After smoothing out those lines and wrinkles, its time to start adding lines and wrinkles! You’ll be using your carving knives and the smaller ribbon tools now. This is where you will add in the fine details that will make your pumpkin creation much more impressive. Again, reference photos will really help out with this.
Carving with a light inside could help give you clues as to how much rind you have left in thin areas.
The small ribbon tools can really get in there and add fine, sharp details. However, pumpkin rind has a tendency to conceal your details. Part of the reason for this is the translucent nature of the rind allows light to pass through and subdue the natural shadows. This robs your carving of precious contrast. To remedy this, learn the fine art of the v-cut and use it to emphasize subtle details and make them more pronounced. This is invaluable for creases and wrinkles and any details of the face. The following images describe the process.
We'll use this lid for a demonstration...
You'll initially carve the form in with your ribbon tool...
It looks fine, but you can make it a bit sharper with a v-cut.
Using a curved blade, slice along the line at approximately the same angle you originally carved. You don't need to go too deep.
Now, change to the opposite angle and move to the slightly to the side of your previous cut...
Begin slicing along this contour. Your cut will meet or cross the previous cut to release a strip of pumpkin...
Lifting out the released strip will reveal a much more pronounced groove and sharper corner than your ribbon tool was capable of.
