Oh, October: time for sweater weather, autumnal air, changing leaves and Halloween preparations. One of my favorite parts of the season is heading down to the pumpkin patch to pick out a little gourd to call my own. Once home, I put on a pot of tea and get down to business brainstorming what to carve. Personalization is awesome, but when my pen hits the pumpkin I’m reminded all too soon of my artistic limitations – freehand drawing on a curved object (or, let’s be real, even a flat surface) is not exactly my forte.
Enter the template, also known as your foolproof guide to Pumpkin Greatness. Since there are so many talented illustrators and artists here on Etsy, we decided to team up with three of them – Leah Goren, Bryce Wymer, and Ashley Pahl – to design original, exclusive, and totally awesome illustrations that you can easily trace and carve onto your pumpkin.
The Designs:
Leah Goren x Etsy (Download here)
Ashley Pahl x Etsy (Download here)
Bryce Wymer x Etsy (Download here)
You will need:
Downloadable template
Pumpkin
Push pins
Marker or pen
Scissors
Large spoon
Carving knives
Tea light candle or small LED light
Drill and drill bits (for Bryce Wymer’s design)
Step 1: After you’ve chosen a design, download the template and print it out (using your printer’s landscape orientation setting). Be sure to scale the design to fit the size of your pumpkin. (Note: For our large pumpkins, we printed at 75% scale.) Cut along the edges of the template with scissors so it will be easy to pin onto your pumpkin.
Step 2: Draw a circle around the pumpkin stem with your marker or pen. You want the circle to be at least as large as your fist so you can easily remove the pumpkin’s seeds and pulp. Next, carefully carve along the circle with a knife. Scoop out the seeds and pulp using a large spoon.
Step 3: Pin your template to the pumpkin. Use push pins to poke holes along the black lines of your template, tracing the design onto the pumpkin. Keep in mind that you will be carving and removing only the black sections of the illustration from your pumpkin.
Step 4: Once you’ve finished outlining your design onto the pumpkin with push pins, remove the template. Optional: Use your marker or pen to connect the dots so you can clearly see what you will be carving out.
Step 5: Carefully carve your design into the pumpkin, following the holes you poked with your pins. For detailed areas, using a smaller knife is helpful. Don’t rush – take your time and be as precise as possible.
Step 6: When you’re done carving, place a small tea light candle or LED light in the bottom of pumpkin. Now turn off the lights and admire your work!
Note: Exercise caution and take your time when working with knives. Never leave lit candles unattended.
All photographs by Marina Robel.
113 comments
Vector Vintage from vectorvintageshop said 6 years ago
Sweet! Thanks for the templates! I've stuck to "boring" jack o'lanterns over the years, but now you've inspired me to do something exciting :)
Joanna from Jrocreations said 6 years ago
Great idea and it looks very easy, thanks for posting!
ACR from IntoTheBluePaintShop said 6 years ago
How fun! I love carving a pumpkin, and don't forget the yummy seeds to bake !!
Lana Manis from LanaManisDesigns said 6 years ago
I haven't carved pumpkins in several years since my kids are grow,n but I think I'll try it again this year!
Cristy Ramos from ArtisanBathandBody said 6 years ago
Wonderful tutorial! Thank you very much! ♥
Pepitas House from PepitasStudio said 6 years ago
This is a project I will do this Halloween. It looks easy and it is definitely a change from the usual Jack-o-latern
Elizabeth Amy Forzano from LizzyLizano said 6 years ago
Cool!! Thank You
Thom Aten from Circa810 said 6 years ago
How fun! I am not sure if I have the patience to accomplish this but I hope someone in my neighborhood does.... so cool
Pebble Ripearls from RIPEARLS said 6 years ago
What a great idea! Saved me time to search online to know how to carve pumpkins for my kid! Cool design. thanks for that!
Stefanie from LittlePinkTractor said 6 years ago
Love the bunting pumpkin! xo!
