Style 3+ is the most detailed of all 9 styles. Four shades, three techniques combined into one carving.
Black Sharpie stays the darkest shade. Pumpkin skin is the second darkest. Scraped pumpkin glows as the third shade. And where you saw all the way through, bright light shines as the fourth and brightest shade. Stack all four together and the level of detail you get is really impressive.
The key with this style is to use those sawed holes sparingly. A few bright spots, like the whites of eyes or a gleaming smile, will pop against the other three shades. Too many or too large, and you lose the detail from the pumpkin skin and scraped shades. Less is more.
These stencils have the most lines to follow, so keep your printed stencil close and check it often. Give yourself 3 to 4 hours or more.
Shades: 4 (black Sharpie + pumpkin skin + scraped glow + light through holes)
Pros:
- Most detail of any style.
- Sawed areas really pop against the other shades.
Cons:
- Most steps to follow. Stencil can be tricky to read.
- Sawed holes can make pumpkin fragile if overused.
- Pumpkin rots faster where holes are cut.
- Takes longer to carve (3–4+ hours).
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