UNICORN PUMPKINS
Unicorn pumpkin carving ideas and free stencils
A unicorn pumpkin is mostly a horse head in profile with a spiral horn and a flowing mane. Cut the head out so it glows, or leave the head dark and cut a moon or stars around it. The horn is the part everyone looks at, so make it big, wide at the base, and attached.
Free stencils to print
Each one prints at actual size on Letter or A4 and passed our carving checks, so every piece stays attached. Black areas are cut away and glow.
Ideas
Unicorn head profile
Draw a horse head facing sideways with a pointed horn and a mane that falls down the neck in three or four wide curls. Cut the whole head out so it glows. Separate the mane curls with strips of pumpkin so they read as hair.
Sleeping unicorn face
Draw a front view with two closed eyes as curved lines, long lashes, and a horn rising from the forehead. Cut each closed eye as a narrow crescent about a pencil wide and the horn as one tall shape. It reads as gentle and calm when lit.
Unicorn against the moon
Cut a large full moon and leave a unicorn head uncut in front of it. The head shows as a dark silhouette, and the horn tip can touch the moon's edge to act as a bridge.
Horn on the stem side
Carve a simple happy face, then turn the stem into the horn by wrapping it in gold ribbon or paint, and cut two small triangle ears on either side of it. Little carving, and the pumpkin becomes a unicorn.
Stars and rainbow
Cut a small unicorn on one side and an arc of drilled dots or etched bands over it as a rainbow. Scatter cut stars around the edge. The etched bands glow in layers instead of as one bright arch.
Etched spiral horn
Cut the head outline, but etch the horn with diagonal lines so the spiral shows. An etched horn glows dimmer than the head, so it stands out as its own part.
Running unicorn
Draw a full unicorn mid-gallop with its mane and tail streaming back. Cut the body out to glow. Keep the legs thick and slightly tucked, since four long, thin legs are hard to cut.
Carving tips
- If the horn stays as pumpkin, as in a moon scene, keep it at least a finger wide at the base so it doesn't snap. If you cut it out to glow, make it big enough to read from the street.
- Draw the mane as a few big curls rather than many strands. Each strand you keep as pumpkin needs to be wide enough to survive.
- An eye left as pumpkin inside a cut head floats free. Join it to the face with a small bridge, or drill it as a round hole instead.
- Etching suits unicorns well: the spiral on the horn, a star on the cheek, or the lines of the mane can all be scraped rather than cut.
- For kids, cut a simple face and let them decorate with paint, glitter or a paper horn on top.
More help: Pumpkin carving with kids.
Carve something that's yours
CarveKin also makes a pattern from your own photo: your dog, your cat, your kid. We draw a few designs, repair them so every piece stays attached, and you print the one you like at the size you choose. One pattern is $4.99.
Make a pattern from your photo
More pumpkin carving ideas
Stencils were drawn from AI-made sample images and illustrations. Glowing views are digital previews, not photos of carved pumpkins.