Similar pumpkin stencils
View all stencils →About this stencil
This free Snarling Bat pumpkin stencil is a printable PDF pattern you can print at home, tape to your pumpkin, and trace. A wide-winged bat stretches nearly edge to edge in this easy bat pumpkin stencil, its wing panels divided by bold vein lines and a snarling cartoon face centered in the body. The wings are the large pierced areas that glow brightest, while the vein lines and the face details remain as solid orange strips inside the cutout. Carve the small pointed fangs in the face before tackling the big wing panels, so the blade has firm pumpkin wall support when making those fine cuts. Use it as a carving template for your Halloween jack-o'-lantern. It is rated Beginner-friendly. Estimated time: 60-90 minutes. Actual time varies with preparation, pumpkin size and experience. Larger shapes and shorter cuts. An adult should handle sharp carving tools.
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
This is a cut-through stencil: the gray areas on the printable pattern are the pieces you remove, and everything white stays attached. The steps below give you the safest carving order. 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
- Cut the face first. Start with the snarling face in the body: the two angled eyes, the small nostril slits, and the mouth around the tiny white fangs. The fangs must stay attached to the white face, so plunge in fresh for each cut and never saw across them.
- Cut the ears and head edge. Work the two pointed ears and the white channels that separate the head from the wings. Cut toward each ear tip from both sides.
- Cut the lower wing sections. Remove the smaller scalloped wing panels below the main wings, keeping the thin white vein lines between panels intact. Stop every cut exactly at a vein edge.
- Cut the upper wing panels. Open the two large upper wing sections one at a time. Leave a small tab on each big panel, support the plug flat with your palm, and make the tab cut last.
- Release the body and tail. Finish with the lower body and the two-pointed tail. Cut into the deep notch between the tail points with meeting cuts so the tips stay sharp.
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 piece is out, wipe the cut edges dry and drop in a battery LED puck.
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, 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.
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 ↗
Reviews from carvers
Every rating comes from a written review by someone who downloaded this stencil.
Carved this one?
Reviews are open to carvers who downloaded the stencil. Grab the free PDF, then come back and tell everyone how it went.
Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
Related stencils
More patterns with a related subject. Compare their skill levels before you choose.
Beginner-friendlyVelvet Swoop Bat Pumpkin Stencil
Print the Velvet Swoop Bat pumpkin stencil with a numbered cutting pattern and step-by-step guide. Easy design; print at actual size.
Beginner-friendlyShadow Swoop Pumpkin Stencil
A wide flying bat spreads scalloped wings across the pumpkin, with two pointed ears rising from its round head at the center. The entire bat is a single pierced opening, so the glowing silhouette needs no interior bridges or fragile details. Follow the scalloped bottom edge of each wing with short curved strokes, letting the saw complete one scallop at a time for a smooth, even wingline.
Beginner-friendlyButton the Bat Pumpkin Stencil
A round-bodied cartoon bat fills this Halloween pumpkin stencil, its wide goggle eyes left solid orange while the large circular head, fanned wing panels, and small ear tufts are all pierced through. The design reads instantly as a friendly yet spooky bat jack-o-lantern, with bold open shapes that glow warmly at night. Cut the large circular body opening first, then work outward to the wing panels so the surrounding pumpkin wall stays stable while you maneuver the knife.
Beginner-friendlyBat Heart Pumpkin Stencil
A large heart with two bat wings spread wide forms this simple pumpkin stencil: the entire shape is a single solid silhouette to be cut away as one connected piece, leaving a bold heart-with-wings opening in the pumpkin face. The pointed wing tips extend on each side and have small secondary notches along the trailing edges. Because the whole design is one cut, work around the heart curves first, then trace out each wing tip slowly so the narrow notches do not tear before the main body of the shape drops free.
Beginner-friendlyBat Pumpkin Stencil
A front-facing bat with outstretched wings fills this jack-o-lantern pumpkin stencil, showing a snarling face at center and jagged wing edges that sweep to pointed tips on each side. The large background panels of each wing are cut away, leaving a solid bat silhouette with interior cut-outs for the eyes and facial features that glow distinctively when lit. Keep the narrow connecting bridge between the bat's body and each wing intact during carving so the whole design holds together.
Beginner-friendlyBat and Moon Pumpkin Stencil
A crescent moon curves across the upper half of the design with a small bat silhouette flying in front of it, both cut through as a single pumpkin stencil. The crescent is a wide sweeping arc and the bat sits slightly below center within the curve, its wings spread and ears pointed. The bat's body stays connected to the moon's surface by a thin shared border; carve the crescent first and leave the bat's outer wing edges touching the moon arc so the bat doesn't shift before you finish the interior.