Bring Alagaësia to life on a pumpkin! We want to see your pumpkin carving skills utilized to transform a pumpkin into a fearsome Thorn or elegant Saphira! To help with the process, we’ve created several stencils based off of the Inheritance Cycle dragons, the iconic “ERAGON” text, and the “E” symbol created to promote the Eragon movie.
You can use our pumpkin carving templates to get started. You’ll have two options: you can fully cut out the outline of the dragon, or you can use scraping techniques to create a carving the same type as shown in our example pumpkin photos.
Here are some steps to help you use the stencils to create your pumpkin:
Transferring the stencil
Print the stencil from your computer. Tape the stencil to your pumpkin, then transfer the stencil’s shape by poking small holes through the stencil’s design. Tools such as wooden skewers, nails, or any sharp, pointed object (be careful!) work best. Cheap pumpkin kits also offer similar tools and can be found at most stores during the holiday season. We recommend having two stencils printed, just in case the first one gets messy!
Completely carving your pumpkin
The easiest method to create your pumpkin is to simple carve the stencil out around the edges, leaving a large dragon-shaped hole at the front of your dragon. While epic, the scraping method will yield cooler, more interesting results (especially with the dragon stencils). We’re sure you don’t need any directions on carving your designs! Of course, don’t forget to “gut” your pumpkin before you start the carving process.
Scraping your pumpkin design
For a more elegant design as seen in the photos above and below, you’ll want to use a “scraping” technique to have several layers to your pumpkin, allowing light to shine through in various levels of brightness. To carve, use a tool that allows for scraping (wood carving tools, knives, screwdrivers, kitchen gadgets, or anything else that will let you peel away the pumpkin’s flesh will work!) and slowly peel away the pumpkin’s flesh in the areas designated by your stencil. Darker areas call for deeper peeling and allow more light through, whereas lighter areas will create a darker glow. Need more help? This Youtube video covers the shading techniques used for this kind of pumpkin carving!
Time to get started! You can download our stencils by clicking on the stencil thumbnail below (right click on the large image and select “Save as…” to download the stencil):
Looking for examples of how your pumpkin should turn out? Here’s a gallery of pumpkins readers have carved in the past!
We’ll be featuring any pumpkin submitted to us through social media (on Facebook or on Twitter) until Halloween! Shortly after Halloween, we’ll compile all of your pumpkin photos into one big post on Shur’tugal, where thousands of fans will see your hard work (with credit to you, of course!).
