FREE ESSAY ON THE ART OF CARVING A PUMKIN.

THE ART OF CARVING A PUMKIN.

Raymond A. Farland 
WR30 
Process Essay 
Carving a Pumpkin.
The Art of Carving a Pumpkin
Have you ever wondered how someone begins carving a pumpkin? Well, if you really want to
do a great carving, there are only a few simple rules to follow. First, you have to have
a pumpkin! To find that perfectly grown pumpkin, you can shop around the great many
grocery stores or roadside farm stands that are packed full of luminous specimens,
especially in the colorful month of October. Once you've found that perfect,
bright-orange pumpkin you are ready to begin carving.
There are many different ways that you can begin to carve that award winning expression
of the pumpkin's face-to-be. The initial task though, is to completely wash off any dirt
that came with your trophy pumpkin. Then, you will want to begin carving that pumpkin in
an area outside the house or in your garage, because after all, it can become a messy
affair. First though, collect as many old newspapers and rags as you can find, and
position them in such a way so that when you are finished carving, the clean-up time is
minimal. Hold on a minute! We haven't discussed what kinds of tools are needed to begin
your carving. There are many different carving utensils that can be used for this
project. You can use both short and long knives, an assortment of your dads' wood carving
tools, just don't tell your dad, or if you're in the mood for real creation you can use
an electric knife or chainsaw. Using a chainsaw however, to carve a pumpkin, is taking
your first pumpkin carving experience to a whole new level, and I'm not sure you really
want to go there... Are you?
Once you have all the tools and equipment that you will need; a pumpkin, old newspapers
and/or rag's and don't forget your carving tools, you are well on your way to becoming a
pumpkin Picasso, maybe. Once again, we are outside the house or in the garage, and we
have already placed the old newspapers and rags down on the ground or concrete floor, now
finally, we are ready to begin. Take a Back Magic marker: an item that I previously
failed to mention, but, an important one just the same. Without a marker, or writing
utensil, how are you going to trace that happy, scary, or sad face on your
masterfully-created Jack-O-Lantern. After you have traced your Mona Lisa, you need to
begin by cutting around the top of the stem area. This is done very carefully by pushing
dad's best carving tool at an angle less than 90 degrees downward approximately four
inches from the stem, so that you will have a hole big enough for the twin, razor-sharp
electric knives, which are rather bulky to fit in. 
But wait! And this is very important, BE CAREFUL, we wouldn't want to have to take you to
the Emergency Room, to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Now, slowly, follow the
earlier drawn black line with your cutting appliance in a careful circle around the stem
of your pumpkin, so that when you are done, the piece will be perfectly round. This is
done so that when you've completed carving the Halloween face of your medal winning
pumpkin, you can place candles inside to make your Jack-O-Lantern, light-up! At this
point, you'll want to take all the little slimy, squishy, sticky pumpkin seeds out of the
pumpkin, and place them on the side somewhere, you will use them later. At this point, in
your pumpkin sculpting venture, you should be quite skillful in tackling what lies ahead
of you, carving the shape of the face. This sculpture is done with precision, so much
that when you have completed carving, it not only looks great, but, is also worthy of the
neighbor's review. In addition to, the time and effort spent: having shed Blood, sweat,
and tears, Afterward, you will be able to pass on this expensive knowledge, to your
children or anyone else who'll listen.
Bibliography
This is an Essay That I wrote. It's simple and fun. RAF