Advanced Pumpkin Stencils

About these advanced stencils

Hard designs have many small openings and thin skin strands. Print Large, use a detail saw and work from the centre outward. Add shading with the 3-tone technique.

Every advanced pumpkin stencil on this page

33 free designs, from 0 easy to 33 hard. Each one opens its own page with a free PDF in small, medium or large.

• Evil Grin Face (hard): an evil jack-o-lantern face with sharp angular eyes, jagged nose and an enormous sharp-toothed grin.
• Screaming Face (hard): a shocked pumpkin face with two big round wide eyes, raised eyebrows and a wide jagged open mouth, original cartoon style, not a mask.
• Screaming Ghost (hard): a wailing round-headed cartoon ghost with tiny dot eyes and a small round mouth, floating with wavy arms raised, original cartoon design, not a mask.
• Swirling Ghost (hard): a ghost flying in a swirl with motion trails and stars.
• Cat in the Window (hard): a cat sitting in an arched window with moonlight.
• Zombie Rising (hard): a zombie rising from a grave with arms outstretched.
• Creepy Doll Face (hard): a creepy cracked porcelain doll face with hollow eyes.
• Scarecrow (hard): a ragged scarecrow on a pole with a stitched sack face.
• Vampire Bat (hard): a detailed vampire bat with veined wings and fangs.
• Bats from a Tower (hard): bats flying out of an old bell tower.
• Sugar Skull (hard): a day of the dead sugar skull with flower eye sockets and decorative patterns.
• Skull with Roses (hard): a skull with roses growing around it.
• Dancing Skeleton (hard): a full skeleton dancing.
• Witch Face (hard): a witch face in profile with a long nose and pointed hat.
• Witch and Cat (hard): a witch and her cat flying together on a broom.
• Spider Web (hard): a spider web in a corner with a small spider.
• Spider Web Face (hard): a pumpkin face with a spider web across one eye.
• Monster Bride (hard): a cartoon monster girl with wild curly hair, a stitched cheek, a little bow and a cheerful smile, original cartoon design that does not resemble any film character.
• Mad Lab (hard): a laboratory with lightning bolts and bubbling flasks.
• Dinosaur Skeleton (hard): a dinosaur skeleton fossil.
• Rearing Unicorn (hard): a unicorn rearing on its hind legs.
• Husky (hard): a husky face with mask markings.
• Flying Owl (hard): an owl flying with wings spread.
• Dragon Head (hard): a dragon head with horns breathing fire.
• Flying Dragon (hard): a flying dragon with large wings.
• Haunted House (hard): a crooked haunted house with lit windows.
• Mansion on the Hill (hard): a spooky mansion on a hill with a bare tree.
• Graveyard Gate (hard): an iron graveyard gate with tombstones behind.
• Grim Reaper (hard): a hooded grim reaper holding a scythe.
• Vampire with Cape (hard): a vampire spreading his cape like wings.
• Vampire Castle (hard): a gothic castle on a cliff with bats.
• Deer Head (hard): a deer head with large antlers.
• Wolf Head (hard): a werewolf head snarling.

How to carve a advanced pumpkin

1. Pick a design and download the PDF in the size that matches the flattest face of your pumpkin.
2. Cut a lid or a hole in the back, scoop out the pulp and thin the front wall to about 1 inch so the light shines through.
3. Tape the stencil flat, poke along every line about 3 mm apart, then peel the paper off.
4. Cut out the black shapes with a small saw, smallest pieces first, and keep every white bridge.
5. Light it with an LED and clean up any edges that block the glow.

Carving tips

• Print Large on a big pumpkin.
• Cut the smallest pieces first.
• Keep the pumpkin cool between sessions.

New to stencils? Read how to use a pumpkin stencil. Cut the black areas, keep the white; every design here already has bridges, so no piece falls out.

Advanced stencil questions

More stencil themes