Hearth & Petals

  • Home Decor
  • Outdoor
  • Paint & DIY
  • Styles
  • Seasonal
  • Planning
menu icon
hearth & petals
  • Home Decor
    Browse Home Decor sections
    browse home decorsee all home decor

    by room

    Living RoomsBedroomsKitchensBathroomsEntryways & HallwaysHome Offices & Studies

    decor ideas

    Whole-Home DecoratingDecorative Accents & Seasonal DecorStorage & ShelvingFurniture & Layout

    walls, color and features

    Color & Paint PairingsAccent WallsWallpaper & Wall TreatmentsWall Decor & MirrorsFireplaces & MantelsInterior Lighting

    real-life needs

    Small SpacesBudget-FriendlyRenter-FriendlyKids & Pets at Home
  • Outdoor
    Browse Outdoor sections
    browse outdoorsee all outdoor

    outdoor living

    Backyards & Outdoor LivingPatios & CourtyardsPorches & Front DoorsBalconiesPools & Hot Tubs

    garden, curb appeal and privacy

    Gardens & LandscapingHome Exteriors & Curb AppealFences & Privacy
  • Paint & DIY
    Browse Paint & DIY sections
    browse paint & diysee all paint & diy

    projects, answers and prep

    Painting Projects & How-TosPaint Questions & TroubleshootingPaint, Primer & FinishesPaint ComparisonsPrep, Safety & CleanupCrafts & Creative Projects
  • Styles
    Browse Styles sections
    browse stylessee all styles

    featured styles

    ModernCoastalCountry & FarmhouseBohoCottageRustic

    more styles

    Vintage & RetroMediterraneanMinimalistIndustrialAmericana
  • Seasonal
    Browse Seasonal sections
    browse seasonalsee all seasonal

    plan by season

    FallWinterSpringSummer

    holidays coming up

    HalloweenThanksgivingChristmasNew Year's DayValentine's DayEaster

    celebrate and gather

    Parties & GatheringsTable Styling & CenterpiecesGifts & KeepsakesParty Food & Drinks
  • Planning
    Browse Planning sections
    browse planningsee all planning tools

    turn inspiration into a plan

    Make a Saved Idea WorkBuild a 12-Week Project PlanFind Your Decorating Style

    choose and measure

    Compare Paint ColorsPaint CalculatorWallpaper Calculator
17.8k+ on PinterestSubscribe
search icon
hearth & petals
  • Home Decor
    Browse Home Decor sections
    browse home decorsee all home decor

    by room

    Living RoomsBedroomsKitchensBathroomsEntryways & HallwaysHome Offices & Studies

    decor ideas

    Whole-Home DecoratingDecorative Accents & Seasonal DecorStorage & ShelvingFurniture & Layout

    walls, color and features

    Color & Paint PairingsAccent WallsWallpaper & Wall TreatmentsWall Decor & MirrorsFireplaces & MantelsInterior Lighting

    real-life needs

    Small SpacesBudget-FriendlyRenter-FriendlyKids & Pets at Home
  • Outdoor
    Browse Outdoor sections
    browse outdoorsee all outdoor

    outdoor living

    Backyards & Outdoor LivingPatios & CourtyardsPorches & Front DoorsBalconiesPools & Hot Tubs

    garden, curb appeal and privacy

    Gardens & LandscapingHome Exteriors & Curb AppealFences & Privacy
  • Paint & DIY
    Browse Paint & DIY sections
    browse paint & diysee all paint & diy

    projects, answers and prep

    Painting Projects & How-TosPaint Questions & TroubleshootingPaint, Primer & FinishesPaint ComparisonsPrep, Safety & CleanupCrafts & Creative Projects
  • Styles
    Browse Styles sections
    browse stylessee all styles

    featured styles

    ModernCoastalCountry & FarmhouseBohoCottageRustic

    more styles

    Vintage & RetroMediterraneanMinimalistIndustrialAmericana
  • Seasonal
    Browse Seasonal sections
    browse seasonalsee all seasonal

    plan by season

    FallWinterSpringSummer

    holidays coming up

    HalloweenThanksgivingChristmasNew Year's DayValentine's DayEaster

    celebrate and gather

    Parties & GatheringsTable Styling & CenterpiecesGifts & KeepsakesParty Food & Drinks
  • Planning
    Browse Planning sections
    browse planningsee all planning tools

    turn inspiration into a plan

    Make a Saved Idea WorkBuild a 12-Week Project PlanFind Your Decorating Style

    choose and measure

    Compare Paint ColorsPaint CalculatorWallpaper Calculator

×
Home » Holidays » Halloween

Published: Sep 9, 2026 This post may contain affiliate links

by Bob Thomas Founder & editor · interior decorator and house painter, 10+ years Published 9 September 2026
About Bob Editorial standards


    Halloween · printable patterns

    4 Free Pumpkin-Carving Printables With a Little Character

    A bat stretched across a moon, a tumble of autumn leaves, a spider beneath its web: these four free pumpkin-carving printables give you a design to start from. Each link opens the matching National Park Service JPEG.

