Similar to This
View all stencils →About this stencil
A jack-o-lantern-within-a-pumpkin stencil showing a grinning carved pumpkin face at the center, surrounded by a flowing arrangement of autumn leaves, curling vines, and a flying bat perched near the stem above. The inner pumpkin face, triangular eyes, jagged mouth, and stem, stays solid orange while the vine-and-leaf background area around it is pierced through to glow. Carve the outer leaf and vine shapes before opening the inner face cuts, so the decorative frame is complete and stable before you work near the center detail. 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 tea 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
- Transfer the stencil and begin by cutting the flying bat shape at the top, it is an isolated element away from the main design.
- Work through the vine curls and leaf shapes framing the outer area, cutting each leaf individually and the vine lines as thin open channels.
- Once the decorative surround is complete, move inward to the background area around the inner pumpkin face.
- Open the background spaces between the leaves that directly surround the carved face, then cut the inner pumpkin's triangular eye cuts.
- Finish with the jagged mouth and the stem shape at the top of the inner pumpkin.
- A candle placed close to center makes the inner grinning face glow brightest, with the leaf frame lit more softly around it.
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 ↗
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 ↗
Homemory LED Tea Lights
24-pack of battery-operated lights
Battery-operated, flickering lights for a candle-like glow inside your finished pumpkin.
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.
- Advanced
Jack-o-Lantern Face Pumpkin Stencil
A grinning jack-o-lantern face carved onto a jack-o-lantern makes this a pumpkin-within-a-pumpkin design: a wide ovoid pumpkin shape with a stubby stem has a furious face of angled triangular eyes, heavy brow cuts, and two rows of large zigzag teeth separated by a thick horizontal lip band. All the face features are cut through as open shapes. Carve the inner tooth gaps first, since they sit between two rows that span the widest open area, then release the eye triangles and brow cuts last to keep the upper face stable.
- Advanced
Silly Monster Pumpkin Stencil
A shaggy round monster with a small zigzag hair antenna on top, wide round eyes, a grinning row of rectangular teeth, and two outstretched hands with four or five digits fills this funny pumpkin stencil, with about eight to ten interior pierced slashes representing the fur texture along with the facial features and foot claws. The lit pumpkin reveals the entire creature in warm orange silhouette against a dark background. Cut the large central body void first, then work through each interior fur slash and claw detail, leaving the two floating hand cutouts for last.
- Advanced
Funny Monster Pumpkin Stencil
A round-bodied cartoon monster with an oversized fuzzy head, two large circular eyes, a wide fanged grin, spiky hair tufts, stubby arms raised to the sides, skinny stick legs, and round feet fills this pumpkin stencil. The creature's oval eye circles and the spaces between the arms and body are cut through, while the chunky body silhouette stays as solid orange skin. Carve the two circular eye openings and the small round nose dot at the top before cutting the body perimeter, so you can brace the knife against solid material.
- Advanced
Grinning Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin Stencil
A grinning jack-o-lantern face carved within a jack-o-lantern stencil: a swirling curly stem at the top, two angled brow-cuts above a large square single-nostril eye, and a wide-open mouth whose upper lip forms a jagged row of sharp saw-tooth teeth with a single large central fang dropping from above. The mouth cavity is enormous relative to the face, giving the design its signature frenzied look. Cut the curl of the stem and the tiny eye detail first, then the saw-tooth teeth from the outer corners inward so the narrow points stay supported until the large mouth cavity is opened last.
- Beginner-friendly
Round Cartoon Monster Pumpkin Stencil
A small round cartoon monster occupies this pumpkin stencil: a chunky body with two large circular eyes, a frowning row of square teeth, a curly stem-like antenna on top, sideways horns, stubby arm appendages, and splayed feet all carved as separate islands of light. The design has many floating cut-through pieces spread across the face of the pumpkin. Start with the two circular eye holes since they are the most central reference points, then position the surrounding appendage cuts relative to them.
- Advanced
Jack-o-Lantern Face Pumpkin Stencil
A round jack-o-lantern face is carved within a jack-o-lantern, depicting a pumpkin-shaped head with a leering triangular eye, a jagged zig-zag mouth, and a bent stem on top, all surrounded by curling flame-like cuts along the exterior. The layered design creates an open-mouthed, angry pumpkin-face-within-a-pumpkin effect that reads as a bold silhouette when lit. Carve the curling outer flame cuts first, since they form the structural rim; leaving them for last risks cracking the thin outer edges after the interior is removed.