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@ai_concepts
Aug 18, 2026
Kiko the Gliding Koi pumpkin carvingAI
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Kiko the Gliding Koi

A koi fish glides across this pumpkin in flowing etched lines, surrounded by a lotus blossom, lily pads, and swirling water. The design is surface carved, peeling away the skin at two depths so the fish glows brighter than the ripples around it. Trace the pattern with a poked-hole transfer, then etch the koi first and keep the swirls shallow so they read as background.

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HardAnimalsArtisticShaded / Peel
koifishsea-creaturejapaneselotuslily-padetchedwateranimal

Save this design for carving night, then share a photo of your own jack-o'-lantern once it's glowing.

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Our tips for carving a similar design

The core trick here is depth control: the koi is peeled deeper so it glows brightest, while the water swirls, lotus, and lily pads stay shallow so they read as a softer background. This is a surface carving with almost no full cutouts, so the pumpkin wall stays strong. Plan to transfer the whole pattern first, etch the fish, then work outward to the plants and ripples.

From pumpkin to porch

  1. Prep the pumpkin and transfer the pattern

    Pick a tall pumpkin with a smooth, flat-ish carving face and cut a lid from the bottom or back so the front stays clean. Scrape the inside wall behind the design down to about one inch thick so light passes through evenly. Tape your koi and lotus stencil in place, then poke along every line with a pin or awl to leave a dotted guide. Peel off the paper and connect the dots lightly with a pencil so you can see the full composition.

  2. Etch the koi as the brightest layer

    Start with the fish since it is the focal point. Use a shading loop or ribbon tool to peel the skin away over the koi body, going deeper than anywhere else so it will glow strongest. Leave a thin ridge of skin for the eye and the darker scale patches so they stay defined. Work slowly and keep your free hand behind the blade, never in its path.

  3. Shade the lotus and lily pads

    Move to the lotus blossom and the round lily pads next. Peel the skin here at a shallower depth than the koi so these shapes glow a softer, dimmer orange. Keep the little radiating lines on the lily pads as thin scored grooves rather than wide cuts. This layering is what makes the fish pop forward from the plants.

  4. Keep the water swirls shallow

    Trace the flowing water lines with a small V gouge or a shallow etch, removing just the top skin so they read as faint background ripples. Resist the urge to cut deep here, since these lines should be the dimmest part of the scene. Vary the pressure slightly so the swirls fade in and out like real moving water.

  5. Add a few bright accents last

    If you want extra sparkle, you can cut a handful of tiny full openings only in the koi eye highlight or a couple of water bubbles. Do these true cutouts last so the wall stays rigid while you carve everything else. Keep them small and bridged so no thin section snaps.

  6. Light it and photograph

    Drop in a battery LED puck, warm white or amber, and never a candle for a design this thin. Set it on a flat porch step at dusk and check that the koi clearly outshines the swirls. Coat the cut edges with petroleum jelly to slow drying, and shoot your photo the first night while the etching is crisp.

Written with AI to match this design

Gather your supplies

Check things off as you get ready.

Work on a stable surface, keep your free hand out of the cutting path, and have an adult handle sharp tools.

Three levels of light

  • Leave intact

    The background pumpkin skin and the koi eye ridge and dark scale patches stay untouched and dark

  • Peel & shade

    The lotus blossom, lily pads, and shallow water swirls are lightly peeled for a soft dim glow

  • Cut through

    Only tiny optional accents like an eye highlight are cut fully through for the brightest points

Learn the carving basics

Before you start cutting

How do I make the koi glow brighter than the water around it?

It comes down to how much skin you remove. Peel the fish deeper so more light comes through, and keep the swirls as shallow scratches so they stay dim. Test with your LED partway through and deepen the koi more if the contrast looks weak.

This is a concept image, so is a design this detailed actually carvable?

Yes, because it is almost all surface etching rather than cutouts, so the pumpkin wall stays strong. The thin lily pad lines and water swirls are just scored grooves, which hold up fine. Keep any true openings tiny and save them for last.

What kind of pumpkin works best for this scene?

Look for a large pumpkin with a broad, fairly smooth front so the flowing lines are not broken up by deep ribs. Thinner-skinned varieties etch more easily and let light through better. Scrape the interior wall thin and even behind the whole design.

Your take belongs here, too.

Changed a detail? Made it simpler? Share a photo of your version and tell the community what worked.

Share your pumpkin

Want more designs like this? Browse our full library of pumpkin carving ideas, or pick a free printable stencil. Every pattern and template in our own collection is free to print at home.

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