Pumpkin carving templates
1155 free printable stencils. Download, print, trace, carve.
39 results · Page 1 of 2
Alaska Mainland and Islands
Alaska's mainland glows as one big cut-through shape, trailed by a sweeping chain of tiny island openings that curl away like the Aleutians and a separate panhandle cluster on the right. The main body carves like any bold silhouette, but the dozens of small island dots push this into expert territory. Drill-start every island with a skewer or small bit and cut them before the large shape so the wall stays rigid.
Baseball and Crossed Bats
A trophy-worthy relief of a baseball resting over two crossed bats, all standing out from a recessed panel in true sculpted depth. The ball's curved stitch lines and the bats' grain and knobs are incised details, and nothing pierces the wall. Excavate the background panel to an even depth before rounding the ball, and undercut the bat edges slightly so they cast real shadows in daylight.
Crescent over Wooded Hills
A dreamy night landscape wraps the pumpkin: a large crescent moon and a sky full of four-point stars shine above rolling wooded hills dotted with pine trees. The whole scene is skin-shave shading with no pierced holes, so moon, stars, ridgelines, and trees glow at different intensities depending on how deep you scrape. As an expert design, map your depths first: carve the moon deepest for the brightest glow, the hills shallowest for a soft dusk.
Desert Cactus & Sun
A tall saguaro cactus with two upturned arms stands over small desert dunes while a round sun hangs in the upper corner. The cactus body, sun disc, and low mound shapes are all cut out completely so candlelight pours through the whole scene. Cut the big cactus trunk first, then the sun, and save the thin dune slivers for last so the wall stays sturdy while you work.
Dolphin 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.
Domed Jellyfish and Bubbles
A ribbed jellyfish bell hovers near the top of the pumpkin, trailing eight long wavy tentacles that flow all the way to the base, with small bubbles rising on either side. The bell segments and tentacles are shaved to glowing flesh while thin strips of dark skin separate every ribbon, and the bubbles are pierced through. This expert shading design demands a steady hand; work each tentacle top to bottom in one continuous peel so the curves stay smooth and evenly lit.
Fire Helmet Above Three Flames
A classic firefighter helmet, complete with front shield and wide brim, glows above three dancing flames in this tribute design. The helmet crown, brim, and each flame are separate cut-through openings, with skin bridges keeping the helmet's shield outline dark against the light. At medium difficulty, the flame tips are the fussy part; saw each flame from its wide base up toward the point, and cut the helmet's thin brim opening last when you can support the wall from inside.
Five Curves Around a Dark Sun
Five curved galaxy arms swirl around a solid dark core, each tapered blade cut fully through so the design spins like a glowing cosmic pinwheel, with five small round star holes drilled between the arms. The center circle stays as untouched shell, anchored by the skin between the arms. At medium difficulty, the keys are the tapered arm tips; saw from the wide end of each arm toward its point, and drill the star holes before cutting the arms nearby.
Five-Petal Flower and Scrolls
An expert-level layered blossom: five broad veined petals fan around a raised dotted center, wrapped in overlapping leaves and curling scrolls that spill toward the pumpkin's edges. It is entirely surface work, shaving the skin at many depths with nothing cut through, so it looks striking even in daylight on a fall porch. Sharpen your gouges and work from the deepest petals outward, layer by layer.
Five-Petal Flower with Curls
A five-petal magnolia bloom with a dotted center opens across the pumpkin, framed by curling vine scrolls and shaded leaves. Everything is skin-shave work at layered depths: the petals glow brightest, the leaves and curls sit dimmer, and no part of the wall is pierced. Shave each petal from the center outward with a loop tool to build that soft gradient from bright to dark.
Galaxy with Three Planets
A sweeping spiral galaxy wraps across the entire pumpkin face, its curved arms shaved in graduated depths so the core glows brightest, while three ringed planets and scattered stars orbit the edges in raised relief. Nothing is pierced; every effect comes from continuous-wall shading at different thicknesses. Expert-level patience pays off here: establish the spiral arms as broad shallow bands first, then deepen toward the center in passes to build the luminous gradient.
