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View all stencils →About this stencil
Download the Coiled Snake pumpkin stencil as a free printable PDF, then tape the pattern to your pumpkin and trace the lines. A coiled snake in an S-curve fills this hard pumpkin stencil, its body broken into roughly twenty irregularly shaped scale-pattern segments separated by thin cut lines, with a small triangular head visible at the upper left and the tail tapering to a narrow point at the bottom. When lit, the gaps between scale segments glow white-hot against the orange pumpkin bridges, making the snake's banded pattern pop. Start cutting at the tail tip, where the segments are smallest and most fragile, then work up the body toward the larger mid-coil pieces. It works as a carving template for a Halloween jack-o'-lantern or a fall porch display. It is rated Advanced. Actual time varies with preparation, pumpkin size and experience. Fine details and narrow supports need careful planning. Follow the cutting and shading key in this design’s PDF.
Pumpkin size guide
- 🎃 Small (5 to 7"): print at 80%
- 🎃 Medium (7 to 10"): print at 100% (recommended)
- 🎃 Large (11 to 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 the pattern at 100% for a 7 to 10 inch pumpkin, 130% for 11 to 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 to 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 help it last longer.
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
- Scoop pumpkin walls to 3/4 inch throughout to handle the many narrow scale cuts.
- Transfer all segment outlines carefully with a poking tool, paying attention to the tail tip.
- Cut the narrow tail-tip segments first; they are the smallest and most likely to tear if left unsupported.
- Work up the lower coil, cutting each scale piece individually and leaving the surrounding bridges intact.
- Carve the upper body and the small head last; the head has the finest detail and benefits from a fully stable pumpkin at that stage.
- A narrow-blade detail knife works better than a standard carving saw for the tight gaps between scale segments.
Tools you'll need
For a advanced carve like this you'll want a fine-detail pumpkin saw, spoon / scoop, pin transfer tool, and small gouge if the pattern includes shading. Here's the kit we reach for, but 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.
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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.
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Speedball 4131 Lino Cutter Set
Handle + 5 interchangeable cutters
Interchangeable cutters for peeling and shading the face. Useful for the finer details.
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A serpent winds across the pumpkin in three graceful S-curves, its head raised with a forked tongue flicking out and its whole body filled with a diamond scale pattern. The design is continuous-wall shading, so the snake is shaved into the skin at varied depths with no pierced holes. Rated hard because of the scales: peel the full body smooth first, then press in the scale texture row by row with a small gouge.
Expert / ProMedusa Pumpkin Stencil
Medusa's face stares out from this expert pumpkin stencil, her features rendered as thin-cut channels forming almond-shaped eyes, a small nose, and full lips against a solid oval face. The hair is replaced by dozens of writhing snake bodies, each carved as an interlocking mass of curved shapes with heads visible at the perimeter, open mouths and coiling bodies creating a dense web of negative space around the face. When lit, the snake-hair region glows with a complex, shifting pattern while the face remains a composed solid island. Work the snake-hair sections in quadrants, finishing each area before moving to the next, so no large unsupported skin islands shift mid-carve.
Beginner-friendlyS-Curve Snake
A thick snake winds through a bold S curve, its tapered head at the top and tail flicking out at the base, all carved as a single flowing opening. The whole serpent shape is cut through, so one continuous ribbon of light snakes across the pumpkin after dark. Because it is a single aperture with no fragile bridges, this easy design just needs slow steady knife work around the curves.