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View all stencils →About this stencil
Two drooping teardrop eyes sag above a tall crooked oval mouth, giving the pumpkin a permanently startled, wailing expression. Just three pierced openings make up the whole face, so it carves quickly while still looking delightfully unsettling after dark. Since the design relies on its lopsided character, transfer the pattern loosely and do not worry about symmetry; the wobble is the point. This design is rated Beginner-friendly and takes most carvers around 30 minutes from trace to glow. Great for kids and first-timers. Big shapes, short cuts.
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 beginner-friendly carve like this you'll want a paring knife, spoon / scoop, marker, and led pumpkin light. 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.
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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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Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
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Beginner-friendlyRound Eyes and Six Mouth Slots
Two big blank circle eyes stare out beneath short angled brow slits, while the wide mouth is broken into six upright rectangular slots that glow like stitched or fenced-off teeth. Everything is cut through, and the plain round eyes with no pupils give the face its unsettling, vacant charm. The vertical mouth bars keep this an easy carve; cut every slot top-down in the same direction so the strips between them stay straight and even.
IntermediateSwept Eyes and Melting Grin
A wicked jack-o'-lantern with two swept, flame-like eyes, a small notched nose, and an enormous melting grin whose edges drip and ripple across the lower half of the pumpkin. All features are pierced through, and the wavy mouth throws dramatic, uneven light. This is medium work with one long tricky opening, so carve the mouth in sections from the center out and leave the drippy lower points attached until the very end for support.
AdvancedSide-Glance and Stitched Grin
Two crescent-moon eyes glance slyly to the side above a small triangle nose and a mouth packed with a fence of narrow, uneven teeth. All openings cut through, and the row of skinny tooth gaps is what makes this a hard carve. Pierce and remove the little slots between teeth first, while the surrounding wall still supports them, then finish the big eye crescents and the mouth outline last.
AdvancedRound-Eyed Dripping Grin
A gleefully sinister face with huge round eyes topped by curling, hooked brows, a small skull-style nose, and an enormous crescent grin edged with thin dripping tooth spikes. Every element is cut through, and the narrow drip slits along the mouth are what earn the hard rating. Carve the big eye and mouth openings first, then cut the fragile tooth drips last with a fine saw so they do not snap.
IntermediateTeardrop Eyes Stitched Smile
Two droopy teardrop eyes hang over a long curving smile crossed by short stitch marks, giving the face a sweetly sinister rag-doll look. The eyes and the full stitched mouth are pierced through, with each stitch cut as a small notch branching off the main smile line. At medium difficulty, carve the long mouth curve first, then add the stitch notches one at a time so the thin rind between them stays supported.
Expert / ProSorrow Brows and Falling Tears
A theatrically miserable face with layered droopy brow wrinkles stacked like ribs above two barred, half-lidded eyes, a long drooping nose, and a deep striped frown, all surrounded by cascading columns of teardrops. Every wrinkle, bar, and tear is cut through, creating an ornate pattern of dozens of small openings. This expert carve is all about sequence: work from the center outward and leave the fragile tear columns at the edges for last.