Similar to This
View all stencils →About this stencil
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. 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.
View on Amazon ↗
Community Pumpkin Carving Ideas
Carving ideas that use stencils like this one.
Related stencils
Carvers who liked this one also downloaded these.
AdvancedBeaver & Crosshatched Tail
A sturdy beaver stands in profile with its famous flat tail fanned behind it, the tail filled with a crosshatched diamond pattern and a tiny buck tooth showing at the mouth. The design is carved as a relief, shaving the outline and detail lines into the skin without piercing the wall, so it reads beautifully even unlit. Score the crosshatch grid lightly first, then deepen each groove one pass at a time.
Expert / ProFour Woodland Toadstools
Four spotted woodland toadstools cluster among curling leaves and grasses, carved in deep relief so the caps, gills, and stems stand out from the shell in true sculptural layers. Nothing is pierced; the design is built entirely by shaving and sculpting the wall to different depths, with the tall center mushroom's gilled underside as the showpiece. Rough out the deepest background first, then refine the gill lines last with a V-gouge while the ridges are still thick.
Expert / ProFour Spotted Toadstools
Four spotted toadstools of staggered heights grow from a glowing patch of grass, the tallest cap arching over three smaller companions. This expert shading piece uses multiple depths: gills under the big cap are shaved brightest, stems and caps sit mid-tone, and the spots are left as darker raised dots. Map your depth levels before touching a tool, and carve the delicate gill lines with a fine gouge in single confident strokes.
Expert / ProSunflower with Layered Petals
A lush sunflower filling the pumpkin face, with a densely dotted seed head ringed by two overlapping layers of pointed petals and broad leaves fanning out below. It is carved entirely as continuous-wall relief, shaving the skin at multiple depths so petals overlap realistically with no pierced openings. As an expert project, plan your levels first: deepest around the outer background, shallower between petal layers, and the seed dome nearly untouched.
AdvancedSitting Rabbit with Long Ears
A serene rabbit sits in profile with tall upright ears, delicate whiskers, and a rounded haunch, filling most of the pumpkin's face. The entire figure is shaved from the skin as a raised relief, with fine scored lines suggesting fur and limb contours, so nothing pierces the wall and it works beautifully as a table centerpiece. Shave the broad body areas first, then add the fur strokes with light flicks of a detail knife.
IntermediateApple Leaf and Four Holes
A plump apple with a stem and single leaf glows at the front, trailed by a diagonal line of four round holes like tumbling seeds. The apple body, leaf, and dots are all pierced through, with the stem notch left as dark shell between them. A great pick for classrooms and teacher gifts; punch the four small holes with a corer first, then saw the apple outline in slow curves.