Earlier this year I attended the red carpet premiere of Finding Dory, and I fell in love with the movie. In honor of the November 15th Blu-ray release of Finding Dory, I have some special Finding Dory activity sheets and pumpkin carving tips to share.
Last week I spent some time with Master Pumpkin Carver, Joseph Yakovetic, and was taught how to paint and carve an excellent Dory pumpkin. I learned I’ve been doing pumpkin carving ALL wrong! Who knew? I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I’ve been making, so here are some tips from Joseph, that will help preserve your next carved pumpkin:
- Always avoid cutting the stem off the pumpkin. Keeping the stem in tact helps avoid quick molding. Instead, cut a square out of the back of the pumpkin, for your light source.
- An old CD works great for cleaning out the pumpkin guts!
- Don’t use candles in the pumpkin as it speeds up the molding process. Use an LED light, or a plugged in lightbulb.
- You can store the gutted and cleaned pumpkin in the refrigerator when not on display. Don’t cover in plastic wrap. If mold does start to form use the CD, to remove interior mold and spray with 50/50 water and bleach.
- Clean the pumpkin with an antiseptic wipe, before sketching and carving. Then dry with a paper towel.
- Display the completed pumpkin on a trivet or stand, so the bottom can breathe.
- Graphite paper underneath your stencil is the easiest way to trace the image onto the pumpkin. Remove paper, go over the lines with paint and/or a Sharpie, and remove any remaining graphite with the wet wipe.
For Finding Dory pumpkin stencils, Halloween craft projects and activity sheets, download the PDFs below!
Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
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