    Orange pumpkin with a bat silhouette across a glowing circle and a small bat opening, on a stone plinth.
    AI-assisted H&P illustration. Bat pattern by the National Park Service.
    by Bob Thomashow we check thingsupdated September 9, 2026
    choose your pattern ↓

    Image note. AI-assisted illustration based on the NPS pattern, not a photograph of a pumpkin carved by Hearth & Petals.

    Pick the carving you want below, then save its image file for printing. These are four selected patterns from the NPS collection, with the same short print-and-transfer method for all of them.

    Children should have an adult help with carving. The download is a JPEG image, so choose its print size for your pumpkin rather than assuming a preset page size.


    four different characters

    Which pumpkin feels like yours?

    Each choice has its own matching printable. Open the JPEG below the design you want.

    01Bats across a moonA bold Halloween silhouette.02Autumn leavesA fall design without a spooky face.03The full moonA small howling scene.04A spiderwebA geometric web and spider.

    Before you print

    In the NPS instructions, the dark regions mark the areas to cut out of the paper template. Print the image at a size that matches your pumpkin’s surface, cut out those dark regions, trace the openings onto the pumpkin, then carve.

    The H&P pumpkin scenes are AI-assisted illustrations based on the linked NPS patterns, not photographs of pumpkins carved by Hearth & Petals.

    1. Bats across a moon

    Orange pumpkin with a bat silhouette across a glowing circle and a small bat opening, on a stone plinth.
    AI-assisted H&P illustration of the bat-and-moon carving. Printable pattern by the National Park Service. The Batty One — NPS

    The large bat stretches across the circle, with a second, smaller bat above and to the right. That overlap is the appeal: you get the shape of a bat against an opening, giving this carving more contrast than a single outline.

    save this guide + join the Friday edit

    send me the guide and Friday email.

    Enter your email to receive a clean link to this guide and subscribe to The Week Ahead every Friday, plus occasional Hearth & Petals recommendations and offers.

    You are joining the email list. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy.

    National Park Service · JPEG

    Open the bat-and-moon printable (JPEG)

    I’d choose this one for a distinctly Halloween pumpkin. The spread wings give it a strong central shape, while the smaller bat makes the scene feel as though it continues beyond the moon.

    The NPS calls this pattern “The Batty One.” Keep the complete downloaded design when printing; some of the source artwork reaches the image edges.

    2. Three autumn leaves

    Orange pumpkin with three glowing leaf-shaped openings on a weathered garden table.
    AI-assisted H&P illustration of the three-leaf carving. Printable pattern by the National Park Service. The Autumn — NPS

    A lobed leaf sits above two pointed leaves of different sizes. Those separate shapes bring the feeling of fallen foliage to the pumpkin, with enough variation that the design doesn’t read as one repeated leaf.

    National Park Service · JPEG

    Open the three-leaf printable (JPEG)

    This is the choice for a fall carving without a spooky character.

    The NPS file, “The Autumn,” contains all three leaves together; their different outlines are what give this little arrangement its interest.

    3. A howl beneath the full moon

    Orange pumpkin with a howling animal and tree silhouetted against a glowing circle, on a garden bench.
    AI-assisted H&P illustration of a howling silhouette and tree against a moon. Printable pattern by the National Park Service. The Full Moon — NPS

    Here the circle holds a small night scene: a howling animal beside a pointed tree. The raised muzzle gives your eye somewhere to go, and the tree gives the animal a setting.

    National Park Service · JPEG

    Open the full-moon scene printable (JPEG)

    Choose “The Full Moon” if you want your pumpkin to tell a little story. Unlike the outstretched bats, this design draws attention to the space between two upright shapes.

    Look at the complete JPEG before you print. The tree belongs to the carving just as much as the howling figure; together, they make the scene recognizable.

