Tips and tricks from a pumpkin carving master

When he was only 11, he grew a handful of the orange orbs and sold them on a street corner in his hometown of New Brighton, Minn.

“I’ve always loved pumpkins,” LaRochelle said. “Every year, I can’t get enough.”

Now in his 50s, LaRochelle is a children’s book author and illustrator by trade — but every October, pumpkin fever arrives and LaRochelle gets to carving.

He first took carving seriously in the 1980s, when he saw a pumpkin-carving contest on the back of a carving kit at the store. He entered — and he won.

In the decades since, his reputation as a jack-o’-lantern master has continued to grow. He’s been asked to carve pumpkins for everything from the Minnesota Timberwolves to an exceptionally crafty wedding. He’s had to turn down most requests, though: His carving schedule is packed.

Carving tips from the master David LaRochelle:

Pick the right pumpkin

Give any pumpkin you pick a complete inspection, and check for any soft spots — you don’t want a pumpkin that’s already started to spoil.

In your hunt, avoid the ridges. Some pumpkins have deep ridges which are fun to look at, but a pain to carve. Go for a pumpkin with a smooth surface instead.

If you have a design in mind already, get the pumpkin to match: Do you need a tall skinny one? Short and round? Big as your head? Scout accordingly.

Hollow it out; thin the shell

Carving pumpkins requires some dirty work: You have to get all the seeds and strings out first. LaRochelle recommends using a special scraping tool: A spoon with a serrated edge. “It will clean out a pumpkin quicker and better than your spoon from your kitchen drawer.”

Once the pumpkin guts are out, thinning the shell is key.

“Sometimes you’ll get pumpkins with really thick shells and it can be difficult to carve any design all the way through that,” LaRochelle said. “I scrape the pumpkin shell to anywhere between¾ and one inch thick.”

Draw your design in advance

There’s nothing wrong with freehand pumpkin carving. If you’re feeling inspired, have at it!

But if you’re looking for a little more detail, LaRochelle recommends drawing your design out first on tracing paper.

You can then transfer the design using a pin to prick small holes through the paper into the pumpkin, following the lines. Take the tracing paper off, and the outline of your design should marked on the pumpkin.

Think outside the triangle face

“Don’t be afraid to think creatively,” LaRochelle said. “Usually we think of pumpkins as having a face design on them, and that’s fine, but you can go beyond that with symbols. Think of bats, snakes, the moon, stars, or even scenes — like a graveyard or a spooky forest.”

You can go even farther and leave Halloween behind altogether. “It could even be a rabbit or a puppy.”

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Shaving instead of carving

You can create interesting designs without cutting all the way through the pumpkin. Scraping away just enough of the outer shell to let the light glow through opens up new design possibilities.

The ideal tool for scraping the pumpkin shell are linoleum block cutters, LaRochelle said. The cutters have “v”-shaped blades and are available at art supply stores.

Be patient

LaRochelle estimates that his pumpkins take between two and four hours to carve. One elaborate design of a coiled snake took more than eight hours. “I’ll never do that again,” LaRochelle said.

Beyond ‘boo’: David LaRochelle immortalizes Pac-Man on a pumpkin. Courtesy of David LaRochelle

Don’t try to be perfect

It’s easy to get hung up on the details, but LaRochelle said he encourages people not to worry about the perfect carving.

“The lopsidedness of a design can give it more character.”

Light it up

“I use anywhere between 4 to 8 votive candles per pumpkin,” LaRochelle said. “That really makes it glow nice and brightly.”

An alternative to candles is Christmas lights, especially the ones that blink, he said