Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest Β· Starts October 1st Β· $500 in prizes

Pumpkin carving templates

1159 free printable stencils. Download, print, trace, carve.

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Curled Dolphin Profile pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Curled Dolphin Profile

A leaping dolphin caught mid-arc, its curved body, pointed snout, dorsal fin, and sweeping tail all glowing through one sculpted cut-through opening, with an intact rind island shaping the pectoral fin and belly. The interior island is the key feature: cut the outer outline in sections and leave the connecting bridges to the island untouched until the very end, then trim them carefully to final width.

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Cute Starfish Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Cute Starfish Pumpkin Stencil

A stylized starfish with five rounded arms and a cute cartoon face, including two large round eyes with small lashes, a button nose, and a gentle smile, sits symmetrically centered in this hard pumpkin stencil. The arm openings and facial features are cut through while the narrow bands between the arm segments stay solid, framing the starfish shape clearly when lit. The thin band between the two eye holes is the most vulnerable bridge; cut the right eye last so you can brace the section from both sides during that final cut.

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Darwin Fish Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Darwin Fish Pumpkin Stencil

The iconic Darwin fish emblem fills this pumpkin stencil as a horizontal fish silhouette with small walking legs at the bottom, the word DARWIN lettered inside the body using bold block capitals separated by vertical post bridges. Both the fish background and the letter interiors are cut through, so the orange bridges spelling out DARWIN glow as solid bars when lit. Carve the background fish outline opening first, then cut each letter interior separately to keep the thin vertical bridges from flexing and cracking.

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Domed Jellyfish and Bubbles pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

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.

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Etched Fish & Fin Rays pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Etched Fish & Fin Rays

A side-view fish with rayed fins, a forked tail, and a dot eye, drawn in bold etched lines across the pumpkin's face. The wall stays intact everywhere: you shave the skin along the body outline, fin rays, and gill lines so they read as bright strokes against dark rind. For this medium shading design, use a small loop tool and keep your line width consistent, since the fin rays lose definition if they blur together.

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Fan Tail Fish with Low Notches pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Fan Tail Fish with Low Notches

A plump fantail goldfish glides across the pumpkin as one big glowing silhouette, with a rounded body, sweeping double tail, and small notched fins along the belly. The entire fish is pierced through in a single connected shape, so it lights up like an aquarium at night. At medium difficulty the low fin notches are the detail work; cut the broad body and tail first, then nick out the small fin points with short careful strokes.

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Fishbone Skeleton pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Fishbone Skeleton

A cartoon fish skeleton stretches across the pumpkin, complete with an open-mouthed head, a round eye, a long spine lined with curved rib bones, and a fanned tail. The whole design is skin-shaved rather than pierced, so the pale bones glow softly against the dark rind like an x-ray. For this medium etch, outline the spine first, then shave each rib in one smooth stroke so the curves stay parallel and evenly spaced.

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Goldfish Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Goldfish Pumpkin Stencil

A plump goldfish shown in profile swims to the right: a rounded body, a large flowing tail fin swept back dramatically, a smaller dorsal fin on top, and a single pectoral fin near the belly. A small negative-space teardrop inside the body suggests the gill line. The whole fish is a single connected cut-out, so the lit pumpkin casts one glowing fish silhouette against the dark wall. Keep the narrow pectoral fin intact as long as possible and cut it free only after the main body is removed.

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Goldfish with Flowing Fins pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Goldfish with Flowing Fins

A fancy fantail goldfish glides across the pumpkin with billowing fins, a sweeping double tail, and a body covered in overlapping scale rows. This is a continuous-wall shading design: the skin is shaved away at varying depths so fins glow softly and each scale reads in relief, with no pierced holes. Rated hard for its texture work, it goes best if you outline the fish first, clear the background layer, then carve the scales one row at a time.

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Gone Fishin Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Gone Fishin Pumpkin Stencil

A fisherman standing in the bow of a flat-bottomed bass boat casts a long fishing rod overhead, with water ripples beneath the hull and the words GONE FISHIN' in stencil-style block letters below the scene on this pumpkin stencil. The silhouetted angler and boat hull are cut away entirely, while the thin rod line and letter counters remain as skin bridges. Carve the compact fisherman-and-boat silhouette first, then tackle the letter row below, saving the closed-counter letters for last.

