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Two arched, angry eyes glower above a huge crescent grin broken into a row of glowing tooth slots, with small slits flaring at each cheek. All the features are pierced through the wall, and the strips of rind left between the tooth openings become the dark teeth of the smile. Cut the mouth slots from the center outward and leave the narrow rind bridges at full thickness so the grin holds its shape. This design is rated Intermediate and takes most carvers around 75 minutes from trace to glow. Comfortable knife handling required. Small details and curves.
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
This is a cut-through stencil: the dark numbered regions on the printable pattern are the pieces you remove, and everything white stays attached. The numbers give you the safest carving order, and the steps below walk through them one by one. Plan on about 60-90 minutes from print to candle.
Set up first. Print the PDF at 100% scale on letter or A4 paper. Cut the lid at an angle, scoop the pumpkin clean, and thin the carving wall to about 1 inch where the design will sit. Tape the pattern on (snip small darts in the paper so it hugs the curve) and transfer every outline by poking dots along the lines, about one every 1/8 inch. Peel the paper away and carve dot to dot with short, straight strokes.
Carving order
- Keep the small eye pupils. Cut both regions marked 1. Each crescent eye curves beneath a small rounded white pupil attached to its sloping upper edge. Preserve those attachments and the wide bridge between the eyes.
- Open the pointed cheek slits. Cut the two narrow side regions marked 2. Keep their unequal pointed shapes separate from the eye and mouth openings; the surrounding white strips must remain intact.
- Carve six rounded mouth slots. Cut the six tall openings marked 3, beginning in the center and working outward. Preserve all five white dividers between them. Each slot has a rounded top and follows the rising curve of the grin.
Clear loose fibers out of each opening as you go, and never twist or pry the blade against the shell; back it out and recut instead. When every region is open, wipe the cut edges dry and drop in a battery LED puck.
Tools you'll need
For a intermediate carve like this you'll want a x-acto knife, poker tool, ribbon scoop, and painter's tape. 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 ↗
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IntermediateAngled Eyes and Seven Fangs
Two sharply slanted triangle eyes glare above a wide jagged mouth lined with seven pointed fangs, giving this face a classic menacing snarl. Every element is cut fully through, and the zigzag mouth does most of the work, so accuracy there pays off. Cut each tooth as two separate straight strokes meeting at the point instead of dragging the saw around the corner, and the grin stays razor sharp.
Beginner-friendlySneering Fangs and Slanted Eyes
A sinister face with narrow slanted eyes, a slim angled nose, and a wide sneering mouth bristling with pointed fangs top and bottom. Eyes, nose, and mouth are pierced clean through, with the fang shapes left as solid teeth jutting into the glowing opening. Even though it rates easy, the fang tips are fragile; cut each tooth from base to point and let the waste fall away instead of pulling it free.
IntermediateSwept Eyes and Melting Grin
A wicked jack-o'-lantern with two swept, flame-like eyes, a small notched nose, and an enormous melting grin whose edges drip and ripple across the lower half of the pumpkin. All features are pierced through, and the wavy mouth throws dramatic, uneven light. This is medium work with one long tricky opening, so carve the mouth in sections from the center out and leave the drippy lower points attached until the very end for support.
AdvancedNarrow Eyes and Barbed Smile
A sinister jack-o'-lantern face with hooked, narrowed eyes, a small heart-shaped nose, and an enormous crescent smile lined with dozens of needle-thin barbed teeth. The eyes, nose, and grin are cut through, and the tiny spikes along the smile are what push this into hard territory. Carve the long crescent first, then nick each barb outward from the opening with a fine blade so the delicate points do not tear.
AdvancedDouble Zigzag Flame Face
Jagged flame-shaped eyes glare above a huge zigzag grin packed with two rows of interlocking pointed teeth. Every eye, brow flick, and tooth gap is pierced clean through, leaving thin orange spikes of rind that read as fangs when the candle is lit. Those narrow tooth points are fragile, so cut them last, work from the tips inward, and support each spike with your free hand as you finish.