How to Make a Gravestone (Art Attack Book: “Stone Warning” with Instructions)

“How to Make a Gravestone for Halloween”

or

“Amazing Art Attack Stuff with 

Neil Buchanan” Book 

or “Art Attack Secret Stuff with Neil Buchanan” Book by DK (Dorling Kindersley):

“Stone Warning” with Instructions

This step-by-step procedure is taken from the book “Amazing Art Attack Stuff with Neil Buchanan (or “Art Attack Secret Stuff with Neil Buchanan”)” by DK (Dorling Kindersley) from the page “Stone Warning” …

… and the British children’s TV show “Art Attack” in Series 11, Episode 7 in 1998.

Materials

Cereal box, white paper, and newspaper

Sticky tape

Paint

Toilet paper

Glue mixture

Scissors

Pencil

Paintbrush

Marker pen

From card to carving

1. Take an empty cereal box and snip some ‘v’ shape slits along the edges with a pair of scissors. Don’t snip too many slots down each edge.

(Squeeze the two sides together to cut the ‘v’ shape.)

2. Stand the box up and crush it down to buckle the sides. Stuff the box with crunched-up balls of newspaper. Tape the top down securely.

3. Decide at this stage what you want to carve into your stone slab. It’s a good idea to practice first on a piece of paper. Choose your style of writing carefully, you could try pointy-shaped letters, and write ‘Beware Do Not Enter’.

NOTE: Well it’s Halloween, so I’ll write “Happy Halloween” (I’m using a pencil for this if I make a mistake and an eraser to erase the pencil lines).

TIP: You can write whatever you want on your stone slab instead of “Beware Do Not Enter” or “Happy Halloween”; like “Rest In Peace (RIP)” or a person’s name. 

4. Cover the box with PVA glue mixture and lay strips of toilet paper on the front. Lay six or seven layers down on the front only and make sure they remain wet and pulpy while you are covering it.

How to Make Glue Mixture: put 2 parts PVA glue and 1 part water then mix.

TIP: To make it really wet and pulpy keep adding glue mixture all over it.

5. While the pulp is still wet, carve the message into it, using a pencil. When you have finished, cover the rest of the box with PVA glue mixture and one layer of toilet paper. Leave it to dry.

TIP: You can also do some little adjustments by smoothing the tissue mixture with your fingertips if you think your stone doesn’t seem right to you.

TIP: It’s doesn’t matter if it’s exactly right on the reference paper, what I did is put a hyphen (-) in the Hallo and Ween.

TIP: Instead of putting one layer of glue mixture and toilet paper in the back of the box while the front is wet, just let it dry overnight or a few days (because it took me few days to dry the toilet paper and glue mixture).

6. When it is dry and rock hard you can make out the indentations of the carvings. Paint the surface using black and white acrylic or poster paints. Use darker paint in the carved grooves to highlight them.

TIP: Paint the stone in gradients of grey and keep experimenting them using your black and white paints while you leave the groves using darker paint.

*NOTE: I used water to mix with the acrylic paints to make it more effective.

*Highlighting the indentations with black pen really makes the message stand out.

Finished Project

The gravestone Halloween prop is now for sale, available in Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines only. CONTACT ME by email address at therealandrebelpedes@gmail.com or cellphone no. 09293459373.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

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