Similar to This
View all stencils →About this stencil
An abstract face in a modern-art style: a sweeping brow arc crosses the top, a long straight nose drops down the middle, curled spiral shapes form the cheeks, and short hatch marks add texture beside one eye. Each line is a pierced channel, so the portrait glows as a set of elegant strokes. At hard difficulty the narrow curved channels are the challenge; keep them at least a finger-width and undercut the edges slightly so light spreads. This design is rated Advanced and takes most carvers around 150 minutes from trace to glow. Multi-layer cuts with skin-peel shading. Plan your cuts first.
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 advanced carve like this you'll want a linoleum cutter set, x-acto knife, peel tool, and pin transfer wheel. 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.
Related stencils
Carvers who liked this one also downloaded these.
IntermediateFive Star Band and Ten Circles
Designed for a long pumpkin lying on its side, this pattern runs a band of five bold stars across the middle with ten round holes scattered above and below like floating orbs. Every star and circle is a simple cut-through, and the sideways layout makes it a fun tabletop centerpiece instead of an upright face. At medium difficulty the stars are the focus: poke each star's five points before cutting so the angles meet sharply.
IntermediateSeven-Leaflet Cannabis Leaf
A symmetrical seven-leaflet cannabis leaf spread across the pumpkin's face, each serrated blade radiating from a short central stem. The leaf glows through shaved skin rather than open holes, so every jagged tooth along the edges reads clearly while the wall stays solid. A medium shading design; score the full outline first, then peel from the center of each leaflet outward so the serrations do not tear. Best saved for the adults-only party pumpkin.
IntermediateWalking Bigfoot Outline
The classic mid-stride Bigfoot pose, arms swinging, one foot lifted, framed inside a rounded panel. This is a shading design: you shave the background panel down to the pale flesh and leave the sasquatch silhouette raised in untouched orange skin. Trace the outline with a scoring tool first, then peel away from the figure toward the panel edge so you never nick the famous profile.
Expert / ProLong Pupils and Triangle Grin
A mischievous jester face topped with an arcing crown of small diamond cutouts, tall eyes with long slit pupils, diamond accents on each cheek, and a huge grin lined with pointed triangle teeth. Every diamond, eye, and tooth gap is pierced through, so the whole face sparkles like carnival lights. As an expert pattern full of tiny repeated shapes, cut all the small diamonds first with a narrow saw before opening the large mouth, which weakens the wall.
Expert / ProCup, Three Dice and a Pawn
A game-night still life in deep relief: a tipped-over cup spills three pip-dotted dice across a carved tabletop while a rounded pawn stands nearby on its base. Everything is continuous-wall sculpting with no pierced holes, using multiple shaved depths to make the cup, dice faces, and pawn read as three-dimensional objects. As an expert relief carve, block in the deepest background plane first, then step each object forward in layers, cutting the tiny pips last with a round gouge.
AdvancedDice and a Toppled Pawn
A dice cup tips over spilling three pip-marked dice across the scene while a toppled game pawn lies nearby in a glowing puddle of lantern light. This shading design is carved entirely by shaving the skin: the cup, dice faces, pawn, and spill area are scraped to different depths while the pip dots stay dark as untouched rind. Rated hard, keep each die's edges square with straight guide cuts before shaving so the cubes stay convincing.