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View all stencils →About this stencil
A chubby, smiling whale with a curled tail sprays three playful droplets from its spout in this sweet ocean design. Nothing is pierced through; instead you shave away the orange skin inside the whale and droplets so they glow as soft golden shapes against the untouched pumpkin around them. That continuous-wall approach makes it very kid-friendly; scrape shallow, even layers with a loop tool until light shows through evenly across the whale's body. This design is rated Beginner-friendly and takes most carvers around 30 minutes from trace to glow. Great for kids and first-timers. Big shapes, short cuts.
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 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 — 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.
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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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Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
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AdvancedBaby Seal & Seven Whiskers
A chubby baby seal lounging with its tail flipped up, round dot eyes, a sweet whiskered snout, and stubby front flippers. The body is revealed by shaving the skin into a smooth pale panel while thin lines of untouched rind form the whiskers, mouth, and flipper creases. This hard shading pattern lives in those fine lines; peel the big body areas first, then carve the whiskers with light, shallow strokes so they stay crisp.
AdvancedNarwhal, Seven Bubbles & Waves
A chubby, smiling narwhal swims among seven round bubbles with stylized waves rolling beneath its tail. Nothing is pierced; the whole design is shaved into the skin so the pale narwhal body, spiral tusk, bubbles, and wave curls stand out against the untouched rind. For this hard shading project, remove skin in shallow, even layers and keep a consistent depth across the body so the narwhal glows uniformly when lit.
AdvancedCheerful Snail & Spiral Shell
A grinning cartoon snail with a big spiral shell, a smiling face, and two ball-tipped eye stalks glows warmly from the pumpkin front. The design is shaved rather than pierced, with narrow ridges of skin left in place to define the spiral bands, body curve, and happy face. It earns its hard rating from those thin dividing ridges; shave the spiral from the center outward and keep your blade shallow so the ribs survive.
IntermediateSmiling Narwhal & Two Fins
A smiling narwhal glides across the pumpkin with a long spiral tusk, two side fins, and a happy upturned mouth. The whole body is skin-shave work with no pierced holes, so the pale shaved shape stands out against the dark rind by day and glows gently with a light inside. On this medium shading design, etch the thin tusk and smile lines first with a fine V-tool, then clear the wide body area so you never drag a big tool across your detail lines.
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.
AdvancedPlayful Harbor Seal
A playful harbor seal reclines with its head up, whiskers spread, and tail flippers raised in a happy curl. Everything is done with skin shaving rather than pierced cuts, so the seal's body emerges in pale relief with darker skin left for the eyes, nose, and whisker dots. It rates hard because of the fine facial detail; use a small gouge for the whisker spots and shave the body in smooth, even layers.