Introduction
Hello, fellow Halloween enthusiasts! As the spookiest night of the year approaches, it’s time to transform your table into a creepy graveyard for all those ghouls and ghasts. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create realistic-looking graves that will send shivers down your player’s spines. This craft is quick, easy, and cheap – making it a perfect option for beginners in foam craft and TTRPG terrain.
Step 1: Gather Your Materials
To get started, you’ll need the following materials:
- Foam board (Ready Board – Dollar Store – be sure to get the white stuff with the paper that peels away easily.)
- Ballpoint pen
- Aluminum foil
- Spray Mod Podge
- Play sand
- Crafting rocks
- Mod Podge
- Acrylic paint (Brown, tan, black, and white)
- Paintbrushes
Step 2: Crafting the Graves
- Cut the foam board into rectangles slightly shorter than two inches long and one inch wide. Bevel the edges to give them the appearance of heaped dirt.
- Cut a variety of headstone shapes to your liking and texture with foil.
- Use a ballpoint pen to press designs into the foam headstones to resemble grave markings.
Step 3: Texturing the Dirt
- Place the foam board graves in a bowl or other catch basin.
- Spray them with spray Mod Podge to create a tacky surface.
- Sprinkle play sand over the graves, ensuring it sticks to the Mod Podge. Add some crafting rocks as desired for a more varied appearance. Try not to get much dirt on the headstones.
- Allow the graves to dry, and then gently pry them off the catch basin. If you’re worried about them sticking, carefully transfer to an alternate surface to dry.
Step 4: Strengthening Your Graves
- Apply a coat of black paint mixed with Mod Podge to the graves. This not only adds structure but also prevents the dirt from falling off and makes for a nice, dark base coat.
Step 5: Base Painting
- Begin by applying a dark gray base coat to the graves headstones.
- Paint the dirt areas with a dark brown color. (If you’re short on paint choices, mixing red/green/black, or even just red/black paint makes brown. Go easy on the black – a little goes a long way.)
Step 6: Dry Brushing
- Dry brushing is a technique that adds depth and highlights to your graves. Use a lighter gray color to dry brush the headstones, emphasizing the raised surfaces and edges.
- For the dirt, use a tan color to add some depth. If desired, drybrush headstones with tan to make them appear weathered and dirty.
- Lightly dry brush both the graves and the dirt with white to make them pop. Use a light touch – it doesn’t take much.
Step 7: Admire Your Creepy Creations
And there you have it! Your Halloween graveyard is ready to send chills down spines and make a perfect backdrop for your spooky celebrations.
Conclusion
Creating a Halloween graveyard is a fantastic way to add some eeriness to your Halloween game night. These DIY graves are not only simple to make but also highly customizable, allowing you to create a unique and spine-tingling display. Stay tuned for our upcoming tutorial on building a mausoleum to complete your haunted scene! Until next time, happy crafting!
PS: If you like necromancy and undead, you might enjoy my novel! It features plenty of zombies and a particularly nasty necromancer… available here!
