100 pumpkin carving ideas to try this Halloween

by John Griffith
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Halloween is almost upon us. If you are a true fan of the holiday, you are probably already looking for ideas for costumes, decorations and party themes. Another thing that is an inseparable part of the traditions of Halloween, however, is the carved pumpkins. You can see them on each doorstep, table and mantle and they can be super creative and scary. Which is why, today, we are going to share with you 100 pumpkin carving ideas. Moreover we are going to show you a step-by-step tutorial on how to carve pumpkins.

Pumpkin carving ideas to try this Halloween

pumpkin carving ideas, pumpkin painted in black, constellation carved into it, sitting on a wooden log, on top of moss

Why do we carve pumpkins on Halloween?

There is a very interesting story behind pumpkin carving. The Irish legend of Stingy Jack entails that he was a drunk who bargained with the Devil and is now doomed to roam the Earth for eternity with just a hollowed turnip to light his way. That is the reason why they are also knows as Jack O’Lanterns. History, on the other hand, entails that the tradition of carving faces into vegetables dates back to the Celts. In order to celebrate autumn, they carved turnip and squash, hollowed them out and placed lights, such as candles inside. They did that to light the way to their home for the good spirits.

Even the simplest patterns look amazing at night

two pumpkins, ghost face carved into one, cat face carved into the other, pumpkin carving ideas, brick wall

What are the best pumpkin carving ideas?

The tradition is to carve out scary faces into the pumpkins. However, recently more creative people have come up with some pretty ingenious ideas. Whether it’s funny quotes, faces, animals, there are many different options for your pumpkin carving. Especially funny are the drunk pumpkin carving ideas – pumpkins with their insides placed on the outside as if they are throwing them up. There are also the pumpkin inside pumpkin carving patterns, which are truly unique and fun. Whichever you decide to try will definitely be effective, though.

Scary pumpkin carving ideas

two pumpkins, lit by candles, scary faces, carved on them, black background, pumpkin carving ideas

Don’t be afraid to try out different shapes and patterns

different pumpkins, different faces carved on them, on a wooden table, pumpkin carving ideas, lit by candles

How to carve a pumpkin?

Check out our step-by-step tutorial. You definitely need the right tools, because pumpkins are very difficult to cut into. So make sure everything that you are using is as sharp as it gets.

How to carve a pumpkin – step-by-step tutorial + pictures

jack o lantern faces, step by step, diy tutorial, two hands, holding a pumpkin, on a wooden table

What do you need?

  • a pumpkin
  • carving tools: knives, small saws and awls
  • candles (regular or tea-light)
  • felt tip marker

You need good carving tools for better effect

different tools, for pumpkin carving, arranged on a wooden table, jack o lantern faces, orange pumpkin

Instructions:

  1. Draw a circular opening at the top or bottom of the pumpkin with the marker.
  2. Use a knife to cut along the line you have drawn and remove the top or bottom piece.
  3. Scoop out the pulp and seeds with your hands or a long spoon. You can save the seeds and roast them later. They are super delicious.
  4. Use the marker to trace your templates onto the pumpkin.
  5. Use the carving tools to cut out your design.
  6. Once your pumpkin is carved spray it inside out with and essential-oil based cleaning spray. This will keep it fresh for longer.
  7. Get your candles (we prefer to use tea light candles) and illuminate your pumpkin.

Draw a circular opening

two hands, tracing a line, with a sharpie, onto a pumpkin, on a wooden table, jack o lantern faces, white wall

Cut it out

two hands, cutting a hole, into a pumpkin, jack o lantern faces, wooden table, white wall

Take out the pulp and seeds

two hands, taking out the insides of a pumpkin, jack o lantern faces, orange pumpkin, white wall

Trace your template or draw a face yourself

scary pumpkin faces, tracing a face, onto a pumpkin, with a sharpie, white wall

Cut out the shapes

step by step, diy tutorial, scary pumpkin faces, cutting out shapes, into a pumpkin, with a knife

Use spray for a longer lasting pumpkin

spraying the pumpkin, scary pumpkin faces, white towel, wooden table, white wall

And voila, your Jack O’Lantern is ready

different shaped pumpkins, arranged on a wooden table, with fall leaves around, scary pumpkin faces

Now, scroll through our gallery to find awesome designs and ideas

white pumpkin, skull carved into it, pumpkin carving ideas, wooden background, lit by candles

If you have a long staircase, arrange your Jack O’Lanterns on each step and illuminate the path to your home

orange pumpkins, different things, carved in to them, pumpkin carving, arranged on steps, brick wall

Get creative with the usage of carved pumpkins

orange pumpkins, flames carved into them, pumpkin carving, arranged in a fireplace, lit by candles, halloween pumpkin faces to carve

Don’t forget they need to be scary, so a good arrangement goes a long way

pumpkin carving, grave tombstone, large rocks, pumpkins with skeleton hands, carved into them

