When Halloween rolls around, you don’t have to be an artist— or even think you’re particularly creative—to feel the pull of the pumpkin. The pumpkin reminds us of our childhood, of times when the whole family gave it their best shot. We knew that if our pumpkins weren’t perfect, they would rot and that would be the end of the embarrassment. And this is true today, my friends. Pumpkins still rot. So take a chance!

Last year, I sculpted some puppy pumpkins and sent the photos to the editor. Which is how I came to be invited write this piece. Even if you believe you’re not an artist, I encourage you to try this. Why? Because Bark and its readers inspired me to start pumpkin carving in the first place.

My technique involves removing the skin and sculpting the meat of the pumpkin, varying the wall thickness to create the design. When you punch through to the cavity of the pumpkin, you have a dark pumpkin with a flaming hot yellow color inside when it is lit. But if you don’t cut all the way through, you can create many layers of color.

Getting Started
• Find a photo or take a snapshot of the dog you wish to sculpt, either facing you or a side view. Print it out on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper for reference.

• Open the pumpkin. Use a sturdy knife (with a six- or seven-inch blade), just like you do for a traditional pumpkin. Create an opening in the top large enough to get your hand inside. To make sure the lid will not fall inside, angle the knife so that the tip tilts toward the stem and the handle tips toward you. This creates a shelf for the lid to rest on. Carefully work around until the lid is free, and then lift it out. (Reminder: Do not place your free or pumpkin-holding hand in front of the blade as you are cutting.) Clean out your pumpkin.

Sculpting Steps
1. Take the large loop tool, hold it flat against the pumpkin and raise the handle so that the tool is at an angle. Pull the tool down across the pumpkin like you’re peeling a potato; do not dig in too hard. The deep orange skin will come off like wood shavings. Scrape only the area you intend to use for your design. (There is no need to scrape the entire pumpkin, unless you want to.)

2. Next, take the small triangle mini-ribbon tool and draw your dog in the area you have scraped clean. Use most of the scraped space. To draw, hold the tool perpendicular to the pumpkin and touch it gently on the surface. Tilt it like a pencil and drag it gently across the light meat (be careful not to press too hard, as this tool is breakable). When done correctly, a small ribbon of pumpkin will come off. Do the best you can—remember, it’s only a pumpkin.

3. Using the squared-off end of the depth tool, trace the outline of your dog (the line between the dog and the background). Again, place this tool perpendicular to the pumpkin surface, and keeping it against your drawn line, dig in a little (about 1/8 of an inch) to widen and further emphasize the outline. Do this all around, which will make the dog pop out a bit from the background. Then repeat this step one more time, until the depth is just over 1/4 inch. (If the wall of your pumpkin is thinner than 1 1/2 inches, just take off the first eighth; you can always dig deeper later.)

4. Take the large loop tool and place the tip in the groove you have just created. Lean the tool so that it bites into the outside edge of the groove and gently carve away that outside line, making this groove a bit wider. Now, your dog is really sitting forward.

At this point, it’s time to think about which part of your design you wish to be darker (leave the pumpkin wall thicker) and which part you would like to glow brighter (thin out the pumpkin wall). For example, if you want your dog’s eyes to glow, you would carve very close to the pumpkin’s cavity, even punching completely through).

5. Carve away the area around your dog just a bit. Then sculpt the ear. In the pumpkin shown in the photos, the ear is folded, so the top part is closer to the viewer and the flap of the ear is carved back somewhat to make it look like it is farther away. Start by using the depth tool as in step three. Dig in just a little. Then, as in step four, use the larger loop tool to carve away the outer edge of the groove. Once you have removed it, you can soften the look by gently carving away the remaining hard edge at an angle.

Check the pumpkin’s wall, and if there’s still enough thickness left, you can make the groove a bit deeper, which will cause the ear to be more prominent. After you’ve outlined the ears, do the forehead, cheeks, eyes and muzzle. If your dog’s mouth is open, or has a ball in it, outline and sculpt the ball, then the tongue and lower jaw. Repeat these steps to work though the rest of the design.

6. To create the fur and to emphasize the detail a bit, use the mini-ribbon tools. Experiment with these tools to see which ones give you the best result. In this example, the dog’s hair was created with the triangle mini-ribbon tool.

Finessing
Once you’ve completed sculpting your dog, you can sculpt a half moon over the shoulder (or any other design detail that appeals to you). To do this, just draw the shape, outline and go through the steps again.

