Sep 14, 2026

Skull-Nosed Tusky Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin

Sharply angled eyes with heavy inner brows sit above two oval nose holes and a wide rectangular mouth filled with short, evenly spaced block teeth. The skull-like nose opening and squared tusks at the mouth corners give this pumpkin carving a skull-face quality alongside the classic jack-o-lantern look. Start with the nose slits and tooth slots since those are the tightest cuts, then open the large eye sockets last to keep the wall rigid throughout. Photographing the pumpkin at dusk brings out the contrast between the lit cuts and the uncarved orange skin better than any indoor shot.

This is an AI-generated concept image: a realistic, carvable design idea rather than a photo of a finished carve. AI concepts are always labeled and sit out the leaderboard and the contest.

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Medium Faces Scary Classic Cutout

jack-o-lantern face scary cutout tusk skull-nose teeth scowl

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Want to try this?

Want to try this? Here is how you could carve a similar skull-faced scowl at home.

Some experience helps \u00b7 Full cutouts + tight tooth slots

Read our carving tips

Similar stencils

Similar stencils pair angry angled eyes with a skull-style nose and block teeth.

Tools for this approach

Our suggestions for trying a similar carve. Start with what you already have.

Elmchee Pumpkin Carving Kit
13-piece kit with carrying case
Saws for the larger cutouts, plus a scoop for hollowing. Covers both jobs in one kit.
View on Amazon
Speedball 4131 Lino Cutter Set
Handle + 5 interchangeable cutters
Interchangeable cutters for peeling and shading the face. Useful for the finer details.
View on Amazon

A little extra help

Our tips for carving a similar design

The core trick here is contrast between wide, glowing cutouts and the crisp thin bridges that hold the block teeth in place. You could carve the tight slots first while the wall is still rigid, then open the big angled eyes and curved tusk corners last. That order keeps the face stable so the delicate tooth bars do not tear out.

Written by PumpkinCarvingIdeas.com, inspired by the image above. These are our suggestions, not instructions from the uploader. This approach to the AI concept has not been tested on a real pumpkin.

From pumpkin to porch

Prep and transfer the design
Pick a large, round pumpkin with a flat side facing you and a sturdy wall. Cut a lid from the bottom or the back rather than the top so the stem stays intact and the pumpkin sits stable. Scoop the pulp and thin the front wall to about one inch so cuts go cleanly. Tape your pattern on and poke the outlines so you have dots to follow.
Cut the nose slits first
Start with the two narrow oval nose holes since they are small and easy to control while the wall is firm. Use a fine detail saw and keep steady, straight strokes, letting the blade do the work. Angle the blade slightly outward so light spreads through the openings. Push the cut pieces gently inward and out to avoid chipping the edges.
Slot the tooth bars
Rough in the wide mouth outline but do not open the whole thing yet. Cut the short evenly spaced tooth slots one at a time, leaving solid pumpkin bars between each slot as bridges. Keep every slot the same width and depth so the teeth read as a clean row. Take breaks to check spacing against the pattern before moving on.
Open the mouth and tusk corners
Now connect the mouth outline and clear the two large curved openings at each corner that form the squared tusks. Cut the big pieces out in sections rather than one heavy chunk so you do not stress the tooth bars. Clean the inside edges with the saw held straight for a sharp silhouette. The tusks should curl up at the corners for that skull-face grin.
Carve the angled eyes last
Save the two large sharp eye sockets for the end so the top wall stays rigid the whole time. Cut the heavy inner brow line first, then sweep out toward the pointed outer corners. Keep the inner points thick where the brows nearly meet so they do not snap. Smooth all edges and dust out loose bits from inside.
Light it and shoot at dusk
Drop in a battery LED light, warm white or orange, and skip open flame near the thin teeth. Set the pumpkin on gravel or grass and shoot at dusk when the sky still holds a little blue. That balance makes the lit cuts glow against the dark, uncarved skin. Snap a few frames from slightly below eye level for the meanest angle.

Gather your supplies

Check things off as you get ready.

Large round pumpkin with sturdy wall
Fine detail carving saw
Sturdy scoop or fleshing tool
Poker or awl for transferring the pattern
Battery LED tea light or puck light
Painter's tape and printed stencil

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 full orange face and rounded cheeks stay untouched and dark for the classic pumpkin body.
Peel & shade
Shave a thin halo just inside the eye and mouth edges if you want a soft dim glow framing the openings.
Cut through
The angled eyes, oval nose holes, tusk corners, and tooth slots cut all the way through for the brightest light.

Learn the carving basics

Before you start cutting

How do I keep the block teeth from breaking off?

Cut each tooth slot as a separate narrow opening and leave solid pumpkin between them as bridges. Do the slots while the surrounding wall is still whole and rigid, before you open the big mouth. Thicker bars hold up far better than skinny ones, so err on the wider side.

Why open the eyes last?

The two large angled eye sockets remove a lot of material from the upper face. If you cut them early the wall flexes and your fine nose and tooth cuts can crack. Saving them for the end keeps everything stable until the delicate work is finished.

This is a concept image, so can a real pumpkin look like this?

Yes, the design is structurally sound for a real pumpkin. Keep the inner brow points and the tooth bars a bit thicker than they might appear, and thin the wall evenly so cuts stay clean. Use an LED light rather than a candle to protect the thin details.