(Photo courtesy of Villafane Studios/Town of Carefree)

Pumpkin carving artist Ray Villafane.

With Halloween approaching, pumpkins are everywhere. The Valley is home to one of the world’s most accomplished pumpkin carvers, and his unique artwork is on display in Carefree.

Ray Villafane recently explained his craft to dozens of school children on a field trip at Carefree’s town center.

“I’m making up this face out of my head,” Villafane said. “I play with pumpkins, really. I don’t even really feel like I work. I honestly don’t. No matter how many hours I put in, even if I’ve put in a long day of pumpkin carvings, all I need is to be confronted with a really good pumpkin, like a heavy pumpkin or a thick pumpkin, and I want to carve some more."

One of his latest creations features a gnome-like creature’s face etched into the side of a perfectly plump pumpkin.

“I love carving faces, first and foremost. I want the pumpkins to look like they’re alive, looking back at you.”

The first and second graders, visiting from Desert Sun Elementary, were enraptured by the carved pumpkin heads displayed throughout the park. Villafane said it’s all about the subjects and not the artist.

“Walk through an airport with a pumpkin, and see what happens. You’ll get more smiles than anything. There’s something magical about a really cool looking pumpkin.” said Villafane, who is 46 years old. “Put a face on it, and you don’t have to do anything. I could have sat up there and not said a word, and they would be captivated.”

Villafane's life-like depictions come in all shapes and sizes. Ever since his carving work was featured on the Food Network, he’s traveled around the world to show off his creations and has become known as the pumpkin sculptor to the rich and famous.

“I carved the White House. Heidi Klum’s Halloween party. We’ve gone as far as Ocean Park, which is Hong Kong’s biggest theme park.”

(Photo courtesy of Villafane Studios/Town of Carefree)

Ray Villafane's "Indian Chief" pumpkin carving.

Villafane, who just returned from Washington D.C. and carved a pumpkin seen on Monday Night Football, lives in Surprise. The Town of Carefree discovered his work and invited him to show it off at the town’s Enchanted Pumpkin Garden.

“We sat down; we said we’d like to get a pumpkin carver, and people yawned. Then, they said 'let us show you what he can do and what he’s has done,' and everyone says 'Wow, that is really something!'” Said Les Peterson, Carefree’s mayor.

As hundreds of people crowd his town center, Peterson said his appearance has been a boon to tourism, with visitors coming from around the state and region to see the great gourds. But this art is only temporary. His carefully carved creations, which take hours to perfect, only last a couple days. Villafane said the fleeting nature of the carvings is the beauty of the artform.

“When it rots, when it’s gone and only when it's gone do you really begin to fall in love with this medium. Once it’s taken away, it’s only human nature to romanticize that experience even more,” Villafane said.

Temporary or not, each creation is immortalized in photographs. Villafane can fetch a pretty penny for each carving. His services cost about $2,000 per pumpkin. This time of the year, the requests are plentiful.

“Often one of the biggest requests is, ‘Can you do our news anchor people?’ and not to (mean) any offense to the local news, but I don’t do that,” Villafane said.

“I’m so addicted to playing with pumpkins because I’m having so much fun playing, it just opens up more opportunities because I just find myself diving in deeper and seeing the pumpkins in different ways,” he said.

Villafane's 6 tips for the perfect carved pumpkin

1. Pick the right pumpkin

For the best pumpkin for carving, visiting a farm and purchasing it fresh is recommended. Find a pumpkin with a green, nonshriveled stem, which often indicates its freshness and higher moisture content. Villafane suggests experimenting with pumpkins of various shapes and curves. The chosen pumpkin serves as the foundation for the carving, making it essential to capitalize on its unique features.

2. Get the right tools

Carving a pumpkin is a family-friendly activity during fall, so finding tools that work well and are safe for children is important. Though plastic store-bought tools may seem useful and safe, there are better options, according to Villafane. He recommends using common pottery loop and ribbon tools. These can be purchased from most arts and crafts stores and are not sharp enough to hurt someone but will still glide through a pumpkin’s hard exterior. If the tools are used correctly, a knife is not necessary but can be used to create sharper lines. However, rather than using a normal kitchen knife, Villafane usually opts for an X-ACTO knife because it is safer and allows for more control.

