These pumpkin carvings look AI-created but we assure you they’re real. At first glance, they look like a mush of pumpkin that hasn’t been fully carved through, but they become masterpieces when light shines from within. Pumpkin carver extraordinaire Karrah Youngblood is going viral on TikTok for her hyper-realistic pumpkin carvings.
Youngblood, a native of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, has recently gained notoriety for her extremely detailed pumpkin art of different celebrity faces. Youngblood has made the faces of various celebrities like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and Zendaya. She said this year she would try only to make women, but Travis Kelce was the exception.
A graphic designer by trade, Youngblood uses a technique based on lights and shadows to create specific facial features. It all begins with a black and white template she creates on her computer. Then, using thumbtacks, she punches the design onto the pumpkin, using it to guide her carving.
However, when you look at them at first, they look…well, not the best. The pumpkin details aren’t fully visible until they are lit from the inside. All the details and depth of features are visible with light. Her viral videos take advantage of the unsuspecting look of the unlit pumpkin, then go on to do a reveal by turning off the lights and lighting up the pumpkin.
Youngblood’s TikTok videos have garnered over 20 million views. Her comments are full of praise from “GET THIS IN A MUSEUM” to “Fantastic. I’ll take 12.” In an interview with NPR, Youngblood underscored how important people’s support is.
I was standing in my kitchen. I just started bawling. It was just overwhelming, the nice things that were being said. And I’m like, they’re not being said about my face,” Youngblood said. “They’re not being said about, you know, my car. They’re being said about something I created.”
If you can’t get enough of the spooky spirit and want more pumpkin-everything, check out this video explaining the levels of pumpkin carving or how these cute animals eat them.
To celebrate this upcoming Halloween, Youngblood is sharing her self-made Taylor Swift pumpkin carving template free of cost on her website, Pumpkin Brains. So maybe you can try your hand at the craft; who knows, you may just go viral.
