Thread: Couple of new cemetery monuments

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Decided to add some dimension to my graveyard this year so I made a couple of larger stones. The first one is a cheap crate from Michaels, skinned in foam. I added a wooden cross applique (also from Michaels) and topped it with a cherub garden statue. I still need to age it a bit but it turned out okay.

The second one is going to be the centerpiece monument. I got to use a few props I had hanging around and combine them to make a nice showy piece. The main box is wood frame skinned in foam. This will sit on a large piece of two inch foam and be topped by another piece of two inch. The gargoyles are from Target and sit on smaller squares of foam. The sign is a cheap foam piece from A.C., Moore and the reaper bust is one of a pair I bought a few years ago from Spirit.






I'm thinking of painting it with Fleckstone Granite to really make it pop. Will try different lighting schemes to see what looks best at night. Hope to have more pics soon.

WOW! Excellent use of those. Way to make store-bought look totally custom!

Originally Posted by Push Eject

WOW! Excellent use of those. Way to make store-bought look totally custom!

Thanks PE. Yeah, I've used each of these things individually over the years but thought they'd look cool as one big prop. I'm happy with the way it looks. I'll add some vines or Spanish moss to creep it up a bit. I'm keeping it so it will break down in pieces for storage. Just have to set it up when I'm ready and add the gargoyles and reaper.

Very impressive. The size of the tombstones are great and I think will look very imposing in a graveyard...spooky. Terrific idea of using the crate as a base. You have great ideas!

I came up with some aging techniques that I think look better than Fleckstone and is waterproof. Here's a link if interested: Halloween Forum - Terra's Album: Ancient Tombstone Tutorial

Originally Posted by Terra

Very impressive. The size of the tombstones are great and I think will look very imposing in a graveyard...spooky. Terrific idea of using the crate as a base. You have great ideas!

I came up with some aging techniques that I think look better than Fleckstone and is waterproof. Here's a link if interested: Halloween Forum - Terra's Album: Ancient Tombstone Tutorial

Thanks Terra. I'm honored that you weighed in on this, given your outstanding stones. I like your aging technique. Sadly I'm a graduate of the school for the artistically challenged. I'm not afraid to try it but what would you suggest given I painted the foam with a dark gray latex paint already? I'd planned to use this as a base coat for the fleckstone but am open to other suggestions. Thanks!

The color you have now is the perfect base for the aging technique. Now, all you have to do is dry-brush with the whiter gray, add some dry-brush strokes of the raw umber and if want, a couple of sponging hits with the very white. That should be all you need. I used some Fleckstone on my fence posts and liked it but I would go ahead and try the aging technique first. If you don't like it, either cover it up with the fleckstone or repaint and then hit it with the Fleckstone.

Again, I really liked your ideas. May have to steal them for some pillars for next year.

Originally Posted by Terra

The color you have now is the perfect base for the aging technique. Now, all you have to do is dry-brush with the whiter gray, add some dry-brush strokes of the raw umber and if want, a couple of sponging hits with the very white. That should be all you need. I used some Fleckstone on my fence posts and liked it but I would go ahead and try the aging technique first. If you don't like it, either cover it up with the fleckstone or repaint and then hit it with the Fleckstone.

Again, I really liked your ideas. May have to steal them for some pillars for next year.

Awesome! Thanks for the tips. If my stones turn out half as nice as yours, I'll be happy.

Great job Jdubbya! Excellent way to combine all your finds. Can't wait to see them finished!

You are welcome. But I forgot one thing. Do the 'Tea-staining' first before the dry-brushing (forgot to mention it). It's really easy and fun in a "I'm making a big mess sort-of way"