[scaryflying]

Hi all!

After looking through the forum for a while I finally decided to join and ask for advice. I'm building my first prop. It's turning out to be huge and pretty cool. I would love advice on finishing it. I'm in the painting stage and trying to figure out how best to "age" it.

 

[scaryflying]

Covered with foam board

 

[scaryflying]

I used a dremel to create brick work. And have started painting using black in the grout lines.

 

[DaveintheGrave]

That looks terrific! Pretty nice for your first prop.

 

[JaCk]

Great job on your first prop! They look great! As for advice on painting, there is a ton of info on this forum, just need to use the search function. I'd look for "cemetery column". Here's a post with some great info: http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/144282-cemetery-gate.html

Try distressing the foam with a heat gun, and add some cracks by cutting into the foam if you want. Then maybe paint the bricks with a base coat of dark brick red (flat exterior latex), and drybrush with a lighter red to bring out the cracks and distressing in the brick. Then you can paint the mortar lines with a gray. As for the cement areas without brick, I'd recommend gray Drylok, followed by tea staining with black/gray and drybrushing with some white on top (basic tombstone technique). Good luck, and just have fun with it --- you're off to a great start!
--JaCk

 

[minksocks]

Brilliant job. I'm sure they will look great when finished.

 

[scaryflying]

I've made a lot of progress in the last couple days. Yet it still looks too new. Any thoughts?

 

[philmo11]

I've made a lot of progress in the last couple days. Yet it still looks too new. Any thoughts?

It looks awesome as is, but if you want to make it look old without having to repaint, get some dried moss an glue to it so it looks like its growing out of the cracks.

 

[slcjeeper]

Nice prop!

Get a good spray bottle (find one with a larger straw. Home Depot carries several) mix black paint with water and give it a good mist wash. Start on a test board and add water to the paint until you like the result.

 

[matthewthemanparker]

I spray mine with black latex and immediately spray it with a water hose with the nozzle on the mist setting. Keep hitting it with the mist until you like the results. If you take too much of the black off, just repeat the process.

Before and after look.


Before misting.

 

[ice456789]

On tombstones, using multiple colors really adds depth. Do a tea stain with black, then another with brown, then another with blackish brown, etc. Also experiment with different amounts of water. Some of the best staining I did on my tombstones came when I added like a cubic cm of paint to a cup of water. Terra shows you how to do it in many of her videos.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Scaryladyvideos/videos

 

[scaryflying]

I used watered down black paint and a spray bottle of water. I think maybe I watered the paint down too much. I like the idea of using different colors to add more depth. However for this year I think I just add a bit of moss or black creepy fabric and decorate around them. My job takes me out of town and I'm running out of time to get other projects done, including my costume.

 

[scaryflying]

Thank you for the link! She does amazing work!

 

[lizzyborden]

Wow! Pretty awesome for your first prop! I can't wait to see what you come up with in the future!

 

[Sharonr3106]

I would agree with other suggestions, I have sprayed mine and gravestones also but I used black and then green, so it gave a kind of aged algae look then added the moss. I have also on on previous years fixed lots of ivy growing up and gathered old twigs and branches that I have used to look like tree roots growing up, does make them look very old .