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View all stencils →About this stencil
A nod to the original Irish lanterns: a simple startled face with two triangle eyes and a small arched mouth, designed to suit a turnip, rutabaga, or small pale pumpkin. All three openings cut straight through the wall. Root vegetables are much denser than pumpkins, so hollow the inside generously first and use short, firm saw strokes; on a regular pumpkin this carves in minutes. 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.
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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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A wide, low jack-o'-lantern face with sly almond-shaped eyes, a small triangle nose, and a long jagged mouth packed with alternating square teeth top and bottom. Everything is pierced through, and the horizontal layout suits squat, wide pumpkins. At medium difficulty the tooth row is the main work; cut the mouth's outer outline first, then remove the gaps between teeth one at a time so each block keeps support while you work.
IntermediateHeavy-Brow Angry Face
This scowling jack-o'-lantern glares out through heavy slanted brows, a small triangle nose, and a snarling mouth ringed with sharp fangs top and bottom. Every feature is a pierced opening, leaving thick pumpkin wall between the angry eyes and the jagged mouth for strength. At medium difficulty the narrow inner brow points are the fragile spots, so cut the eyes from the center outward and save the thin corners for last.
Expert / ProTriangle Ring and Jagged Grin
An ornate expert-level face framed by a full ring of small triangle cutouts circling the pumpkin, with chevron-crested brows, barred flame-shaped eyes, a diamond nose, and a huge jagged grin holding fourteen zigzag teeth. Everything pierces through, so the finished lantern sparkles from every angle like carved lace. Plan your order: punch the border triangles first while the wall is rigid, then work inward, saving the long fragile grin for the very end.
AdvancedVintage Arches and Round Grin
Arched triple line brows curl above big eyes divided by rind bars, a long triangle nose drops between them, and a huge grin shows a full row of rounded teeth with dotted curlicue accents swirling at each cheek. All the openings are cut through in a cheerful retro style straight off an old holiday postcard. Rated hard for its many small dots and thin brow lines, it rewards a fine detail saw and a drill for the dots.
AdvancedBarred Eyes and Serrated Grin
This wicked traditional face stacks barred triangle eyes with heavy slanted brows above a huge serrated grin, then flanks the mouth with rows of small wedge and diamond accents across both cheeks. Everything is cut through, and the eye bars are thin strips of shell left inside each triangle. Cut on both sides of each eye bar before removing the surrounding pieces, and save the tiny cheek diamonds for last.
Expert / ProMoon Profile and One Star
A serene man-in-the-moon profile fills a broad crescent, his closed-eye face, nose, and lips sculpted in layered relief within the shaved moon shape, while a single five-pointed star glows beside him. The moon is carved as continuous-wall shading at multiple depths and only the star area is thinned to shine brightest. This expert piece is all about depth control; rough in the crescent first, then sculpt the facial features gradually, checking the glow with a light as you go.