Many of my students put a battery-powered light inside the pumpkin and carve to the light, so to speak. If you light your pumpkin and feel it’s too dark, simply do some back-carving. Take the loop tool and gently scrape some pumpkin away from inside the cavity. Be careful and go slowly. Do a couple of scrapes and then check your progress with the light.

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So, these are the basic steps—trace with the depth tool, feather or remove the outer edge and gently smooth with the large loop tool, then repeat. Just keep in mind that what you carve away thins the pumpkin wall, which will make that area brighter when the pumpkin is lit.

Here are my final words on the subject. You are you, so you will sculpt like you, not me or any other artist. This is what makes art, art. Remember, you do not have to make a dog portrait—this is Halloween, and you can make a vampire dog or whatever you want. Relax and don’t give up! When the big night rolls around, light the inside of the pumpkin. (If it’s a giant like I often use, a battery-powered camping lantern works well; for a classic-size pumpkin, try tea lights, a votive candle or a snap-to-activate glow light.) Then step back and admire your handiwork!

Stepping out with our furry friends during the sunniest time of the year makes for hot and hungry dogs. This quick, simple recipe is designed to cool off your pup, while providing a delectable, tasty treat! Makes 30-40 cubes, enough to last the summer. Feel free to add other tasty items like raspberries and strawberries, or any of the superfoods listed here (yogurt-fish-honey pops, anyone?).

Ingredients:

4 cups yogurt (flavored or plain, non-fat if needed)
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 ripe banana, mashed

Directions:

Recipe from Pet Guide

For the yarn and needle set, there is an adorable new pattern book, Knit Your Own Zoo, from the same crafty aces, Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, who brought us Knit Your Own Dog. With this new work you can try your hand at needling up a wolf (check out the pattern PDF) or 23 other wildlife critters, such as an elephant, giraffe, panda or kangaroo with its own little joey. Knit Your Own Zoo is published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers.

It’s like magic. Something old becomes new again. I have always been enchanted by this process of transformation, even before it became known as recycling and was recognized as good for the environment. As a child, I made milk cartons into doll houses  and lunchboxes into pocketbooks. Paperclips became jewelry and my father’s old neckties became bracelets and belts. Now, when I make things for my dog, this is the creative process.

Transformation

I discovered this idea for dog collars while refashioning a shirt for myself, and even though it didn’t fit me at all, it is almost impossible for me to throw anything away. So there I was on the floor with scissors, needles and thread, and of course Eloise. She always helps me sew by finding as many dangerous things to chew on as she can. As I cut and tucked and modeled the changes in front of the mirror, I caught Eloise disappearing around the corner with the collar in her mouth for a nice private chew. And then the moment arrived ... when I saw something become something else. I think I actually got a surge of adrenaline when it happened because it made me laugh out loud. I removed the collar from her mouth and slipped it effortlessly around her neck. A perfect fit. Tight enough to keep it away from her teeth and paws, but loose enough to be comfortable. The concept of “dog collar” took on a whole new meaning.

But I couldn’t stop there. The possibilities were endless for decoration and embellishment. Trims, embroidery, buttons and bows. I began asking all my friends for hand-me-down shirts and combing thrift stores and flea markets for different sizes, colors and patterns. I gave them to all my doggie friends and started selling them in my local pet store. At 48 years old creating fashions for my dog is almost as much fun as making things for my dolls when I was 10, but with an added bonus. It helps soften the blows of middle age.

Materials

• Shirt with a collar the right size for your dog. It should be 3"- 4" bigger than the exact neck measurement. You can find different sizes by using children’s, women’s and men’s shirts. It must also have a neckband. That’s the piece that joins the collar to the shirt and allows you to cut it off in one piece.
• Some kind of glue that is made for preventing fray. There are several kinds available in sewing and craft stores.
• Another kind of glue that creates a permanent fabric bond and can be washed.
• A special button.
• Small piece of Velcro tm.
• Assorted trims and decorations.
• Embroidery floss.

Directions

1. Cut the collar off the shirt being careful to stay as close to the seam as possible but without cutting into the neckband.

2. Spread the fray block glue along the bottom seam. It will dry clear on most fabrics. When dry, trim loose threads and fabric.

3. If you want to use the button to open and close the collar, then make sure your new button fits the hole and replace the old one. Or you can sew Velcro in place of a button for easier access and then you can add a bigger button or other decoration to the front.

4. Decorate with trims and/or embroidery to your heart’s content! These can be sewed or glued with the permanent washable glue.

[Note: The collarettes are designed to fit loosely around your dog’s neck and are not intended for leash attachment.]