use narrow V-cuts, or stop cuts with second slicing cuts.
Clean up all your cuts and refine your shapes (if needed) prior to painting your wood carved pumpkins.
Read this page about painting a wood carving for some general tips. Dilute your paint with several drops of water to create a translucent "wash." I use anywhere from 8-10 drops of water and build my paint in layers by applying several coats.
Looking for great painting product recommendations? I almost always use these acrylic paints (affiliate link), these paint brushes (affiliate link) and these paint brushes (affiliate link).
To get a similar look, use:
Photocopy this pattern to size to fit any wood block.
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