Similar pumpkin stencils
View all stencils →About this stencil
Download the Medusa pumpkin stencil as a free printable PDF, then tape the pattern to your pumpkin and trace the lines. 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. It works as a carving template for a Halloween jack-o'-lantern or a fall porch display. It is rated Expert / Pro. Actual time varies with preparation, pumpkin size and experience. Intricate details and fragile supports need patience. Technique depends on the design; follow its PDF rather than assuming multiple depth layers.
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
- Transfer the stencil precisely; many snake bodies share thin walls and a misplaced cut removes a bridge permanently.
- Divide the snake-hair region into four quadrants: top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right. Carve each quadrant fully before moving on.
- Within each quadrant, cut the snake bodies from the outer edge inward toward the face, leaving the inner wall of each snake as the boundary of the next shape.
- Remove the eye cutouts and nostril next; these are small isolated ovals inside the solid face mass.
- Cut the lip shape carefully: the upper and lower lips are separated by a thin sliver of solid pumpkin that must stay intact.
- Light with a single centered candle; the solid face will read as a dark, composed mask floating within a glowing web of serpents.
Tools you'll need
For a expert / pro carve like this you'll want a fine-detail pumpkin saw, spoon / scoop, pin transfer tool, and detail gouges 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 ↗
Reviews from carvers
Every rating comes from a written review by someone who downloaded this stencil.
Carved this one?
Reviews are open to carvers who downloaded the stencil. Grab the free PDF, then come back and tell everyone how it went.
Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
Related stencils
More patterns with a related subject. Compare their skill levels before you choose.
Expert / ProThe Filigree Cyclops Pumpkin Stencil
An ornate one-eyed monster dominated by a giant spoke-wheel eye with six radiating spokes, surrounded by swirling filigree flourishes, teardrop cutouts, and a vast fanged grin ringed with diamond and dot accents. The entire composition is pierced through in an intricate lattice, leaving a delicate web of pumpkin between the glowing shapes. Strictly an expert project: use a fine-detail saw, carve the small accents before the large wheel and mouth, and support the wall from inside as it thins.
Expert / ProThe Hypnotist Pumpkin Stencil
Two enormous hypnotic eyes built as spoked wheels, each iris divided by radial spokes around a glowing hub, ringed by halos of small diamond and teardrop cutouts with arched brow fans above. Every spoke gap, diamond, and teardrop is pierced individually, creating a mesmerizing lace of light. An expert carve with dozens of tiny openings; use a fine detail saw and rotate the pumpkin, not your wrist, on the curves.
Expert / ProThe Knowing Grin Pumpkin Stencil
An elaborate theatrical face with knowing eyes whose pupils hang from the upper lids, framed by ornate teardrop flourishes across the brow and temples, above a huge grin packed with long individual teeth. Dozens of small cut-through openings build the pattern, with slim rind bridges holding every tooth and swirl in place. Number your openings and remove the smallest flourishes first, saving the big mouth bays for last so the web of bridges keeps its strength.
Expert / ProThe Zigzag Grin Pumpkin Stencil
An elaborate jack-o'-lantern face built from layered geometry: triangle eyes barred with double rind strips, arched claw-like brows, diamond accents down the cheeks, and a wide zigzag mouth of interlocking teeth flanked by curling flame flourishes. The many openings are cut through around a lattice of thin surviving rind. This expert design demands a sharp fine-tooth saw and a plan: cut from the center outward, finishing the outer flourishes last while the wall is still strong.
Expert / ProDeep Sea Dancer Pumpkin Stencil
A tilted jellyfish drifts with its domed bell up high and dozens of ribbony tentacles flowing down through strands of seaweed, while small bubbles rise around it. Every element is shaved into the skin at varying depths rather than cut through, creating layers of soft glow. This expert etch is all about depth control: shave the bell and bubbles deepest for brightness, keep the tentacles mid-depth, and leave the seaweed shallow so the jellyfish floats forward.
Expert / ProThe Antlered Horror Pumpkin Stencil
A tall, unsettling monster mask stares out of the pumpkin: long upright ears branching like antlers, hollow ringed eyes, a skeletal snout, and a mouthful of pointed fangs, all drawn in thin interlocking cutouts. The entire face is pierced through as a network of narrow slots that leaves delicate pumpkin bridges between every glowing line. This expert design demands a fine-detail saw; carve from the center outward so the fragile bridges keep support as long as possible.