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Great White Shark Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Great White Shark Pumpkin Stencil

A great white shark lunges in profile across this animal pumpkin stencil, jaws open to reveal a row of serrated teeth, a round dot eye, a prominent dorsal fin, a pair of pectoral fins mid-body, and a forked tail sweeping back to the right. The body interior is cut away in a large open section while the teeth, fins, and eye detail stay as solid bridges of pumpkin skin, letting candlelight define the shark's menacing outline from within. Cut the mouth and individual tooth points before opening the large body cavity so the head stays anchored while you work the fine detail.

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Hammerhead Shark Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Hammerhead Shark Pumpkin Stencil

A hammerhead shark cruises horizontally across this pumpkin stencil, its body a wide flat silhouette with a tall dorsal fin, swept pectoral fins, and the distinctive wide rectangular head that gives the species its name. The entire shark body is one single large open cut-out, so the finished jack-o-lantern glows with a full bright shark shape against the dark pumpkin skin. Position the stencil so the shark's tail end and dorsal fin tip stay at least one inch from the pumpkin's edge, which keeps enough wall intact to stop the broad head from drooping under its own weight.

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Hammerhead with Raw Back pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

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.

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Hammerhead with Unequal Fins pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Hammerhead with Unequal Fins

A hammerhead shark cruising in full profile, its wide flattened head, tall dorsal fin, and forked tail all reading instantly in silhouette. The complete shark is one cut-through opening that stretches across the pumpkin's widest face for a dramatic glowing display. An easy carve with one caution: the slim notch between the tail forks is delicate, so cut it before removing the large body piece.

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Jellyfish with Fifteen Bubbles pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

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.

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Jesus Fish Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Jesus Fish Pumpkin Stencil

This pumpkin stencil renders the Christian ichthys fish symbol horizontally across the pumpkin face: the fish body outline is formed by pierced dashes along the top and bottom edges, the word JESUS is cut in open block capitals inside the body, and a small cross sits at the tail junction on the right. The letters and outline dashes are all negative space, so the finished jack-o-lantern glows with JESUS framed inside the fish. Carve the outer dash segments first to establish the fish outline, then work each letter from E inward to avoid flexing the narrow skin strips between characters.

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Left-Facing Hammerhead Shark pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Left-Facing Hammerhead Shark

A left-facing hammerhead shark in full profile, wide head, tall dorsal fin, and swept tail, finished with three short gill slashes behind the head. The whole body is a shaded shape: you peel the skin inside the outline down to pale flesh and leave the pumpkin wall intact. Shave with the grain in long horizontal strokes to keep the body smooth, then deepen the gill lines and eye dot last for contrast.

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Round Fish and Three Bubbles pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Round Fish and Three Bubbles

A plump fish silhouette with a notched triangle tail swims across the pumpkin, trailed by three round bubbles rising toward the stem. The fish body and each bubble cut completely through, giving anglers a bold, glowing catch with almost no fine detail to fuss over. An easy pattern; remove the large body in two pieces split at the tail notch, then drill or carve the bubbles smallest to largest.

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Seahorse with a Ribbed Fan pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Seahorse with a Ribbed Fan

An elegant seahorse posed upright with a ridged, segmented body, a ribbed fan fin on its back, and a tail that coils into a tight spiral. This is a shading pattern: you carve away skin at varying shallow depths to sculpt the plates, fin ribs, and curl while the wall stays solid. Rated hard for its fine detail, it rewards a light touch; work the tiny tail spiral with a small gouge last.

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Seahorse with Ten Raw Plates pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

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.

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Shaded Whale Shark Profile pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Shaded Whale Shark Profile

A whale shark glides across the pumpkin in full profile, its wide flat head, tall tail fin, and back covered in the species' signature spots and ridge lines. This is a shading design with no pierced holes: you shave the skin inside the body while leaving orange skin for the spots, gill slits, and stripes. Shave the large body sections to an even depth first, then re-crisp the spot edges with a detail knife.

