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View all stencils →About this stencil
This free Rainbow and Clouds pumpkin stencil is a printable PDF pattern you can print at home, tape to your pumpkin, and trace. This pumpkin stencil features a rainbow of four concentric arcs rising above two puffy clouds, with scattered stars and small circles floating around the composition. The clouds and stars are separate pierced cutouts, and the arc bands are cut through with thin solid bridges between them, creating a whimsical scene that glows warmly from a candle or LED inside. Cut the small stars and round circles first while the wall is firm, then remove the cloud shapes, and finish with the long sweeping arc cuts so the composition stays supported throughout. Use it as a carving template for your Halloween jack-o'-lantern. It is rated Advanced. 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
- Transfer the design fully before removing the stencil sheet.
- Cut the small star shapes and round circles scattered around the composition first using a fine detail blade.
- Remove the two cloud shapes, working around their bumpy edges with short curved cuts.
- Cut the innermost rainbow arc gap, then work outward through each subsequent band gap.
- Leave the thin orange bridges between arc bands intact to hold the rainbow's structure.
- Use a warm LED candle to make all the layers glow evenly and highlight the cloud shapes below.
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.
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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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A serene figure balances in yoga tree pose, arms raised overhead and one foot tucked against the standing leg, flanked by leafy sprigs on a shaved ground line. The design is entirely skin-shave shading with no pierced holes, so the figure glows in pale relief against the dark rind. Shave the torso and legs in long continuous strokes for smooth lines, then detail the thin arms and leaves with a fine gouge.
AdvancedSpotted Eagle Ray
A spotted eagle ray glides diagonally across the pumpkin, its wide wings dotted with rows of round spots, a long whip tail trailing off behind, and a curled loop near the tail base. The whole creature is rendered by etching the skin: outlines and spots are shaved to glow softly while the wall stays sealed. Rated hard for the fine linework; carve the spots with a small round gouge and keep your outline strokes shallow and consistent.
AdvancedThe Patient Mantis Pumpkin Stencil
A praying mantis poses in elegant line art, from its long antennae and triangular head down through folded forelegs and dramatically bent back legs. The design is etched, not pierced: every line is a shallow groove shaved through the skin so the insect glows as thin golden strokes. Hard-level patience pays off here; keep your groove width consistent along the spindly legs and antennae so no single line reads heavier than the rest.
AdvancedMaryland State Shape
Maryland glows inside a carved rectangular window, its straight northern border on top and the deeply notched Chesapeake Bay splitting the eastern shore from the mainland. The bay itself is left as standing pumpkin wall, so the two glowing landmasses frame it dramatically. That narrow bay peninsula is what makes this a hard carve; cut away from it on both sides, keep the strip at least a finger wide, and brace it from inside if needed.
AdvancedNorth Carolina State Shape
North Carolina stretches across the pumpkin as one long glowing cutout, from the pointed western mountain tip to the fringed Outer Banks coastline on the right. The entire state interior is removed so the distinctive wedge shape reads clearly at night. Rated hard because of the fine barrier-island fingers along the coast; cut the smooth northern border first, then work the ragged eastern edge slowly with a detail saw, leaving the thinnest points for last.
AdvancedMichigan Mitten Shape
Michigan's Lower Peninsula carved as one big glowing mitten, complete with the thumb of Saginaw Bay and the ragged shoreline notches along the lakes. The full state shape is cut through, so accuracy along that coastline is the whole challenge, which is what pushes this one to hard. Trace the outline with a fine saw, work the tight bay curves in several passes, and remove the waste piece in halves to protect the thumb.