Tammy Franck from rockriverstitches said 6 years ago
This is always so much fun for our family to do every year! It's a tradition!
kelly hickey from edieandglo said 6 years ago
So fun! Can't wait to try some of these, and may even add a few to my Fall items in my shop for backdrop!
Libivee from Libivee said 6 years ago
Great tutorial! Thank you!
Marta DQ from tribomo said 6 years ago
This is great ! I love the designs! Thanks for sharing!
Bangkokpants Pants from bangkokpants said 6 years ago
Wow !! So funny
Nerrissa W from RecycledWares said 6 years ago
I love the jack-o-lantern with the eye on it. At first glance I didn't see the feet and hands, and that just takes it over the top.
Becky from rnaabDesigns said 6 years ago
Very nice! Cool designs :)
Lala Jewelry from Laladesignstudio said 6 years ago
I love the all seeing eye design! Now I have new inspiration for this years pumpkins!
Aga from AgasJourney said 6 years ago
Great ideas, thank you for sharing
TJ Carls from BloomgoDesignStudio said 6 years ago
Wow, some of these are really intricate! This will be a blast :)
Brian and Tracy McKearney from SnowDogQuiltWoodwork said 6 years ago
Fun and Spooky! Love it!
Valena2011 from PeraMantica said 6 years ago
Nice! Thank you.
Kashuen Collectibles from Kashuen said 6 years ago
Such a fun tutorial! Thank you!
Peg Englishman from Pegskitchenstudio said 6 years ago
These ideas are fantastic! How fun!
Natalia from KMalinkaVintage said 6 years ago
Awesome idea!
Cooper Collectibles T from CooperCollectibles said 6 years ago
i LoVe this ...thanks!!
Carla M. Kirkland from RockCRanchtique said 6 years ago
I really appreciate this pro bono pattern!
AGORAA from AGORAA said 6 years ago
great idea! thank you for sharing!
Cathy Pascual from CatshyCrafts said 6 years ago
Awesome tutorial! Thanks to the artists for sharing their designs :)
OurBrokenHouse from OurBrokenHouse said 6 years ago
That's very hard to make, i've failed so many times haha.
Cat A. from TheePumpkinPatch said 6 years ago
Oh man this makes me excited for going to the local pumpkin farm and carving!!!
SewnAndSmocked from SouthernStorybooks said 6 years ago
Great ideas! Thanks for posting. If any of you know how to bake the seeds and any tips or tricks to go along with it please convo me! We have never done that but want to and have no idea where to start.
Jennifer King from JenniferKingDesigns said 6 years ago
L O V E the ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Megan from MegansMenagerie said 6 years ago
Thanks! Looks like fun!
Nita DeGroodt from EarthscapesArt said 6 years ago
Love the designs....think I will steal one for my own. By the way.....any coaching on pumpkin seed baking from any master chef?
Dilani SK from Especially4UHandmade said 6 years ago
Nice work.....Thanks......!
Angel from SymbolicImports said 6 years ago
These are really nice!
Ekaterina Vitina from MagicBabyDolls said 6 years ago
Great!
Debra Lynn Allan from DLAbeaddesign said 6 years ago
Love it!
Elli from EllisJoyfulclothing said 6 years ago
I am so impressed!!! Wow especially I love one with hands, but all of them are very interesting and creative!
Dianna Stewart from Diannasdiapercakes said 6 years ago
Thanks for the inspiration to make a creative pumpkin this year!
Helena from MagicCrochetByHelena said 6 years ago
Thanks for the idea! Children exactly like it)
Matejka Max from NattyMatty said 6 years ago
Lovely!
Francesca Blas from PebbleInAPond said 6 years ago
Cute! I'm so excited to carve my own! :D
thedelhistore from theDelhiStore said 6 years ago
So cute!
pitpitjo99 from TShirtCyber said 6 years ago
So cute! :D
Candy Brewer from NehiandZotz said 6 years ago
Love it!
Andrea Gilletti from KillinMeSoftly said 6 years ago
great guide! I cant wait to use this technique!
