Bored of carving a traditional Jack-o-Lantern face into that Halloween pumpkin? Instead, consider carving an animal design into this year's Halloween pumpkin using one of these free pumpkin carving stencils, all available online.
These pumpkin carving patterns are perfect for animal lovers who are looking for more unique pumpkin carving patterns this Halloween, including patterns for a dog, spider, panda, dolphin, or tiger, among many others which will make a perfect spooky decoration for a Halloween party for pets or humans.
PumpkinGlow Pumpkin Carving Designs
PumpkinGlow.com is another website that offers free animal pumpkin carving designs that can be printed and used as a pumpkin carving stencil.
The animal pumpkin carving stencils featured on PumpkinGlow.com include wolf patterns, a horse pattern, several tiger patterns, a chipmunk pattern, a koala bear design, a spooky bat pattern, a deer, and a zebra, among others.
SpookMaster Pumpkin Carving Patterns
SpookMaster.com has an array of animal pumpkin carving designs that can be viewed free of charge. The site includes hundreds of traditional Jack-o-Lantern patterns, along with specialized pumpkin carving pattern categories including sports teams pumpkin carving patterns and animal kingdom pumpkin carving stencils.
Pumpkin carvers can select from one of the following pumpkin carving designs, which include dogs, birds and insects:
- Bulldog
- Butterfly
- Chihuahua Dog
- Cobra Snake
- Crocodile
- Eagle
- German Shepherd Dog
- Great White Shark
- Hammerhead Shark
- Hound Dog
- Jack Russell Terrier Dog
- Orca Whale
- Panda Bear
- Panther
- Penguin
- Rattlesnake
- Scorpion
- Stallion
- Tarantula
- Tiger
- Vulture
- Wolf
On SpookMaster.com, a membership is required to download the patterns, but all pumpkin designs can be viewed free of charge. Pumpkin carvers who don't wish to sign up for a membership can still use the site's pumpkin carving designs as inspiration for their own original Jack-o-Lantern image.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pumpkin Carving Stencils
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) website has a handful of pumpkin carving patterns that are perfect for animal lovers and environmentalists who are looking to "go wild" with a unique pumpkin carving design.
These free pumpkin stencils are also great for a classroom pumpkin painting project with children, as each pumpkin stencil comes with information about that particular animal or nature scene, creating a wonderful opportunity for some creative learning.
The WWF's website has a handful of animal pumpkin carving patterns and each includes a difficulty rating and information on estimated pumpkin carving time. The WWF's Halloween pumpkin stencils include the WWF panda logo, a tiger, a dolphin, a monarch butterfly and a sea turtle, among others.
How to Use Free Pumpkin Carving Stencils and Patterns
So once the soon-to-be pumpkin carver selects and prints out their favorite pumpkin carving pattern, there's the issue of how to use the print-out as a guide. Consider these pumpkin carving tips:
- When positioning the pumpkin carving pattern, place the pattern on the flattest side of the pumpkin.
- If necessary, pleat the paper with the pumpkin carving pattern to better accommodate the pumpkin's curved surface.
- When positioning the pumpkin carving pattern, place it several inches up from the bottom of the pumpkin. When the carving is positioned lower on the pumpkin, the candle flame or light source will be visible when viewing the Jack-O-Lantern.
- Tape the paper with the pumpkin carving stencil onto the pumpkin. Trace the pumpkin carving design by using an awl or use a pen to depress small holes in the pumpkin skin. The pumpkin carver can then use a pumpkin carving tool to cut along the line that will be formed by the line of dots created in the pumpkin skin with the pen.
- When cleaning out the inside of the pumpkin, consider saving the seeds. The pumpkin seeds can be saved for baking - a delicious Halloween treat that's sure to appeal to ghosts and ghouls of all ages.
- When the pumpkin carving is complete, apply Vaseline to all cut or carved edges. This will prevent the edges from drying out, creating a shriveled appearance.
Special Jack-o-Lantern lights are widely available and they'll serve as a safe yet spooky alternative to placing a candle inside the pumpkin to illuminate the hand-carved design.
And for children who want to create their own unique Halloween pumpkin, consider using the free pumpkin carving stencils as a guide for painting the pumpkin.
Related Reading on Halloween
Dog lovers may enjoy reading about free printable Dog Breed Pumpkin Carving Stencils for Halloween, along with how to make your own pumpkin carving patterns from a photograph of your dog, cat or even a human!
Animal lovers may also enjoy reading about ideas for unique Halloween Costumes for Dogs and other Pets, pumpkin carving tips, a guide to using free pumpkin carving stencils and more? Visit the Haunted Halloween Page!
Mia Carter - Mia Carter - Journalist, Producer/Editor & Web Writer. Carter's work has appeared on CBS and CNN.com.
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