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View all stencils →About this stencil
This free Friendly Ghost pumpkin stencil is a printable PDF pattern you can print at home, tape to your pumpkin, and trace. A cheerful, cartoonish ghost with a round pudgy body, wide grinning face with crinkled eyes and rosy cheeks, and wavy trailing edges floats center-stage in this ghost pumpkin stencil. The ghost's body is a network of flowing curved solid lines, the outline, the cheek arcs, the eye detail curls, set against cut-through areas that form the glow around the figure. Wispy curl accents appear on both sides. The crinkle details inside the eyes and the small cheek curves are the narrowest solid bridges; cut those first before removing any of the surrounding open areas. Use it as a carving template for your Halloween jack-o'-lantern. 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
- Carve the face first. Cut the two eyes with their curved lids, the thin eyebrow slivers above them, and the smiling mouth. These sit in the middle of the design and the white face around them must stay solid; cut the narrow brow strips toward their tips from both ends.
- Cut the fingers. Cut the small hooked finger shapes on both raised hands. Each sliver is fragile; saw toward every point from both sides and support the shell with your free hand.
- Shape the hood and arms. Cut the long curved bands that form the top of the head and the arcs around each arm. Work each band from its wide middle toward the pointed ends, backing the blade out at every tip.
- Cut the lower swoops. Cut the wavy bands along the ghost's skirt and tail. These long tapered curves define the flowing bottom edge; keep the white body between them intact.
- Final check. Push out any pieces still hanging and clean ragged edges with light trimming cuts. Thin bands read best when the walls are shaved smooth from inside.
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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A wide-eyed little ghost with curled hands and a wavy hem floats in front of a big round glow, its startled O-shaped mouth mid-boo. The circular background is cut through around the ghost, so the figure stays as connected rind while light floods the disc behind it. Those slim connector bridges at the hands and hem are the whole design; cut the large background sections first and save every bridge for careful final passes.
IntermediateWaving Wispy Ghost
A friendly ghost with trailing wisps waves from the pumpkin, its oval eyes and mouth left as darker raised skin against the pale shaved body. There are no pierced openings; you peel the skin away inside the ghost outline so the flesh glows gently when lit. Shave in smooth, overlapping strokes and stop at the eye and mouth outlines so those features stay dark and crisp.
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A single billowy ghost with two raised arms and a wavy hem ending in three uneven points, carved as one big glowing cutout. The entire ghost silhouette is pierced through, so candlelight fills the friendly specter from arms to tail. This easy one-piece design suits squat pumpkins with plenty of front surface; cut the smooth outer curves first and finish with the scalloped bottom points, which are the only fiddly bits.
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A friendly little ghost lifts one stubby arm in a wave, its four-lobed hem trailing below round eyes and a happy open mouth. The whole figure is shaved shading: you remove skin inside the body so it glows softly, then leave the eyes and mouth as raised uncarved pumpkin. Even, shallow shaving is all it takes, which makes this a forgiving introduction to etching.
AdvancedGhost with BOO Balloon Pumpkin Stencil
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AdvancedSkeletal Ghost Pumpkin Stencil
A skeletal ghost figure with a domed, skull-like head, jagged mouth slits, and broad swept wings dominates this pumpkin stencil. The design carves as widely spaced curved pierce-through sections that fan across both sides, leaving bold orange bridges to define the creature's torso and face. Lit from inside, the jack-o-lantern reads as a dark specter bursting outward. Cut the inner face details first before tackling the large wing panels so shifting your grip doesn't crack the delicate center column.