Valda Valeckiene from SoutageDreams said 6 years ago
PERFECT :)!
MyChouchou from MyChouChou said 6 years ago
wow! they look so pretty! I have to try - I know my daughter wants to : )
Fawning Inlove from FawningInLove said 6 years ago
Very cute!
thefactory17 from TheFactory17 said 6 years ago
wooooooooow! Wonderful tutorial! Thank you very much! ♥
Michelle from philosophiacreations said 6 years ago
I for one am downloading the 3rd design to use this year -- love it!
Fishcouple from fishcouple said 6 years ago
We will definitely try it. Thanks!
Angelica from SugarTats said 6 years ago
Love these!
paradise925canada from Paradise925Canada said 6 years ago
Awesome!!!
Mina from ThreeSiblings said 6 years ago
These are really cool! I've never carved one before but this year I might try.
Katyooshjewelry jewelry from Kattyoosh said 6 years ago
Wonderful ideas. I love it.
Raina and Dusty from TheHappyZombieCandle said 6 years ago
I've always wanted to do something like this but thought I would screw it up. I usually always do regular Jack-o-lanterns but based on your easy instructions I will dare myself to try it.
Jaclyn Rose Design from JaclynRoseDesign said 6 years ago
Cool designs! I love carving pumpkins. And, the roasted pumpkin seeds are the best!
annmarietrotta said 6 years ago
Thank you so much for giving me inspiration and the means to carry it out! I am not creative, so I haven't carved or even drawn on a pumpkin in YEARS! I may just try it this year!
Shop Ukrainian national clothes from shopUNC said 6 years ago
Class. I have never seen such beauty :)
Ekaterina Vitina from MagicBabyDolls said 6 years ago
Thank you for tutorial!
Koren Kwan from GarasuWonderland said 6 years ago
Brilliant! Inspiring ideas for Halloween preparation ;)
Ia Kurniasih from SimpleCurveDesign said 6 years ago
awesome idea for Halloween decoration!
Valentina . from Exclusive72 said 6 years ago
How beautiful !!!
zhu liya from AmelieDIY said 6 years ago
A wonderful idea! I will dare myself to try it. Thanks:)
vikey lin from vikey1778 said 6 years ago
very good!!!
Hana Beranová from GivePresent said 6 years ago
This is beautiful! :-D I have adult daughter a she still love halloween decorations. This will be great inspiration for her :-) Thank you.
MerCurios from MerCurios said 6 years ago
This is great! Thank you for sharing.
BohoCHIC Maui Jacob from BohoCHICMaui said 6 years ago
I haven't ever carved a pumpkin! However, the designs are excellent so I've shared them on my social networks. Well done! Dee
Martin Lam from martin1206 said 6 years ago
Looks funny. will have a try!
Barbara Dimoush from PackagePerfectBows said 6 years ago
Hats off to anyone that can carve a pumpkin and make it look that good. I better start practicing now so I have one in time for Halloween...:)
POLEIT from POLEIT said 6 years ago
Great!
Sigrid Bengel said 6 years ago
I like the "BOO", because I love letters.
Katrina Dzerkale from Dominna said 6 years ago
this is going to be my first year trying out pumking carving :)
Smriti from DesiFabrics said 6 years ago
boo boo boo
Lina from svartlilja said 6 years ago
I wish we could have Halloween more often, hehe!
Sarah Hardey from sarahhardey1 said 5 years ago
Never cut the top off your pumpkin! Once you gut your pumpkin it will begin o shrivel and shrink and your "lid" may fall in. For a better looking carved pumpkin I recommend cutting a whole on the bottom of your pumpkin. depending on how flat the bottom of your pumpkin is will determiner the size whole you will need, remember to make the whole big enough for your and to get in and gut the pumpkin. Once cute, gutted, and carved you can toss the bottom "lid" and just set the pumpkin over a lit candle. Happy Halloween!
