THE FIXES™
Everything here is free. Use it first. If it helps, fix it forward.
The Fixes / How to Draw / Jack-o’-Lantern
Halloween · Grades 4–6 · 10 steps

How to Draw a Jack-o’-Lantern

Jack-o-Lantern Workshop from The Drawing Fix™. An easy step-by-step drawing for Grades 4–6. Draw it with your class in about 15 minutes, one step at a time. Free to use and print. No sign-up.

By Christopher Allen · Ontario elementary educator10 stepsAbout 15 minutesUpdated Nov 5, 2026
Run it on the projector →Printable step sheet (PDF)

This one asks for a little more patience: overlapping shapes, pattern and detail. It is a calm, focused few minutes, and the finished drawing looks like real art.

Before you start: a pencil, an eraser, a sheet of paper and something to colour with.

Draw lightly at first. Dark lines come at the end, once the shapes look right.

Step-by-step: how to draw a jack-o’-lantern

  1. Step 1. Worktable

    Draw a long workshop table.

  2. Step 2. Pumpkin outline

    Place a giant pumpkin in the middle.

  3. Step 3. Pumpkin curves

    Show the pumpkin sections.

  4. Step 4. Twisty stem

    Give the pumpkin a twisting stem.

  5. Step 5. Eyes

    Draw two expressive triangular eyes.

  6. Step 6. Nose

    Add a little triangular nose.

  7. Step 7. Grin

    Draw a wide, zigzag smile.

  8. Step 8. Tool shelf

    Draw a small tool shelf and jars.

  9. Step 9. Lanterns

    Add a hanging lantern and sparkle.

  10. Step 10. Workshop touches

    Add a leaf, two tiny bats and small stars.

The pink line is the new part in each step.

Make it theirs

  • Add a night sky: a moon, stars and a few bats.
  • Give it a spooky face, or a silly one.
  • Colour it with only three colours.
  • Colour last. There is no wrong colour for a jack-o’-lantern.

Teaching it with the projector

The projector version draws each step slowly on the board, pauses while students copy it, then checks in before the next step. Nobody has to talk, so you are free to walk around and help.

Quick Fix: 7 steps, about 10 minutes. Good for a brain break or the last few minutes before recess. Full Focus: all 10 steps, about 15 minutes, with the extra detail.

Open Jack-o-Lantern Workshop on the projector → It works on any classroom screen. No accounts, no student names, no ads.

Curriculum connections

Visual arts: the elements of design (line, shape, pattern and texture) and creating art for a purpose. Language: listening to and following multi-step directions. Directed drawing also builds fine motor control and focus.

More drawings like this

Finished pumpkin drawingHow to Draw a PumpkinK–1 · 10 stepsFinished pumpkin under the moon drawingHow to Draw a Pumpkin Under the MoonGrades 2–4 · 12 stepsFinished clock tower drawingHow to Draw a Clock TowerGrades 6–8 · 15 stepsFinished haunted house drawingHow to Draw a Haunted HouseGrades 6–8 · 10 stepsFinished lighthouse drawingHow to Draw a LighthouseGrades 4–6 · 14 stepsFinished cabin in the mountains drawingHow to Draw a Cabin in the MountainsGrades 4–6 · 14 steps

See all 70 step-by-step drawings →