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View all stencils →About this stencil
A wholesome grinning face with arched eyebrows, round eyes that keep their pupils as uncut dots, a small triangle nose, and a big open smile showing two square teeth. The brows, eye rings, nose, and mouth are pierced through while the pupils and teeth remain as attached pumpkin. Cut the eyes slowly so each floating pupil keeps a solid connecting bridge to the shell. This design is rated Intermediate and takes most carvers around 75 minutes from trace to glow. Comfortable knife handling required. Small details and curves.
Pumpkin size guide
- 🎃 Small (5–7") — print at 80%
- 🎃 Medium (7–10") — print at 100% (recommended)
- 🎃 Large (11–13") — print at 130%
- 🎃 Giant (14"+) — print at 150% on tabloid paper
Frequently asked questions
Can I resize this stencil?▾
Yes. The PDF is vector so it scales cleanly. Print at 100% for a 7–10 inch pumpkin, 130% for 11–13 inch, or 150% for a giant. Use your printer's "Fit to page" or "Custom scale" setting.
What kind of paper works best?▾
Standard 20 lb letter or A4 printer paper is fine. Heavier paper is harder to bend around the pumpkin curve. If your printer supports it, set the quality to 'best' so the lines are crisp.
How long will the carved pumpkin last?▾
Usually 5–10 days. Coat all cut surfaces with petroleum jelly and store the pumpkin somewhere cool overnight. Avoid direct sun. Battery LED pumpkin lights produce no heat and double the lifespan.
Can I sell pumpkins carved with this stencil?▾
Yes, the carved pumpkin you make is yours. The license covers personal and small-scale commercial carving (selling carved pumpkins, photographing them, posting on social). You may not resell the PDF file itself.
What if my printer doesn't print the whole stencil?▾
Set 'Page scaling' to 'Fit' in the print dialog and uncheck 'Auto-rotate'. If it still cuts off, the design includes 0.25" of safe-area margin so a small crop won't ruin it.
How to carve this stencil
- 1Print it
Download the PDF and print at 100% scale on letter or A4 paper.
- 2Prep the pumpkin
Cut the lid at an angle, scoop the guts, thin the wall to ~1 inch.
- 3Tape it on
Snip darts in the paper so it lies flat against the curve.
- 4Transfer the design
Poke along every line — about one dot every 1/8 inch.
- 5Carve it
Connect the dots with short straight cuts. Center first, work outward.
- 6Light it up
Drop in a battery LED pumpkin light and you're done.
Tools you'll need
For a intermediate carve like this you'll want a x-acto knife, poker tool, ribbon scoop, and painter's tape. Here's the kit we reach for — start with whatever you already own.
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 ↗
HOME MOST LED Pumpkin Lights
4-pack, battery operated, with remote + timer
Orange glow made for jack-o'-lanterns. The remote and timer light the pumpkin every evening without reaching inside.
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 ↗
Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
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IntermediateRound Pupils and Five Teeth
A big-eyed, grinning jack-o'-lantern face with round pupil tabs left inside each eye and five square teeth breaking up a wide smile. The eyes and mouth are cut clean through while the pupils and teeth remain attached to the rind as solid bridges. Those round pupils make this a medium carve, so pierce a relief hole beside each one first and saw toward it rather than levering the blade, which can snap the connecting tab.
IntermediateHappy Crescent-Eyed Grin
A cheerful jack-o'-lantern face with sweeping crescent eyes, a small notched nose, and a wide grin framed by two pointed fangs and blocky lower teeth. Every feature is cut fully through so the whole face glows. The crescent eyes taper to fine points, so use a thin saw and cut toward the tips from both directions to keep the corners crisp.
AdvancedGoofy Pupils and Twelve Dots
A freckle-faced goofball with lifted eyebrow cuts, big eyes crossed by full-width pupil tabs, a round nose, twelve freckle dots, and a huge open grin with mismatched teeth. The openings are cut through while the pupil bars, teeth, and surrounding freckle rind stay intact. It rates hard because those wide pupil tabs span the entire eye: cut each eye as separate top and bottom windows, drill the freckles with a small round bit, and save the eyebrows for last.
AdvancedBarred Eyes, Fourteen Leaves
Big round eyes split by vertical rind bars sit over a button nose and a huge grin packed with square teeth, while clusters of petal shaped leaves fan out from each cheek. Everything is cut through, and the fourteen petals plus the tooth gaps are why this rates hard. Carve from the center of the face outward so the delicate petal clusters are handled last, when the wall is lightest.
Beginner-friendlyCrescent Eyes and Broad Smile
Two upswept crescent eyes squint with joy above an enormous open smile that stretches nearly the full width of the pumpkin, curling up into playful points at each corner. Just three cut-through openings make the whole face, with no nose, teeth, or fragile bits anywhere. This easy design is pure beginner fun; carve the big smile first while the wall is strongest, then the two eye crescents, angling your blade slightly outward so the pieces push free cleanly.
IntermediateOval Eyes and Eight Cheek Dots
Big oval eyes sit under arched brows above a round button nose and a broad smile showing four blunt square teeth, with four freckle dots sprinkled on each cheek. The eyes, brows, nose, mouth, and dots are pierced through while the tooth bridges stay connected. Poke the eight small cheek dots first, then cut the large features, leaving the tooth bars until the end so they keep support.