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Sideways Lobster with Claws pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Sideways Lobster with Claws

A full lobster stretches sideways across the pumpkin with segmented tail, walking legs, long antennae, and two oversized claws rendered in shaved-skin relief. Nothing is pierced through: the body shapes are peeled bright while the segment lines and joints remain as dark etched divisions. This is a hard shading project because of all those segments, so map the outline first with shallow V-cuts, clear the large claw and tail areas, and save the skinny legs and antennae for careful final passes.

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Six Waves Sun and Starfish pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

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.

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Spotted Eagle Ray pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

Spotted Eagle Ray

A spotted eagle ray glides diagonally across the pumpkin, its wide wings dotted with rows of round spots, a long whip tail trailing off behind, and a curled loop near the tail base. The whole creature is rendered by etching the skin: outlines and spots are shaved to glow softly while the wall stays sealed. Rated hard for the fine linework; carve the spots with a small round gouge and keep your outline strokes shallow and consistent.

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Spotted Whale Shark pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

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.

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Starfish, Bubbles & Seaweed pumpkin carving stencil
Hard

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.

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Textured Coastal Starfish pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Textured Coastal Starfish

A five-armed starfish rendered entirely in surface shading, with a dotted texture running down each tapered arm for a realistic sea-star look. Nothing is pierced through: you shave away the outer skin inside the outline while the pumpkin wall stays intact, so it reads beautifully in daylight. At medium difficulty, scrape shallow and even first, then deepen the dotted ridges last so the texture stays defined.

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Three Fish Above Two Waves pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Three Fish Above Two Waves

Three fish swim in a loose diagonal school above two rolling wave bands, with a trail of round bubbles rising toward the stem. Every element is cut through: fish bodies with notched tails, the long curved waves, and the bubble dots all become glowing openings. The waves are the longest cuts, so brace the pumpkin and saw them in smooth continuous strokes; poke the bubbles out first with a round tool while the wall is solid.

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Tilted Jellyfish and Seaweed pumpkin carving stencil
Expert

Tilted Jellyfish and Seaweed

A tilted jellyfish drifts with its domed bell up high and dozens of ribbony tentacles flowing down through strands of seaweed, while small bubbles rise around it. Every element is shaved into the skin at varying depths rather than cut through, creating layers of soft glow. This expert etch is all about depth control: shave the bell and bubbles deepest for brightness, keep the tentacles mid-depth, and leave the seaweed shallow so the jellyfish floats forward.

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Two Fish and Six Bubbles pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Two Fish and Six Bubbles

Two plump fish swim toward each other with a rising trail of six bubbles between them and two wavy water slots rippling underneath. The fish bodies, bubbles, and wave lines are all cut through, turning the pumpkin into a glowing underwater scene. A relaxed medium carve for anglers and lake families; drill the bubbles in ascending size order, then saw the fish, and finish with the long shallow wave curves.

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Two Sharks Pumpkin Stencil pumpkin carving stencil
Easy

Two Sharks Pumpkin Stencil

Two sharks overlap in a dramatic diving composition for this easy pumpkin stencil: a large shark lunges forward with serrated teeth exposed, and a smaller shark curves below it. The negative space between the two bodies is cut away, leaving the sharks as solid orange pumpkin forms. The jagged row of teeth on the large shark is the most detailed edge in the design. Cut the teeth line with individual short plunge-cuts per tooth point rather than sawing along the jagged edge, which reduces the risk of tearing the tips.

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Wavy Jellyfish & Bubbles pumpkin carving stencil
Intermediate

Wavy Jellyfish & Bubbles

A serene jellyfish drifts across the pumpkin, its smooth dome bell trailing five wavy tentacles among scattered bubbles. Nothing is pierced; the entire design is shaved into the skin so the bell, tentacles, and bubbles appear as pale carved relief against the orange rind. For this medium etch, remove only the skin and a thin layer of flesh at an even depth so the lines stay crisp and uniform.

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