Gymnast in a Split Leap
A gymnast frozen mid split leap, legs stretched into a full horizontal line with arms swept back and hair in a neat bun. The entire figure is cut through as one connected opening, so she glows like a spotlight silhouette on the pumpkin. Rated hard because the legs taper to slim points at the toes; carve from the torso outward and finish the narrow limb tips last with light, shallow strokes.
Hammerhead 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.
Jellyfish with Fifteen Bubbles
A dramatic jellyfish drifts down the tall face of the pumpkin, its ribbed bell crowning a tangle of long ribbon tentacles surrounded by fifteen bubbles of varying size. Everything is shaved relief with no pierced holes, and the overlapping tentacles at different depths are what make it an expert etch. Vary your shaving depth deliberately, deepest where tentacles cross behind others, to build the layered, flowing effect.
Layered Compass Star Relief
A layered compass-rose mandala: an eight-point star nests inside a larger star, all wrapped in a ring of carved circles and framed by a shaved border medallion. The entire design is relief work at several depths with no pierced openings, which is why it rates expert. Establish the shallowest background layer first, then step each inner layer progressively deeper so the star points read as crisp raised facets.
Leaping 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.
Leaping Gymnast with Stars
A gymnast soars in a full split leap, one arm reaching skyward toward a trail of stars and a curved comet streak behind her. The whole figure is a shaded carve on a continuous wall, shaving the skin so the silhouette glows without any pierced holes, which preserves the slender arms and pointed toes. Shave the thin limbs in light passes with a small loop tool, since going too deep on those narrow lines risks breaking through.
Lightning Bolt and Three Dots
A jagged lightning bolt zigzags down the center of the pumpkin, flanked by three round dots that glow like sparks of static. All four shapes are pierced through, and the small count of cuts makes this a fast, satisfying easy carve with a bold graphic punch. Cut the bolt's long diagonals first, then finish the sharp inner angles from each direction so the points stay crisp instead of tearing.
Lightning Bolt and Two Stars
A big lightning bolt zigzags down the center of the pumpkin, surrounded by two five-point stars and a scatter of round dots. Every shape is cut clean through, so the bolt blazes with candlelight while the stars and dots sparkle around it. The bolt is one straightforward opening with sharp interior angles; make a small relief cut at each zigzag corner so the blade can pivot without cracking the rind.
Natural Bat with Spread Wings
A lifelike bat spreads its wings across the entire pumpkin, with big upright ears, a furry textured body, and scalloped wing membranes ribbed by long finger bones. Nothing is cut through; the whole animal is sculpted in relief by shaving the background away and layering shallow cuts for fur and wing veins. This expert design is a true sculpting project, so work with gouges and a paring knife, establish the outline first, and build the fur texture with hundreds of short flicking strokes.
Nine Triangles and Six Dots
Nine triangles in alternating sizes form a tidy three-by-three grid, with six small round dots tucked into the gaps between rows. Each triangle and dot is cut straight through, producing a clean modern lantern that glows like patterned tilework. This medium design is all about alignment, so tape the template securely, transfer every corner point before cutting, and carve the triangles row by row to keep the grid looking sharp and even.
Plain Fire Helmet Silhouette
A traditional firefighter helmet in bold silhouette, showing the raised front shield, domed crown, and long swooping rear brim that flares out to protect the neck. The entire helmet is cut through as one large opening, so it glows as a single unmistakable emblem. This easy tribute carve works great on a big pumpkin; cut the long brim curve in one slow continuous pass to keep its sweep smooth.
Pterodactyl & Unequal Wings
A soaring pterodactyl caught mid-flight, with one wing swept high and the other stretched wide, a long crested head, open beak, and trailing legs. The whole silhouette is shaded by shaving away the skin, so the pale flying reptile appears against the darker pumpkin without any pierced holes. At medium difficulty the key is the wing edges: score the outline first with a light pass, then scrape inward so the membrane shapes stay crisp.
Saturn Pumpkin Stencil
Saturn's ringed profile rendered in a loose, sketchy style fills this expert space pumpkin stencil, with the planet body shown as a series of jagged horizontal band cuts and the elliptical ring system sweeping through as two curving arcs, all separated by thin skin bridges that suggest atmospheric cloud layers. The ring bands are the trickiest element: each arc is a narrow, isolated strip that connects to the planet body only at two small points. Cut the planet body bands first, working from the equator outward toward the poles, then carefully score the ring arcs from their inner connection points toward the outer tips.
