Style 4 drops the Sharpie and goes back to 3 shades, but this time, the sawed holes take center stage.
In Style 3+, sawed holes were used sparingly as small bright highlights. Here, they’re a larger, bolder part of the design. Pumpkin skin is the darkest shade, scraped pumpkin glows as the middle shade, and light shining through the sawed holes becomes the brightest. The result is a vivid, natural look that works especially well for carving images of living things.
Because the holes are bigger and more spread out, keeping the pumpkin’s structure solid takes some planning. It will also rot faster, so follow the preservation tips in Part 8.
The good news: just two types of lines to follow on the stencil (scrape or saw), so it’s easier to keep track of where you are than Style 3+. But I still keep the stencil nearby to check.
Give yourself 3 to 4 hours or more.
Shades: 3 (pumpkin skin + scraped glow + light through holes)
Pros:
- Bright, vivid results.
- Stencil is easier to follow than Style 3+.
Cons:
- Large holes can make pumpkin fragile.
- Pumpkin rots faster where holes are cut.
- Takes 3–4+ hours.
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