How To Make Tombstones
- Polystyrene insulation foam
- Hot knife foam cutter
- Plastic embellishments
- Woodburning tool
- Plaster of Paris wrap
- Lightweight spackle
- Water-based spray paint (MTN available at SprayPlanet.com)
Step 1: Plan the Design
First I looked through photos for inspiration and roughly sketched out the designs I wanted, keeping the lettering and embellishments in mind. Since this was a first-time project so I keep the design simple.
Step 4: Lettering, Embellishment & Texture
I didn't trust the spacing to my amateur hand-lettering skills, so I drew out my text on wax paper (a few times) then taped the paper to the foam. I used a wood-burning tool to trace the letters onto the foam right through the wax paper, removing any stuck on bits.
With the wood burning tool, I also added cracks to my tombstones and refined every straight-cut edge to make it look weather-beaten and more realistic.
For my embellishment, I placed a plastic hockey mask mounted on a ball of paper and used plaster to coat the entire thing, making sure to keep the mask details. Once dry, I hot glued it to the foam and stuck several wooden skewers through the back of the tombstone to keep the mask in place. I used lightweight spackle to the cover the front face of the foam in uneven, rough patches for more textural detail.
Step 5: Paint, Paint and More Paint
Painting took quite a few passes. The first pass was all light gray paint which I let dry completely. Then came the shading. I would first mist the tombstone with water using a spray pump, then sprayed dark umber in patches. I quickly added some dark green patches and misted the paint again. It blended and ran down the tombstone. I let it dry completely then repeated the process with some darker grey and lighter gray. I sprayed black paint in the letters and misted again to dilute the intensity. Afterwards I traced the letters with some diluted black paint. Once it was completely dry, I sprayed it with a matte sealer.
Notes:
Foam cutters and woodburning tools get very hot and can be very dangerous– third degree burn dangerous. Proceed with caution and read instructions on your tools! And work in well-ventilated space.
Regular spray paint from the hardware store melts foam. Use a water-based, solvent-free paint, like craft paints. I'm a big fan of MTN's Water-Based spray paint. They are fully foam same, have deep, rich colors, and drys to a permanent water-resistant finish.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comment.