Fun
Pumpkin Carving
Carve a jack-o’-lantern on a 3D-looking pumpkin, light the candle to watch it flicker, and print your design as a stencil for a real pumpkin.
Click or tap the pumpkin to cut the triangle eye.
Save & share
Printable stencil
Your pumpkin is drawn and exported in your browser. The share link holds the design itself — nothing is uploaded.
Play and explore in your browser. No account needed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use the stencil on a real pumpkin?
Print the PDF at Actual size (100%) and check that the 1-inch bar at the bottom measures 1 inch. Tape the stencil to the flattest side of the pumpkin, snipping the paper edges so it lies flat on the curve, and prick along every outline with a pin or poke tool about every 1/8 inch (3 mm). Take the paper off and carve along the dots. Black areas on the stencil are cut all the way through.
What size should I print the stencil?
Measure the width of the flattest side of your pumpkin and pick a design width about an inch smaller: 5–6 inches suits a small to medium pumpkin and 8–10 inches a large one. The width is measured across the design itself, not the page. If the design would not fit inside the page margins at the size you chose, the PDF shrinks it and says so under the title.
Will pieces fall out when I carve the design for real?
The stamp shapes were drawn so that none of them has an island of skin inside it, so each one cuts out as a single piece. Pieces can still be lost where two cuts touch or overlap and enclose a patch of skin, or where you draw a closed loop inside another cut. Leave at least 1/4 inch (6 mm) of skin between cuts; it keeps the pumpkin wall strong and lets each piece stay attached.
How does the share link work?
Copy link puts the whole design — every stamp’s shape, position, size and angle, and each knife stroke as a simplified line — into the part of the web address after the # sign. Whoever opens the link sees the same carving and can keep editing it. Because the part after # is never sent to a web server, the design stays between you and the people you send it to.
Why doesn’t my pumpkin flicker?
The flame flickers only when the lights are off. If your device is set to reduce motion, the candle stays steady instead and the Flicker button is switched off; you can still download the animated GIF, which is made from a fixed four-second loop. The GIF always shows the lit pumpkin, whichever view you are in.
Is it safe to light a real carved pumpkin with a candle?
A battery LED candle or tea light is the safest choice, especially near children, costumes and doorways. If you use a real flame, cut a vent or lid so heat can escape, keep the pumpkin on a stable, non-flammable surface away from anything that can catch fire, and never leave it burning unattended.
About this tool
This virtual pumpkin carving tool lets you design a jack-o’-lantern before you pick up a knife — or instead of one. The pumpkin is drawn with ribbed lobes, soft shading and a curling stem, and every cut shows the pale flesh of the pumpkin wall around a dark hollow, so the carving looks cut into the surface rather than stuck on top. Turn the lights off and the scene goes dark: the cut-outs glow yellow and orange, light bleeds through the thin skin and pools on the ground, and the candle flickers.
There are two ways to carve. Stamps give you 27 original shapes in four groups — eyes (triangle, round, angry, happy, almond, diamond, sleepy, star), noses, mouths (toothy grin, smile, jagged scream, fangs, surprised, wobbly and stitched) and extras such as a bat, a sitting cat, a crescent moon, a witch hat, a ghost and a spider — each with its own size and rotation. The Knife tool carves whatever you draw: close the loop to cut out a shape, or cut thin slits and lines. With Mirror left and right on, each cut is copied to the other side, which makes neat faces easy.
When the design is done, download it as a PNG (1600 × 1440 pixels) or as a glowing GIF that loops smoothly, or copy a link that rebuilds the design for anyone who opens it. The stencil PDF prints your design in black on white at the width you choose, from 4 to 10 inches, on US Letter or A4, with a 1-inch check bar and carving tips — so the face you designed on screen can go straight onto a real pumpkin.
Everything happens in your browser: the pumpkin is drawn on a canvas, the GIF and PDF are made on your device, and no image or design is uploaded. The candle flicker is switched off automatically when your system asks for reduced motion.