Use fall leaves and wooden crates for decoration

orange pumpkins, with different carvings, pumpkin carving, small pumpkins, arranged around a wooden crate

See no evil, hear no evil

hear see say no evil, three pumpkins, stacked together, with skeleton hands, pumpkin carving, white brick wall

jack skellington, carved into a pumpkin, lit by candle, easy pumpkin carving, black background

scary face, carved into a pumpkin, lit by a candle, easy pumpkin carving, wooden table, trees in the background

What a beautiful arrangement with candles, pumpkins and fall leaves

lots of pumpkins, lit by candles, arranged on white, wooden staircase, easy pumpkin carving

different shaped pumpkins, painted in different colors, easy pumpkin carving, black background, halloween pumpkin faces to carve

True piece of art, inspired by Nightmare Before Christmas

easy pumpkin carving, nightmare before christmas, jack skellington poster, easy pumpkin carving, lit by a candle

two pumpkins, stacked together, in the shape of a house, scary pumpkin faces, wooden table, potted plants

This is scary

cool pumpkin carvings, large pumpkin, painted in black, lit by a candle, black background

And this is funny

pumpkin with plastic eyes, with plastic teeth, cool pumpkin carvings, interesting shape, on a wooden table

And a non-traditional pumpkin idea

side by side photos, cool pumpkin carvings, painted in black and gold, one filled with candy

Oh no, the small one is eaten by the big one

small pumpkin, inside a bigger pumpkin, cool pumpkin carvings, wooden table, green wall, lit by a candle

Three stooges

three pumpkins, arranged on a wooden table, cool pumpkin carvings, blurred background, easy pumpkin carving patterns

easy pumpkin carving ideas, three pumpkins, scary faces carved into them, white background

three pumpkins, stacked together, plastic spiders on them, easy pumpkin carving ideas, garden patio, white chair

Such a fun and creative pumpkin carving idea

carved pumpkin, with plastic eyes, removable face, easy pumpkin carving ideas, tiled floor, skeleton hand

Recreating this takes a lot of skill

two faced pumpkin, one side without skin, scary face, carved into it, easy pumpkin carving ideas, white background

two pumpkins, arranged on a wooden table, with fall leaves, easy pumpkin carving ideas, blue background

Smaller pumpkins with eyes drawn on them, inside larger pumpkins – soo creative and fun

white pumpkins, eyes drawn on them, inside larger pumpkins, how to carve a pumpkin, wooden logs

witch carved into a pumpkin, mixing a potion in another pumpkin, lit by candles, how to carve a pumpkin, easy pumpkin carving patterns

Now, here are a few templates of scary faces you can use on your pumpkins

scary face, stencil template, black and white sketch, how to carve a pumpkin, diy tutorial

stencil template, how to carve a pumpkin, black and white sketch, scary face

black and white sketch, how to carve a pumpkin, large teeth, stencil template

jack o lantern ideas, scary face, black and white sketch, stencil template

diy tutorial, jack o lantern ideas, black and white sketch, stencil template

Pumpkin carving patterns

large teeth, scary eyes, jack o lantern ideas, black and white sketch, stencil template

black and white sketch, stencil template, jack o lantern ideas, scary face

scary face, jack o lantern ideas, stencil template, black and white sketch

funny pumpkin carving, scary face, stencil template, black and white sketch

Pumpkin carving ideas

pumpkin with large teeth, carved into it, another smaller pumpkin hanging, funny pumpkin carving, blue wall

large pumpkin, painted in black, venom movie inspired, funny pumpkin carving, granite countertop

Halloween pumpkin carvings

blue wall, grey floor, funny pumpkin carving, carved pumpkin, lit by a candle, easy pumpkin carving patterns

blue wall, funny pumpkin carving, floral motifs, carved into a pumpkin, lit by a candle

Pumpkin carving

the words boo, carved into a pumpkin, plastic bird on top, jack o lantern designs, plastic eyes, white background

boo mason jar, carved into a pumpkin, lit by candles, wooden background, jack o lantern designs

black background, jack o lantern designs, face carved into a pumpkin, lit by candles

lollipops stuck onto a pumpkin, on a black wooden stool, jack o lantern designs, candies scattered around

chick fil a inspired, three pumpkins, lit by candles, jack o lantern designs, dark background

Easy pumpkin carving

pumpkin faces ideas, jack skellington, nightmare before christmas inspired, white wall

three white pumpkins, with large plastic eyes, pumpkin faces ideas, arranged on a black table, with fall leaves, pumpkin inside pumpkin carving patterns

three pumpkins, arranged on a haystack, flowers around, brick wall, pumpkin faces ideas

Jack O’Lantern faces

three pumpkins, with funny eyes, pumpkin faces ideas, arranged on a wooden crate, green wall

two small pumpkins, with candles inside, spider legs, glued to them, pumpkin faces ideas, wooden floor