Seahorse with Ten Raw Plates
An elegant seahorse curls down the pumpkin in profile, its coronet, snout, banded belly plates, back fin, and spiral tail all rendered in carved relief. This is a shading design: the body is shaved to a pale glow while the plate lines and outline are left or scraped at different depths for dimension, with no pierced openings. Rated hard for its fine segmentation, shave the belly bands one at a time and keep each dividing ridge intact.
Six Waves Sun and Starfish
A half-sun sets over two rows of curling surf, six stylized waves in all, with a chunky starfish tucked at the end of the bottom row. Each wave curl, the sun, and the starfish are individual cut-through openings separated by healthy strips of skin. For a medium carve like this, work top row first and keep the skin bridges between waves at least finger-width so the pattern stays strong through the whole session.
Sleeping Moon and Star Scrolls
A serene sleeping crescent moon with a sculpted profile face rests beside a bold five-point star, the pair wrapped in curling scrollwork flourishes and tiny accent stars. Everything is continuous-wall relief, shaved to different depths with no pierced holes, giving it an heirloom carved-wood look. An expert project; keep the moon's facial features shallow and rounded, saving your deepest cuts for the background around the scrolls.
Snowcap Peaks and Moon
A wide arched window is carved through the pumpkin with three mountain peaks left standing in dark silhouette, while a full moon glows from a separate round opening above. The sky area around the peaks gets cut away and small snowcap notches pierce the summits, so light outlines the whole range. Keep the peak silhouettes attached at the base as you saw the sky sections, since they anchor the entire scene.
Spiral Galaxy and Four Stars
A sweeping spiral galaxy with two luminous arms curling around a bright core, surrounded by four-point stars and a scatter of small stardust dots. The entire scene is skin-shave work with no pierced holes: the arms are shaved wide and shallow while the dots and stars are picked out individually. An expert pattern because of its long tapering curves; keep your gouge moving in smooth continuous strokes along each arm.
Spotted 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.
Spouting Whale & Curled Waves
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.
Star with Four Curved Trails
A five-pointed star streaks diagonally across the pumpkin with four curved trails tapering away behind it, like a comet caught mid-flight. The star and each sweeping trail are cut fully through, with strips of rind left between the trails to keep the motion lines distinct. On this medium carve, the tapering trail tips are the tricky spots: cut each trail from its wide end toward the point and stop just short, finishing the tip with a single small stab cut.
Starfish, Bubbles & Seaweed
A large textured starfish floats among rising bubbles and wavy seaweed fronds in this beachy shading design. Nothing is cut through; the starfish body, dots of bumpy texture, bubbles, and seaweed are all skin-shaved to different depths so they glow in layered tones of gold. The dotted texture along each arm is what makes it a hard carve; use a small V-gouge for the bumps and keep your shaved areas shallow so the wall never breaks through.
Tree Pose with Raised Arms
A serene figure balances in yoga tree pose, arms raised overhead and one foot tucked against the standing leg, flanked by leafy sprigs on a shaved ground line. The design is entirely skin-shave shading with no pierced holes, so the figure glows in pale relief against the dark rind. Shave the torso and legs in long continuous strokes for smooth lines, then detail the thin arms and leaves with a fine gouge.
Twenty-Two Ray Smiling Sun
A beaming sunburst face with closed happy crescent eyes, a small triangle nose, and a huge picket-tooth grin, all encircled by a radiating ring of alternating teardrop and triangle ray cutouts. Every ray, tooth gap, and feature pierces through, and the sheer count of small openings makes it an expert carve. Cut the outer rays in sequence around the circle first, rotating the pumpkin as you go, before opening the large mouth.
Two Palms on an Island
Two palm trees lean over a small island mound, one tall and one short, with feathery fronds fanning out overhead. The trunks, fronds, and island base are all cut fully through so candlelight pours out in a glowing tropical silhouette. The narrow fronds are the fiddly part of this medium design, so cut each leaf from its tip toward the trunk and leave the thickest junctions for last to keep the shape supported.