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View all stencils →About this stencil
A detailed seven-leaflet cannabis leaf spreads across the pumpkin, each serrated leaflet shaved into the skin with its center vein and feathered side veins left as raised lines. Nothing is pierced, so the leaf reads as pale botanical relief against the dark rind day or night. This hard etch rewards patience; score every vein with a v-gouge first, then shave the leaflet panels down to a matching depth around them. 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.
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A crescent moon hangs over rolling hills dotted with pine trees, while dozens of stars and pinprick lights scatter across the sky above the treeline. The entire scene is shaved at varying depths into the pumpkin wall, with the moon and hilltops thinned the most so they glow brightest, and the trees left as dark raised skin. Rough in the hills first, then refine tree silhouettes, and finish with the star pricks last.
AdvancedBarred Eyes and Diamond Dots
A wildly ornate astonished face: two huge round eyes split by vertical bars, a tall oval mouth gaping in shock, and a halo of diamonds, dots, and curved flourishes radiating in every direction. All of it is cut through, from the barred eyes to the smallest accent dot, so the whole pumpkin erupts in patterned light. Rated hard for its piece count, work from the center outward and leave the outer diamonds and dots for the final pass.
IntermediateMortar and Two Split Capsules
A classic mortar bowl with its pestle angled out of the top sits above two capsule shapes, each crossed by a diagonal dividing bar. The bowl, pestle, and pill halves are cut through, with the capsule bars left as solid rind strips. This medium design makes a fun nod to a pharmacist or nurse; carve each capsule as two small windows so the center bar stays firmly attached.
IntermediateTwo Hoofprints and an Oak Leaf
Two split deer hoofprints, each with a pair of dewclaw dots beneath, share the pumpkin with a lobed oak leaf and a few scattered accent dots for a woodsy, cabin-porch feel. Every track, dot, and the leaf is fully cut through with plenty of solid skin between elements. It is a comfortable medium carve; poke a starter hole in each small dot and cut those first, since tiny circles are easiest while the surrounding wall is still rigid.
AdvancedDragonfly with Reeds
A dragonfly hovers with all four veined wings spread wide, its long segmented tail trailing down among slender reed grasses and cattails. The whole scene is shave-carved: wings, body, and reeds glow through thinned skin while the background stays dark, with no pierced holes. The wing veining is the payoff detail, so shave each wing smooth first, then score the vein lines lightly with a knife tip rather than gouging them.