Look beyond the standard knife for carving—try a few of these tools.
Power drill bits: Create different-size holes for patterns. Use according to manufacturer's instructions.
Serrated craft saw: Use to carve a hole in the bottom or top and for irregular shapes such as the cat and bat.
Sculpting tool: Great for scraping pulp from a pumpkin's interior and for thinning walls. Use a large spoon or your hands to remove flesh and seeds.
Templates: Tape templates to shell and trace outline. Try spookmaster.com or clipartguide.com.
Mallet: Tap a cookie cutter with a rubber mallet to cut through pumpkin shell.
Cookie cutters: Cooking tools such as tin-plated-steel cookie cutters can make unique designs easily (cookiecuttershop.com; from $2).
Grease pencil: Mark your designs and trace templates with a grease pencil.
Vellum: To give your lantern a professional look and to keep the candle from blowing out, attach a square of vellum to the inside of the cutout with straight pins.