Free Pumpkin Carving Templates

Pumpkin Carving Templates: What Are They?

A Pumpkin Carving Template is a decorative design transferred to the surface of the pumpkin ahead of the Halloween season. Whether you are decorating your house or office to entertain your family, friends, neighbors, or colleagues or planning to compete in a local pumpkin carving contest, you should find out more about the Pumpkin Carving techniques before you go to the market, buy some vegetables, and cut them with the knife. Besides, designing patterns for Jack O'Lanterns with your children will let you spend quality time together and allow them to be imaginative - a template created by your kid and used by you will show them you value their ideas and want them to actively participate in festivities.

Check out our library of Pumpkin Carving templates to see a full list of patterns you may use to celebrate Halloween.

How to Make a Pumpkin Carving Template?

Apply the tips shared below to customize one or several different Pumpkin Carving templates:

1. It is recommended to work on the template with the help of software - find out the size of the pumpkins you can purchase without any issues and draft a pattern that can be recreated on the pumpkins of your choosing. Alternatively, you may draw a scary facial expression on plain paper if you believe in your painting skills and can accurately estimate the size of the drawing.
2. Even though you may be tempted to impress the family members and neighbors with a complicated pattern, start easy - a scary face that consists of eyes and mouth is enough. Practice before you settle on the drawing you like - silhouettes of ghosts, cats, witch hats, skulls, spiders, and bats are among the traditional Pumpkin Carving ideas for a reason. You may also poke holes of different shapes in different spots on the pumpkin - if you are using a candle for a Jack O'Lantern, it will look even better.
3. Determine the material you are going to use for the template - it will be relatively easy to design a pattern and print it out at home or at a print shop but you may ruin it in the process especially if the pumpkin is not dry enough. The optimal and affordable option may be cardboard paper or several sheets of paper glued or attached together.
4. Consider investing in one or two stencils you can design on your own and then order them from a manufacturer before or during the Halloween season. Made out of durable materials like plastic, metal, or Styrofoam, these stencils will definitely serve you longer than paper or carton patterns and you can share them with your relatives and friends to create as many Jack O'Lanterns as you need or want.

How to Use a Pumpkin Carving Template?

Follow these instructions to use a Pumpkin Carving template correctly:

1. Put the protective cover under the pumpkin before you do any manipulations with it. Do not get rid of the stem - it will allow the pumpkin to maintain its pristine state longer. To extract the pulp and seeds from the pumpkin, you should make a hole in the back of the future Jack O'Lantern - use a knife and a big spoon to clean the inside of the vegetable.
2. Prepare the Pumpkin Carving tools in advance - you will require the pattern you have found or personalized, a sharp jagged knife, a marker pen, and pins (or adhesive tape).
3. Attach the template to the front of the pumpkin with the pins or duct tape - note that if you have used plain paper instead of tracing paper in the first place, you will have to put the latter between the pattern and the pumpkin in order to transfer the drawing onto the surface - and draw over the lines.
4. Since the drawing will most likely look faded, use a marker to draw on the lines once again. If the pattern is complex, there can be thick and thin lines alternating on the surface. Now it is time to carve with the knife on the lines to make slits - you can push the bits of the pumpkin you do not need through the hole you have made for cleaning the vegetable.

How to Fix a Pumpkin Carving Mistake?

Here is what you can do to deal with the mistake you have made during the Pumpkin Carving process:

1. It is possible the pumpkin is not in the best state to be carved - put it in the fridge to get rid of moisture and have a dry vegetable that will be easier to deal with once you have made an error in your carving. If you think the bits of the pumpkin can stick to one another in the cold, try it out - the pumpkin might look better after the fridge.
2. Use a toothpick, glue, or duct tape to put the part that fell off back where it belongs. Make sure the trick you utilize is suitable for the flaw in question - you need to have a bit large enough for a toothpick, the glue cannot be visible from the outside, and the duct tape can be put only on the inside of the pumpkin.
3. Turn a mistake into a peculiarity - for instance, if you failed to cut the tooth of a scary face without an issue, make it work in your favor: crooked teeth will be more terrifying than a perfect smile. So do not be nervous about an imperfect design or execution - you are creating a unique Jack O'Lantern and having fun!

Still looking for a particular template? Take a look at the related templates below:

• Halloween Poster Template;
• Halloween Activity Sheets;
• Halloween Coloring Pages.