Pennywise is one of the scariest beings ever created, so why not use his face on a Halloween pumpkin

pennywise the dancing clown, it movie inspired, cute pumpkin carvings, lit by candles

Here’s another step-by-step tutorial

step by step, diy tutorial, how to carve a pumpkin, cute pumpkin carvings, photo collage

A fun way to recreate a mummy

white pumpkin, carved and sliced, in the shape of a mummy, cute pumpkin carvings, wooden table

jail cell, skeleton inside, laying on a small bed, inside a pumpkin, cute pumpkin carvings, plastic spiders

Scary pumpkin faces

scary face, carved into a pumpkin, cute pumpkin carvings, wooden wall

large carved pumpkin, attacked by small carved pumpkins, pumpkin carving faces, tiled floor, pumpkin inside pumpkin carving patterns

large pumpkin, eating a small pumpkin, pumpkin carving faces, cement floor, white wall

Cool pumpkin carvings

large pumpkin, with sewn in eyes and mouth, pumpkin carving faces, black table, candles inside

white pumpkin, pumpkin carving faces, plastic spider, inside the eye, pumpkin carving faces, orange blanket

lot os pumpkins, lit by candles, arranged on a staircase, pumpkin carving faces

Easy pumpkin carving ideas

scary pumpkin carvings, large orange and white pumpkins, small orange pumpkin, tiled floor, brick wall

Drunk pumpkins vomiting are all the rage

photo collage, drunk pumpkins, vomiting, with alcohol bottles, scary pumpkin carvings

three different pumpkins, scary pumpkin carvings, smoke coming out of one, photo collage, lit by candles

Pumpkin carving designs

skull of a jester, carved into a pumpkin, lit by a candle, scary pumpkin carvings

ghosts inside a house, carved into a pumpkin, scary pumpkin carvings, lit by candles, black background

Jack O’Lantern ideas

unique pumpkin carving ideas, photo collage, four different pumpkins, carved in a creative way

fall leaves, carved pumpkin, lit by candles, unique pumpkin carving ideas, green grass field

pumpkin vomiting green slime, spiders inside, unique pumpkin carving ideas, brains coming out

Funny pumpkin carving

black wooden skewers, nailed to a pumpkin, unique pumpkin carving ideas, large plastic spider, red table

pumpkin with the top cut out, two plastic eyes, felt black arms, glued to it, unique pumpkin carving ideas

Sally and Jack Skellington pumpkins from Nightmare Before Christmas

jack skellington and sally, nightmare before christmas inspired, funny pumpkin carving ideas, lit by candles

This is super scary, but looks like a real piece of art

man's face, carved into a pumpkin, falling eye, brains coming out, funny pumpkin carving ideas, wooden table

two pumpkins, with different carvings, funny pumpkin carving ideas, wooden background

photo collage, three different carving ideas, funny pumpkin carving ideas, side by side photos

Jack O’Lantern designs

skull carved into a pumpkin, top removed, brains coming out, funny pumpkin carving ideas, colorful cloth

lots of pumpkins, stacked together, pumpkin carving designs, wooden background, hay stacks, metal bucket

Funny pumpkin carving ideas

cheshire cat, alice in wonderland inspired, pumpkin carving designs, photo collage, lit by candles

three pumpkins, with different carvings, lit by candles, pumpkin carving designs, black background, pumpkin inside pumpkin carving patterns

three pumpkins, skull and heart, rib cage, carved into them, pumpkin carving designs, arranged on top of newspapers

Pumpkin faces ideas

four pumpkins, arranged on a mantle, pumpkin carving designs, plastic vampire teeth, red eyes, glued to them

tinkerbell carved into a pumpkin, pixie dust, peter pan inspired, pumpkin carving patterns, lit by candles

two pieces of a pumpkin, held together by figurines, skulls and bats, pumpkin carving patterns, on top of haystack

Cute pumpkin carvings

green wall, pumpkin carving patterns, two pumpkins, on a wooden table, pasta for teeth

Scary pumpkin carvings

two pumpkins, pumpkin carving patterns, spider webs around them, fall leaves, wooden table, stone wall

drunk pumpkin, vomiting on top of another, pumpkin carving patterns, white wooden fence, brick wall

halloween pumpkin carvings, two skeletons, inside the pumpkin, jail bars, made of toothpicks

Pumpkin carving faces

small pumpkin, eaten by a large pumpkin, halloween pumpkin carvings, another small pumpkin, green grass field

Unique pumpkin carving ideas

carved pumpkin, with a pink bow, rhinestones glued to it, halloween pumpkin carvings, skull shape

Wizard of Oz characters, carved into pumpkins

wizard of oz characters, carved into pumpkins, halloween pumpkin carvings, arranged on a patio

two pumpkins, lit by candles, smaller pumpkins, arranged on stairs, in front of a door, halloween pumpkin carvings

John Griffith
John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.

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