How to make spooky black cat o'lanterns

Create a spooky trio of glossy black cats to watch over trick-or-treaters at your door!

All you need are a few pumpkins in feline shapes ― long or pear-shaped for the body, small and round for the face. (via Sunset)

black cat pumpkins
via Sunset

The great thing about these cat-o-lanterns is that they're pretty easy to make and less messy!

Materials

Knife or carving kit
Pumpkins (long/pear shaped for body and small/round for head)
Pen
Scissors
Stiff felt or paper for ears
Newspaper
Curved cucumber or skinny gourd for tail
Mini pumpkins for paws
Black floral spray
Wood floral picks (5 or 6 per pumpkin; optional)
Mallet or hammer for attaching picks to base pumpkin (optional)
Tea-light candle in flat dish or jar lid
Clay polymer or poster putty

pumpkin materials

Steps

Once you have all your materials, you're ready to see your Halloween cats come to life!

Step 1:

Cut out top of small pumpkin and scoop the inside clean. Place it upside down on the base pumpkin, turning to find a good fit. If necessary, carve opening slightly to adjust.

Step 2:

Set head on the base to decide placement of eyes, then carve them out. You can draw them on first or use this template.

Step 3:

Cut pointy ears out of felt or card stock and mark their positions on the head with a pen. Carve two shallow grooves into the head to hold the ears. Avoid cutting all the way through the pumpkin. (For more realistic ears, carve crescent-shaped grooves.)

ear slits in pumpkin
via Sunset

Step 4:

Prep an outside work area for spray painting.

Stuff the head with loosely crumpled newspaper. Cover pumpkins, mini pumpkins, and cucumber with one or two thin coats of black spray paint. Allow to dry. Remove stuffing and insert the ears.

Step 5:

If the head is wobbly, gently pound a few floral picks into the body with the mallet or hammer. Measure the opening of the head, then position the picks to fit just inside.

hammer picks in pumpkin
via Sunset

Touch up paint if necessary.

Step 6:

Put a short tea light on a lid or dish to catch any drips. Stick to the top of the big pumpkin with a small ball of clay polymer or poster putty. Attach the head. Position cat and arrange tail and paws next to body.

placing pumpkin cat head on body
via Sunset