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View all stencils →About this stencil
A happy whale rides curling waves while a fountain spout bursts from its blowhole, all rendered in shaved relief. No holes are pierced; you strip the skin inside the whale, spout, and wave scrolls, then shave the belly grooves and tail a little deeper for contrast. Work the long body curves first and save the thin spout droplets and wave tips for last, when your tool control is warmed up. 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 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 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 ↗
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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IntermediateLeaping Dolphin & Two Waves
A dolphin arcs joyfully above two rolling waves, its curved body, dorsal fin, flippers, and smiling beak all drawn in bright shaded lines. The design uses skin-shave shading only, so you scrape away the outer skin along the dolphin and wave shapes while the wall stays solid. At medium difficulty, work the long body curve in one smooth continuous pass before adding the wave lines, which keeps the leap looking fluid.
AdvancedSpotted Whale Shark
A whale shark glides across the pumpkin, its wide flat head, tall tail fin, and body covered in the species' signature grid of pale spots, with a few bubbles drifting nearby. The shark's outline and spots are shaved to glow while the surrounding skin stays dark, so no section is pierced through. Do the long body outline first, then the spots; a small round scoop or melon-baller keeps all those dots consistent.
AdvancedDolphin above Curling Waves
A dolphin arcs above curling surf, its body, fins, and the rolling wave scrolls all shaved into the pumpkin skin with no pierced holes. Deeper shaving on the belly and wave crests makes those areas glow brightest, while shallow passes keep the outlines crisp. Vary your depth deliberately: the contrast between bright and dim is what gives this relief scene its sense of motion.
AdvancedHammerhead with Raw Back
A sculptural hammerhead shark carved in raised relief, with the background cleared away so the body, fins, and curved tail stand proud of the wall in layered depths. Fin edges, the mouth line, and gill grooves are incised for realistic detail while nothing pierces through. Rough out the background to one even depth before shaping the shark itself, and keep at least half the wall thickness so the raised body stays sturdy.
IntermediateSmiling Sea Turtle
A smiling sea turtle paddles across the pumpkin, its patterned shell divided into glowing plates while thin ribbons of skin stay in place to draw the head, flippers, and shell segments. This is a shading-style design carved on a continuous wall, so you shave away the skin rather than piercing holes, letting the whole turtle glow softly. Shave in thin layers and test with a light often until the flippers and shell panels shine evenly.
AdvancedStanding Duck with Webbed Feet
A standing duck in profile, from its rounded bill down to its webbed feet, with layered feather detail across the folded wing and breast. This is a skin-shaving pattern rather than a pierced one: the duck's body is etched to glow while the surrounding skin stays dark, and feather lines are scored deeper for texture. Shave the broad body areas first, then add the fine feather strokes last so a slip cannot erase your detail work.