3. Think about your environment

Pumpkins will start to shred and pull apart rather than carve cleanly if the environment isn’t just right. The texture of pumpkins will change according to the temperature and humidity of their surroundings. If the environment is too dry, use a spray bottle to keep the exposed pumpkin moist. If the environment is too humid, the pumpkin may rot quickly – it’s all about finding the balance. With this in mind, once the flesh of a pumpkin is exposed to air, try to finish the carving in one sitting. Villafane suggests carving within a four- to six-hour range, and if more time is needed in between carving, wrap the pumpkin in moist paper towels and put it in the refrigerator.

Carving a pumpkin will get messy. Rather than cutting out large chunks at a time, Villafane’s style of carving entails removing small shavings bit by bit. Make sure to set out a tablecloth and some towels before starting for easier cleanup.

4. Find the right reference

Most people are probably familiar with the classic jack-o’-lantern with triangle eyes and a toothy grin, but the possibilities are endless. Stencils and reference photos are helpful tools to bring your pumpkin to the next level. Villafane often uses himself as a reference for his pumpkin creations. He originally got started by making silly or contorted faces in the mirror to use as his reference. He studied the curves and wrinkles in his own face and now uses that knowledge in his art.

5. Getting started

Always make sure that the pumpkin is oriented to work with the design in mind and that it will sit upright on its own when finished. Villafane always starts by choosing the orientation of his pumpkin and shaving the bottom down until it sits relatively flat and stable. Once the pumpkin is upright, use the largest loop or ribbon tool available to shave off the area of the pumpkin that will be used for the design. Try to remove the dark, tough exterior of the pumpkin. This will make it easier to get a feel for the space and expose the softer flesh to work with.

In Villafane’s art, he does not often go all the way through a pumpkin, but you can work any breakage into your design and make the most of it. Start by carving out the large shapes and curves with your larger loop tools. Blocking out general features will help establish depth and finer details later on. If you are carving a face, the deepest part of your carving should be around the tear ducts of the eye. On the other hand, the tip of the nose is usually what sticks out the farthest, so avoid removing too much from there. Using these guidelines, you’ll be able to easily establish how much material you have to work with. Still, pumpkin carving is a subtractive art, so do not be afraid to break through the pumpkin.

“The secret is the more you break through, the more aware of the material you are. No one’s broken through more pumpkins than me, and that’s why I’m good at it. Failing is the key as long as you’re willing to continue trying after you fail,” Villafane said.

To test the thickness of the area you are carving, you can try pushing down with your finger on it. If the pumpkin flexes at all, then the area is getting thin, so be careful. If the pumpkin doesn’t budge, then there’s room to carve away more material.

6. Have fun and get creative

Ultimately, carving a pumpkin should be fun and allow for creativity. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different tools, techniques and mediums. You can carve out eye sockets and fill them in with potatoes or carrots to add different colors and textures. Villafane often adds wire limbs and simple props to his pumpkin creations. These extra pieces bring the pumpkin to life and add dimension.

It’s important to approach pumpkin carving with an open and relaxed mind. Villafane advises carvers to “quiet the mind” and free themselves from self-judgment. This openness allows for genuine discovery and playful experimentation.

“Don’t judge yourself, allow yourself to discover and play. Just relax because it’s just a pumpkin and knowing that it’s just a pumpkin, have fun because it’s temporary,” Villafane said.

Scroll below the gallery to find four Arizona-themed pumpkin carving templates as downloadable PDFs.

More stories from KJZZ

• Don't have the guts for horror movies? Let this critic take a stab at changing your mind
• Beetlehouse, Beetlehouse, Beetlehouse: Phoenix Halloween display pays homage to 'Beetlejuice'