20
Sep
A Graveyard of Custom Tombstone Halloween Props!
Practically a whole graveyard’s worth of custom foam tombstone Halloween props for a one of a kind holiday display
It will come as no surprise to learn that we LOVE Halloween. This year, we were contacted by a client who was looking to take their annual yard display to the next level with enough life-sized tombstones to fill a small graveyard! When it comes to home haunts and cemetery theme props, we are always happy to help a kindred spirit (pun definitely intended), so we hand-crafted each prop in this full set of custom tombstone Halloween props to make their lawn display truly one of a kind!
Our client wisely thought ahead and approached us in early Summer, giving us a few months to work on his props. The client had some ideas and inspiration images, which were a great starting point that put our team on the same page. We were provided a budget and those inspiration images, but then were (very happily!) asked to dream up the final designs and details. It gave Richard Riley, our lead foam artist, something to really sink his teeth into.
It also gave him an excuse to visit a local 150+ year-old graveyard to snap photos for additional inspiration. Working with those images and our clients loose notes and few requests, Richard finalized style and shapes for each of the foam prop grave markers we’d be creating.
Starting with the basic geometric forms in dense EPS foam, Rich then added decorative layers. Sometimes that was additional foam, sometimes those were other real-world elements. A list of classic horror actors, directors and other horror-fan-insider type names were added to each. Once the sculptures were finalized we added a hard coating which will help the pieces to be durable enough to remain outdoors for the annual Halloween season. This hard resin coating also adds some addition stone like texture to the headstone props.
Each foam prop is then given several grey shades and washes in various colors to create a realistic stone look. The pieces looked nearly indistinguishable from real stone grave markers. Near the end, our client asked if we could add an additional spooky effect… a ghostly glow! Richard did another pass, adding a UV reactive glow paint. The effect is really effective, because during the day or under normal lighting the UV paint is nearly invisible, but once you put the pieces under blacklight, the spooky and other worldly effect really shines! We had a blast making these life-sized foam headstones. Looking for props to take your home haunt to the next level? Drop us a line!
Do you need one of a kind custom foam props for your next event or party? Email or call today and let’s discuss your project!
This classic Universal Horror is one of our all time favorites!
