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Download the Flying Bats pumpkin stencil as a free printable PDF, then tape the pattern to your pumpkin and trace the lines. Five bats in mid-flight are scattered across the pumpkin face in this hard pumpkin stencil, ranging from a large swooping bat in the upper left down to a small one at the lower right, each drawn with jagged, pointed wing edges and tiny body details. All five bats are cut through as separate open shapes, so candlelight spills through each one individually and the pumpkin reads as a night sky full of swooping shadows. Cut the smallest bottom-right bat first while the pumpkin surface is fully rigid, then work upward to the largest. It works as a carving template for a Halloween jack-o'-lantern or a fall porch display. It is rated Advanced. Estimated time: 90-150 minutes. 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
This is a cut-through stencil: the gray areas on the printable pattern are the pieces you remove, and everything white stays attached. The steps below give you the safest carving order. Plan on about 90-150 minutes from print to candle.
Set up first. Print the PDF at 100% scale on letter or A4 paper. Cut the lid at an angle, scoop the pumpkin clean, and thin the carving wall to about 1 inch where the design will sit. Tape the pattern on (snip small darts in the paper so it hugs the curve) and transfer every outline by poking dots along the lines, about one every 1/8 inch. Peel the paper away and carve dot to dot with short, straight strokes.
Carving order
- Start with the two smallest bats. Cut the little bat at the bottom center and the one at the bottom right while the pumpkin wall is fully rigid. Their scalloped wing edges need short passes toward each point from both sides.
- Preserve the white wing details. Most bats carry thin white slivers inside the wings and around the ears and body. Those slivers stay attached; cut each side of them separately and never pry a piece out across one.
- Cut the three mid-size bats. Work the center-left bat, the middle-right bat, and the upper-right bat one at a time, finishing all interior slivers on a bat before opening its outline. Come into every jagged wing notch from both directions.
- Finish with the big swooping bat. The large upper-left bat has long tapering wing tips and several white interior streaks. Cut the interior details first, then the outline, leaving a small tab on the body attached until last. Support the plug and push it out from inside so the thin wing points survive.
Clear loose fibers out of each opening as you go, and never twist or pry the blade against the shell; back it out and recut instead. When every piece is out, wipe the cut edges dry and drop in a battery LED puck.
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.
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 ↗
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