As Halloween creeps up, create spooky pumpkins with craft paints and unique stencils! Your jack o' lantern will stand out from every other pumpkin on the block!

Pumpkin projects are a great way to get the family together for some Halloween fun. Start by choosing pumpkins for each family member in different shapes and sizes for variety.  Clean them with water to get rid of dirt and debris.  If you have small children, we suggest you handle the carving steps and have the children take over the painting part of the project because of the sharp tools involved.

Carving
Using a saw or a knife cut out a hole at the top, big enough to be able to put your hands in and get out all the seeds. With an ice cream or pumpkin scoop, take out all the insides and scrape the inner pumpkin walls to about one-half inch thick. Then apply a stencil over the area of the pumpkin that you want to face outward. The stencil could be spooky, silly or even decorative - hold it in position using clear tape or pins. Using a pushpin, make pinpoint marks 1/16" to 1/8" apart along the design lines.
Double check to see that you have marked the entire outline, then remove the stencil. Using a carving saw, saw with a continuous up-and-down motion at a 90-degree angle to the pumpkin, using slight pressure. Then, remove the smallest pieces first, using your fingers or a pen to pop out the pumpkin pieces – sometimes little fingers work best!

Painting
Now the fun really begins. Using your favorite paint colours, along with any number of the wide variety of Dynamic craft brushes available, apply the craft paint to further enhance the look of your pumpkin. You can paint the whole pumpkin one colour, or paint stripes, checks or another design - the only limit is your imagination! When your pumpkin masterpieces are complete, lightly apply an acrylic clear spray to protect the paint from wet weather.

Lighting
Bring your pumpkins life with an eerie glow. You can use a traditional candle, or, for a safer alternative, simply place a flashlight or a fluorescent light in the middle of each pumpkin for an altogether spooky effect. But, beware: your house will be the talk of the street so you just may need to stock up on more candy for all those little ghosts and goblins!