It’s almost Halloween — time to carve a pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern and set it out on the porch. Here are some of the many Web sites devoted to this autumn art form, as well as a few for other fruit and veggie sculptures.
familyfun.go.com/halloween: Leave it to Family Fun, a comprehensive arts-and-crafts site that should be among any parent’s Internet bookmarks, to offer the best overall guide to pumpkin carving for kids and adults. (Click on Pumpkin Carving in the menu bar or scroll down the page and click on the icon.) You’ll find templates and instructions for clever designs, such as the “Oh, No!” pumpkin, in which kids use their hands to create part of the image that looks like a winsome version of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” There’s also a carving primer with useful tips, including one that seems to be aimed directly at the accident-prone: “Never hold the knife in a stabbing position.”
pumpkingutter.com: Texas artist Scott Cummins, a k a the Pumpkin Gutter, wows visitors to his online gallery with beautifully conceived and executed 3-D carvings that include Albert Einstein, an African elephant, a gaping eye and oodles more. You might not hope to aspire to his skill level, but his cool creations can provide inspiration if nothing else.
extremepumpkins.com: “Pumpkin carving will never be the same,” Extreme Pumpkin promises in its welcome message. No kidding — this is one wicked site. The site’s outrageous and often-ingenious creations include a Puking Pumpkin, a gnarly skull made from the nonorange part of the rind and designs that mimic drownings and suicides. Parents will want to visit the site before showing it to kids, not only for the subject matter but because some links go to adult-oriented content.
theoworlds.com/halloween: Even if you never feel compelled to hack away at some unsuspecting orange gourd at home, you can carve a pumpkin online using a cool TheoWorlds Halloween application. Trace a design with your cursor and realistic cutouts appear. Type in a message, and e-mail your electronic jack-o’-lantern to a friend as a Halloween greeting. Best of all, there’s no cleanup of messy orange slime and pumpkin seeds.
