• Paul Keleher: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkeleher/1544134733/
  
  When you are trying to decide how to decorate your pumpkin, it is helpful to think of the basic pumpkin types. Read these descriptions and think about what type of pumpkin face you would like to create. Try taking a neighborhood survey to see which type of pumpkin is popular where you live.
  
  

Traditional

• No list of pumpkin types would be complete without mentioning the traditional Jack-O-Lantern design: two triangular eyes, an upside-down triangle for the nose and a jagged opening for the mouth. This is a simple design to carve, and it is within the drawing abilities of small children.
  
  

Scary

• The traditional pumpkin is nice, but if you are the type of person who likes horror movies and haunted houses, you will probably want your pumpkin to be more frightening as well. Add angry eyebrows and sharply slanted eyes. The mouth can have either jagged teeth or just a round circle for a scream.
  
  

Funny

• If you are aiming for something more light-hearted, try a happy, smiling pumpkin. Or you can use an interesting deformity on your pumpkin to make a funny face. If you don't mind some crude humor, use the pumpkin "guts" to spread a precautionary tale against overindulgence.
  
  

Robot

• Make your Jack-O-Lantern into a Robot-O-Lantern for a change of pace. Use square eyes and an open slot for a mouth. This technique is great for pumpkins with a squarish shape, but don't be afraid to adapt it to your own pumpkin.
  
  

Celebrity

• Carve your pumpkin right onto the A-list with your favorite celebrity image. Make a stencil out of your favorite magazine cover or an online image. Or you can pick your least favorite celebrity and add some unflattering details.
  
  

Alien

• Perhaps your pumpkin is out of this world. Create your own vision of alien life with extra eyes (or just one), antennae made from the carved-out sections and a misplaced mouth.
  
  

Oddball

• Some of the most fantastic-looking pumpkin faces come from pumpkins with a less-than-perfect shape. Let the bumps and dents inform your pumpkin's expression. Add a startled expression to a pumpkin that looks like it is tilting over to one side.
  
  

Multiple Pumpkins

• Why stop with just one pumpkin? Use a stack of pumpkins to make a preseason snowman. Attach a smaller pumpkin on one side to make a scary mutant or position a larger pumpkin so that it appears to be eating another pumpkin.