Bárbara Álvarez from estudioaditu said 5 years ago
thank you !! I want to try now!
Annie Bathgate from AnniesLilCorner said 5 years ago
perfect tutorial for my upcoming Halloween with my kiddos!
Sue from SuesAkornShop said 4 years ago
Great ideas!
Relly from RelsFindsNapaValley said 4 years ago
Thanks for all these design ideas on pumpkin carving... They all look wonderful.
Sujata from TreasuredMemoryLane said 4 years ago
Awesome tutorial! Thank you for showing some good techniques to make intricate designs.
Amy Gunderson from amysfunkyfibers said 4 years ago
This has always been one of my favorite things to do with the kids. Don't forget to wash and save the seeds to roast for later!
Cristy Ramos from ArtisanBathandBody said 4 years ago
This is great! Thank you very much for the templates ♥
Teerasak Borkam from TribalAndHarem said 4 years ago
น่ารัก และ น่ากลัว :)
Kashuen Collectibles from Kashuen said 4 years ago
My daughter loves cat. I would love to try to carve that one. Thanks for sharing.
June from isewcute said 4 years ago
The kitty is so sweet! We're still deciding on what to carve into our pumpkins this year.
Michela from LilyandFern said 4 years ago
Thank you so much for the templates! So funny!! :-)
Nicole from KarmaCodeOne said 4 years ago
Great ideas and templates ~ Halloween is so much fun !
renee and gerardo from GTDesigns said 4 years ago
festive delight of pumpkin art!! nice!!
Loribeth from MomentsOfArt said 4 years ago
Very creative! I remember when we just did three triangles and a chevron smile! haha!
TropicalGarden from TropicalGarden said 4 years ago
Great idea, thank s for sharing! I've a large pumpkin, can't wait to try something different on it:)
aressa from OriginalBridalHanger said 4 years ago
Never thought about putting a design on the outside and then cut....Nice!
lbell201 said 4 years ago
Great ideas you can use for years.
Greg and Mary from LightingAlchemy said 4 years ago
Lovely ideas! Thanks!
Tanya from TanyaToys said 4 years ago
Nice ideas, thanks.
Flair Nouri from FlairPaintings said 4 years ago
wonderful ideas!!! many thanksss :)
Katrina Dzerkale from Dominna said 4 years ago
THis will be my first year carving pumpkins , so this will be really useful :) Thank you :)
Madeleine Keller from ThoseGoodVibrations said 4 years ago
What I like best is to make my own designs, but thanks for sharing these too, they're definitely inspiring!
Marisa M. from FeltInMyHeart said 4 years ago
Fun! The last few years our now older kids have rediscovered Halloween from a more adult perspective and really enjoyed creative decorating and elaborate pumpkin carving.
Renee from RandMhandmade said 4 years ago
We always love carving pumpkins. Love the pumpkins!
Michael Robinson from CarvedAccessories said 4 years ago
Awesome ideas
Stacey from LosttreasureByStacey said 4 years ago
Very cool. Thank you so much. I love the claddah design. So creative.
Katie Harp from halfpintinkstudio said 4 years ago
how fun! thanks for posting!
Rachel Bingaman from BingArt said 4 years ago
Great design templates.... I think my favorite part of pumpkin carving comes after when we roast the seeds!! :) Yum!
Rosemary Lambert from cardhugs said 4 years ago
I never would have thought of outlining the template with push pins. I want to share this with my kids, who get tons of trick or treaters at their home. Thanks so much. Loved the kitty design!
deardear from deardearArt said 4 years ago
great work~~ thanks for posting!
Alena Pakhomova from Alenahandmade said 4 years ago
★ ? Love it ! ? ★
Virginia from OldPaperPerfume said 4 years ago
Excelent, such an adorables ideas, thanks so much!
Teerasak Borkam from TribalAndHarem said 4 years ago
ยินดีต้อนรับผี
Katarzyna from KatyHandMadeArtShop said 4 years ago
Interesting idea.