Making Tombstones

Making Tombstones

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Making Tombstones

Note from Cheri: Making realistic looking tombstone props for Halloween decorations isn't difficult or expensive, if you have a few simple tools and the right knowledge. With the exception of the Mortuary sign above, the tombstones on this page were made using ordinary styrofoam. You can get this material at craft stores, but we found the prices were much cheaper at Home Depot (where they also had a great deal on blacklights). A woodburning tool, available in craft and toy stores, makes ultra-quick work of etching designs into the styrofoam (we couldn't, however, get ours to work on wood). The Mortuary sign above, was made from foam rubber (the type used for upholstery). This was significantly more expensive and a bit trickier to work with with, but the final effect was fabulous. These tombstones were designed and made by the talented team of Tim Holmes and Richard and Tracy Burnes. IMPORTANT!!!!! Be sure to use acrylic spray paint only on these tombstones. Ordinary spray paint will disintegrate the styrofoam. Trust us, we learned the hard way.

For the Tombstones You Will Need: sheets of styrofoam serrated Knife or keyhole saw wood burning tool black acrylic spray paint silver acrylic spray paint dark green acrylic spray paint hot glue gun (optional) For the Mortuary Sign You Will Need: large sheet up upholstery foam scissors serrated knife or electric knife black acrylic spray paint silver acrylic spray paint

For the Styrofoam Tombstones

Use a pencil to mark off the shape of your tombstone on a piece of styrofoam. Ours are between 2- 3 feet tall and between 18 - 32 inches wide. You can make plain shapes, like the top row middle photo, or add details like the tombstones on the left side (the shape details on the upper right and lower middle tombstones were added later to plain rectangular bases). If you're conservative, you can get several tombstones out of a single sheet. Smaller pieces and scraps can be used to add additional details, like the flower vase in the lower right stone or the carving on the upper right grave marker. We also made smaller tombstones out of scraps for a "pet cemetary," like the "Polly Choked on a Cracker" stone below.

Use a serrated knife or a keyhole saw to cut out the shape of your tombstone from a sheet of styrofoam (not shown). It's a good idea to do this step outside, because it does make a huge mess.

Once you've got a basic shape, it's time to add an epitaph and details. Use a pen or pencil to sketch the design, as in photo one below. Don't worry of you make mistakes, the paint will cover them, this guide is just for you. Use the heated wood burning tool to etch the design into the styrofoam. Since the tool instantly melts the foam, this step goes very quickly, almost like writing. The wood burning tool is also useful for making cutout designs (like in the "I Made an Ash of Myself" and "Great View" tombstones above).

Now is the time to add three-dimensional details to your stones, if you want them, using scraps of foam and a hot glue gun. Take a look at the two right hand tombstones above for inspiration.

Take the etched tombstone outside or place on newspaper to protect surrounding surfaces (or both). Take the black acrylic spray paint and heavily go over the areas of the etchings (photo 3 below). Once of the etched area have been covered, give the entire surface of the tombstone a light coat of black paint.

Now take the can of silver paint, and holding it at a sideways angle, give the surface of the stone a light, patchy coat (photo 4 below). This is what gives the stones their granite-like appearance. Finally, spray on light patches of dark green paint to add the effect of age and moss, as in the finished stones above.

To stand the stones on your lawn, cut two lengths of wire coat hanger wire, about 8 - 12 inches. Carefully push the two pieces of heavy wire into the styrofoam base of the stones, halfway. Push the other half of the wires into soft grass.

For the Mortuary Sign

This sign was made from upholstery foam. After using a serrated or electric knife to cut out the basic outer shape, the remaining portions were cut with ordinary scissors. A light coating of the paint techniques outlined above, minus the green moss (although you could use it) gave us the look we going for.