Thread: My tombstones are finished!

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I've finally finished my first tombstones! I made seven of them including an obelisk, a reaper and a Beloved. I'm very pleased with the results and I want to thank you all so much for all the ideas I've gotten here:

Terra,
Nice stones!!
I like the Beloved!
BTW, I like the moss!! Hmmmm..... me thinks I've seen that stuff before!

Those are awesome!!! Great job.

WOW!!!Hamm those are GREAT!! I cant wait to see your house all decorated!!

Those are probably without exaggeration some of the best home made tombstones I have ever seen in my life. nice job

Originally Posted by Spartan005

Those are probably without exaggeration some of the best home made tombstones I have ever seen in my life. nice job

I was just about to say that!!!

WOW!!!! Amazing!

Wow...B E A Utiful! Very well done. Any tips on how you painted them? Also, do you have issues with anchoring them so the wind doesn't take off with them?

Wow! Thanks everyone. I'm so pleased you like them.

I was asked to put up a few close-up pictures of some of them, so here you go:

Here is Nosferatu. I found this idea at Brewster's Yard Haunt and went with it. I loved the cut out in the center. I made a decorative wire with 16 gauge wire and sandwiched that between two 1 1/2 inch foamboards:



Here is the Obelisk. I got the Celtic design idea from Cassie:



I saw this design sold somewhere so I shamelessly copied it with improvements:



Here's the reaper. I got a cheap hanging reaper and monster mudded it to the tombstone:

Originally Posted by HawksHillHaunter

Wow...B E A Utiful! Very well done. Any tips on how you painted them? Also, do you have issues with anchoring them so the wind doesn't take off with them?

Thank you!

I discovered the coolest trick with painting them. After I painted the dark highlights (cracks, deep sections, epitaphs) I took a large 4 inch brush and dry brushed a light gray over the whole tombstone. It instantly gave it a stone appearance. Then I got an orangey paint (burnt sienna) and dry brushed those orange streaks. Then I sponged very light gray/white paint in big blotches to add the white lichen look.

In regards to keeping them from flying away. Each tombstone is actually two layers of 1 1/2 inch foamboards. Before sandwiching them together I cut a channel and glued in PVC pipe. I did this in two spots. Rebar will be staked into the ground and the tombstone placed over it.

For security, I drilled two holes in the plywood base and I will tie rope through it and attach it to stakes in the ground. I hope (hope, hope, HOPE) it will deter theft.

WOW AMAZING WORK , LOVE ALL OF THEM , GREAT JOB .....i am jealous now ....their some of the nicest ones so far i have seen ......the beloved is beautifull , i bought all the things last month to make one and i am affraid to make the jump and ruined it.

ok share your secret for the candles , i want to make some but i didnt want them to be battery operated leds because everything else i have as those flickering electric bulbs like yours .

again great job