Challenging Halloween Pumpkin Stencils

The season for pumpkins is quickly coming up on us. After the kids pick their favorite pumpkin from the patch, it is time to carve it into the Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween displays everywhere. It is a fun task and even more fun when you have great stencils to guide you through the process of making a masterpiece, or the talk of the neighborhood. Some prefer simple triangles for the eyes, type of carving; others prefer the elaborate character sketches to scare the trick or treaters with. I have compiled a list of ten websites to download detailed stencils for your pumpkins of art. In order to enjoy some of these, you will need to have Adobe Reader. You can download it here: http://get.adobe.com/reader/

This is a website done by Hershey's chocolate. It has a full range of stencils, from easy to advanced level. All you need to do is click on the thumbnail and print the one of your choice. Do not forget the instructions! The link to the instructions pop-up is located in the small description, right above the orange stencil boxes.
http://www.hersheys.com/trickortreats/activities/stencils.asp

This from pumpkinlights.com and is a cute kitty sitting in a window. The big window pane seems easy enough, but getting the kitty's face just right, is a bit more difficult.
http://www.pumpkinlights.com/Images/pumpkintemplates/KittyInTheWindow_pat.jpg

Here is a challenging template for President Obama. His face is everywhere, from t-shirts to lunch boxes. Why not have him on a pumpkin, too?
http://www.spookmaster.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns-pdf-files/spookmaster-online-pumpkin-carving-pattern-barack-obama.pdf

This is a good one for our American Flag. This one will look great for any patriotic American to have in their spooky yard. Be warned, though! It looks easy, but the trick is in the stars. Those are tricky and need a steady hand.
http://www.yankeehalloween.com/flagpattern2.html

Ever heard of Perry Mason? Now you can have him defend your doorstep with this advanced template for Raymond Burr. And no, it is not "Irrelevant, incompetent, and immaterial." Poor Hamilton Burger... you will get a template someday, too.
http://www.pumpkinglow.com/images/PDFpatterns/rayburr.pdf

For this next stencil, I couldn't decide, so I gave the entire link. I mean, come on, how are you supposed to choose just one of the original Star Trek crew? It is a must for any trekkie to have the whole set sitting on their doorstep, defending your candy against any Klingons!
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2007/10/08/pumpkin-carving-templates-star-trek-the-original-series/

Yet another great challenge for any sci-fi (or SyFy) fan, the Death Star!!! I saw this one last year and vowed to try it out. I think I might just do that... or stick to the triangle eyes...
http://fantasypumpkins.com/carving-the-deathstar.htm

Here is Darth Vader, to go along with the Death Star. I love themed porches!
http://www.starwars.com/media/kids/vader1.pdf

For the Battlestar Galactica fans out there, you can make a Cylon Jack-O-Lantern. This looks pretty cool and not easy at all.
http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/CylonOLantern

Finally, here is a bunch from the World Wildlife Fund. There are many non scary, yet difficult, stencils for the whole family to enjoy. There are butterflies and even a tiger. Take a look. Not all difficult carvings need to be scary.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/acProject?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&extcat=partykitsdecorations&extsubcat=holiday&extproject=wwfpumpkincarvingstencils&jumpid=ex_r602_go/wildpumpkins

Happy Halloween!

Oh, check out Rachel de Carlos' article on how to preserve your new masterpiece! These tips are great. You should print it and try them all!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2068397/preserving_your_halloween_pumpkin.html?cat=74