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View all stencils →About this stencil
Just two fierce, slanted eyes with curled inner corners, glaring out of an otherwise untouched pumpkin. Both eye shapes are cut fully through, and because there is no nose or mouth, the minimalist glare does all the spooky work after dark. This is a true beginner project: trace carefully, cut each eye in two passes following the hooked curve, and the whole carve is done in under twenty minutes. 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.
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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-friendlySlant Brows and Triangle Eyes
Pure menace in four cuts: two big triangle eyes slanted inward in a hard glare, each topped by a thin detached brow slit angled the same way. All four shapes are cut through, and with no mouth at all the silent stare does the work. This is one of the easiest designs to carve and one of the most effective; keep the brow slits narrow and parallel to the eye tops so the angry angle stays sharp.
IntermediateNotched Brows and Jagged Grin
A characterful jack-o'-lantern with heavy notched brows sitting over sly almond eyes, and a huge open mouth whose top edge is a row of jagged zigzag teeth above a broad curling lower lip. Eyes, brow slits, and the mouth are all pierced through for a bright, expressive glow. At medium difficulty, the key move is cutting each zigzag tooth point cleanly; slice into every corner from both directions instead of turning the blade.
IntermediateHeavy-Brow Angry Face
This scowling jack-o'-lantern glares out through heavy slanted brows, a small triangle nose, and a snarling mouth ringed with sharp fangs top and bottom. Every feature is a pierced opening, leaving thick pumpkin wall between the angry eyes and the jagged mouth for strength. At medium difficulty the narrow inner brow points are the fragile spots, so cut the eyes from the center outward and save the thin corners for last.
AdvancedLeering Eyes and Crooked Nose
Slanted leering eyes with attached round pupils glare above a crooked off-center nose and a jagged sneer packed with pointed fangs, while scattered diamond scars glint across both cheeks. The eyes, nose, mouth, and diamonds are pierced with pupils and fang points left as shell. The hard part is the web of narrow fangs; cut each tooth gap from tip to base and never twist the blade mid-cut.
IntermediateUnequal Eyes and Six Slashes
A menacing sneer built from two uneven glaring eyes, a small skull-like nose, a crooked mouth of jagged teeth, and three claw-slash marks raking each side of the face. All shapes pierce through, and the mismatched features do the intimidating. A medium carve; cut the six narrow slashes first with single confident strokes, then work the mouth teeth before opening the larger eye shapes.
IntermediateAngry Eyes and Five Mouth Gaps
A grumpy jack-o'-lantern scowls with slanted, brow-slit eyes, a small triangle nose, angled cheek slashes, and a downturned mouth broken into square gaps. Every element is cut through, with the mouth's rind bridges creating the clenched, gritted-teeth effect. The thin brow and cheek slits earn the medium rating: make each slit with two close parallel cuts and pop the sliver out from inside the pumpkin, since pushing from outside can crack the narrow channel wider.