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View all stencils →About this stencil
This clever skull face swaps ordinary teeth for a row of four upright dog-bone shapes beneath two big oval eyes and a small triangle nose. Eyes, nose, and each bone tooth are pierced fully through so the whole skeletal grin glows. The rounded bone ends are the trickiest part of this medium carve; drill or poke a starter hole in the center of each bone, then saw outward so the knobby tips keep their 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
- 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 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.
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Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
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A cartoon fish skeleton stretches across the pumpkin, complete with an open-mouthed head, a round eye, a long spine lined with curved rib bones, and a fanned tail. The whole design is skin-shaved rather than pierced, so the pale bones glow softly against the dark rind like an x-ray. For this medium etch, outline the spine first, then shave each rib in one smooth stroke so the curves stay parallel and evenly spaced.
AdvancedSide-Glance and Stitched Grin
Two crescent-moon eyes glance slyly to the side above a small triangle nose and a mouth packed with a fence of narrow, uneven teeth. All openings cut through, and the row of skinny tooth gaps is what makes this a hard carve. Pierce and remove the little slots between teeth first, while the surrounding wall still supports them, then finish the big eye crescents and the mouth outline last.
AdvancedSkeleton with Wine Glass Pumpkin Stencil
A comical full-body skeleton stands upright in this pumpkin stencil, one hand raised with wispy steam rising from it and the other arm holding a wine glass, its cartoonishly large round skull grinning with exaggerated round eyes and a tiny circular nose. The torso shows a rib cage of horizontal bars, and the pelvis, legs, and clawed feet extend below in a loose stick-figure arrangement. Carve the wine-glass outline and the tiny nose circle first, as both are small isolated shapes that benefit from the surrounding wall being intact before you open the larger rib cage and body cavities.
Beginner-friendlyWide Grin with Three Teeth
One enormous sweeping grin and nothing else: a wide crescent mouth interrupted by two blocky upper teeth and a single lower tooth, with no eyes at all for a mysterious, cheeky effect. The whole smile is cut through, so it pours light across the porch. An easy carve that goes quickly; remove the mouth in left and right halves around the teeth so the tooth tabs never take any strain.
Beginner-friendlyMenacing Glowing Eyes
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.
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.