Pumpkin carving expert, Alex Wer of The Pumpkin Geek, has carved for celebrities such as Gene Simmons, Joe Mantegna and Jeri Ryan. Fans around the world adore his one-of-a-kind pumpkins.

“One pumpkin carving tool that everyone should have is a scoop with a serrated edge, because the most important thing is to have the pumpkin completely scooped out. If it’s stringy it’ll be a mess,” Wer says. Pumpkin scoops often can be found in pre-packaged carving kits, however Pumpkin Masters makes a deluxe pumpkin scoop with a serrated edge that is sold individually.

Making intricate designs on a pumpkin requires a small, sharp tool that’s both sturdy yet flexible. To create zigzag patterns or squiggly shapes, try a keyhole saw. It has a pointed tip that will easily pierce a pumpkin’s thick shell and is thin enough to create small details. Get one at major hardware stores.

For detailed facial designs, Wer likes to use “a clay loop, the sculpting tool, that you can get at a craft store,” to shave away the pumpkin to create his 4-layer carves. “Most of my carves are four or five layers, including the areas that you completely cut through, a few graded layers of shading, and the dark parts that I don’t cut at all,” he says.

Common kitchen tools can also be used to create pumpkin carvings. A melon baller has two different sized heads, which can be used to help scrape out the pumpkin pulp on the inside or to create a polka dot design on the outside. A corer can punch perfectly round holes through the skin of a pumpkin and a citrus zester can help execute unique designs.

Wer notes that fancy tools don’t necessarily produce the best designs. He says, “Even the most detailed carvers still use very basic tools, it’s just a question of technique.”