    4. A spider and its web

    Orange pumpkin with solid web-shaped ribs between glowing openings and a spider-shaped opening below.
    AI-assisted H&P illustration of the web-and-spider carving. Printable pattern by the National Park Service. The Web Designer — NPS

    The web spreads outward through repeated openings, with a small spider below and to the right. It’s the most geometric choice here: the pattern comes from the spaces and connecting strips, rather than a broad animal silhouette.

    National Park Service · JPEG

    Open the spiderweb printable (JPEG)

    Use the complete “The Web Designer” file, which includes both the web and spider.

    Follow the template’s existing gaps and connecting shapes when tracing; filling them in or widening them changes the design you chose.

    Save the printable-pattern guide to Pinterest

    Keep your pattern for carving day

    Once you’ve picked a design, save that JPEG with a name you’ll recognize, such as “bat pumpkin pattern.” Keep the file for carving day so you can return to the same pattern without hunting through a gallery.

    Printable patterns by the National Park Service. Original U.S. Government works are excluded from Hearth & Petals’ copyright claim. Source credit does not imply NPS affiliation or endorsement.

    Hearth & Petals has not physically printed or carved these patterns. The printing and transfer guidance above is a short summary of the linked NPS instructions.

    For a credit correction or removal request, please use our content credit and removal page.

    The email form is loading. You can also subscribe from the site footer.


    keep choosing the pumpkin by its real making route

    the Pumpkin carving idea collection.

    Which pumpkin carving decision would you like to solve next? Open the exact guide that matches the next carving material, technique or finish.

    • Orange carved and painted jack-o-lantern with a paintbrush in the H and P illustrated collection stylekeep the carving and paint sequence togetherPumpkin Carving Ideas With PaintExact tutorials combining carved openings with painted detail on real pumpkins, craft foam, EVA foam and carved wood.open the guide →
    • Original H and P illustrated bow-and-heart carved pumpkin with butterfly collection iconchoose the exact bow, butterfly or heart before carvingCute Girly Pumpkin Carving IdeasExact stencils for a bow ghost, bow, butterfly, ladybug, skeleton heart hands, Dog Mom design and floral heart.open the guide →
    • Orange pumpkin carved with a crescent and stars beside a cream pattern and small pumpkin saw in the H and P illustrated collection stylechoose the pattern before opening the pumpkinPumpkin Carving Ideas With PatternsA researched future guide for exact carving-pattern routes; it remains unpublished until its source, image and article gates pass.coming next


    Bob Thomas, founder and editor of Hearth & Petals

    written by

    Bob Thomas

    These four printable patterns are selected from the National Park Service collection. Hearth & Petals has not physically printed or carved them.

    as seen in Homes & Gardens · Bob Vila · Yahoo

    more about Bob →follow on Pinterest

      More Halloween

      • Closed cream notebook, pumpkin, glasses, plates and rust napkins gathered on a home table.
        Halloween Party Checklist for Hosting at Home
      • A framed child-and-pumpkin postcard print sits on a cabinet behind a Modern copy label.
        How to Preserve Vintage Halloween Postcards
      • A pale cheesecake topped with five white meringue ghosts on a dark ceramic stand beside sage linen and stacked dessert plates.
        Halloween Party Desserts: 5 Ideas With Original Recipes
      • Green popcorn, an apple-mouth plate and a jack-o'-lantern quesadilla on a walnut coffee table beside a cream sofa.
        Halloween Movie Night Party Food Ideas: 7 Recipes

      leave a reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      the holiday edit · every Friday

      save the celebration. start before the rush.

      Five holiday rooms, tables and front doors, with the next useful thing to choose, gather or make.

      make nowa welcoming fall gathering
      save nextHalloween finishing touches
      start earlyChristmas before the rush
      preview this Friday’s edit →
      your Friday holiday edit

      plan the next celebration early.

      Get five well-timed holiday ideas and the one useful thing I would start next. Every Friday.

      By subscribing, you agree to receive The Week Ahead every Friday, plus occasional Hearth & Petals recommendations and offers. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy.
      the week ahead

      save the celebration. skip the last-minute rush.

      Five holiday rooms, tables and front doors, plus what is worth starting next, every Friday.

      By subscribing, you agree to receive The Week Ahead every Friday, plus occasional Hearth & Petals recommendations and offers. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy.
      hearth & petalsideas worth saving. practical plans for making them yours.

      Footer

      ↑ back to top
      AboutSitemapPlanningStandardsContactCredit & removalPartnerTermsPrivacyDisclaimerPinterest ↗Subscribe

      As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, I may earn from qualifying purchases.

      Copyright © 2026 Hearth & Petals