Gravestones for my graveyard

[Rising Dead Man]

I want my Halloween graveyard to look as real as I can make it. So I took 2 pictures outdoors last night. So what do you think? Do they look real? Are there real gravestones that look like these? I will take some better pictures in the daylight later today. The mood was almost perfect. Near the woods it would have looked spooky if I did not do it at 8:00, it is too dark to see much of the spooky woods around my house. I was going to take the pictures a little more early when it was dark but not too dark but I was away from home and got back too late but wanted to take the pictures anyways.

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[Rising Dead Man]

I guess I made the first one too big lol

[Andybev01]

They look good, RDM.

You probably spooked your neighbors!

[Rising Dead Man]

Man, I wish some more people would come on here. I guess not too many people are into Halloween right now.

[Rising Dead Man]

Here is one more! I did this one last night. It does look spooky now because it is not as dark so you can see the spooky woods Weird, it was taken about the same time the other photos were taken the night before but it is not as dark in this photo. If anyone saw me taking pictures of Halloween gravestones in the middle of May they must think I have gone batty!

[Rising Dead Man]

So, do they look like real gravestones? Do not say yes just to be nice. I want to know what you really think. I want my graveyard this year to look as real as I can make it. I know only R.I.P. does not look that real but the smaller stone could be a body they found and they did not know who it was so they just put RIP on the gravestone. Or the bigger stone could have been someone who could not afford anything but R.I.P. on his/her stone. The one in the middle says "Mac Bully Lies Here". Is Mac Bully the name of a real person or just something they made up?

[Andybev01]

The two one the left look good, nice details.

The one on the right is very plain. I would take a dark grey paint or a piece of charcoal, and touch up the insides of the cracks a bit, to make them look older.

If you go to a craft store they sell small bags of real, dried moss and it isn't expensive, perhaps a dollar or two. A little goes a long way. You could glue thin strips of it inside the cracks as well, and some on top of the stones, again just enough to make it look old & not fuzzy

If you are lucky enough to live somewhere that moss grows well, say in farm country or a nearby park with trees, or your own yard, then it's free!!

'Mac Bully' could be a real name, but I doubt it.

[Rising Dead Man]

I forgot I even asked this! I just saw your answer today! I think the one on the far left looks more scary then real but I will put it in the yard anyways. I will use your idea to use moss. I just decided that I will use stuff like watercolors and moss to make them look older. I don't know if Mac Bully means anything or not.
I will mix green and brown water colors and put them on the gravestone to make them look like they have been outside or a hundred or more years. And add moss.

[Rising Dead Man]

You never see Halloween gravestones that look like this. Most of them look scary, some just look stupid and some look good but have no words on them! I want some of my gravestones to look just like this one.

[Andybev01]

LIke I said in another thread, you are lucky to live where there is much better 'history'.

[Rising Dead Man]

I had a thought a while ago. Do you think making it look like a real graveyard would look too morbid?

[Andybev01]

I don't think so.

I think a real graveyard is more sophisticated than a Disney-like version; and much spookier.

[Rising Dead Man]

But my gravestones do not look like any gravestones I have ever seen so they may ruin the illusion of a real cemetery.

[Athenagwis]

I was going to say the same thing. The one all the way to the right is probably the closest to a real gravestone, but I have never seen anything like the other two in a real graveyard, most certainly never anything with a skull on it. I don’t think anyone would bury their loved ones with a skull on their stone, an angel …. yes, skull … no. Like you said these grave stones give the illusion of a grave yard and certainly are creepy, but I wouldn’t look at them and ever think it was a real graveyard. I think you are better off sticking with the plain rounded stones if you are going for realism, maybe try to make them look like slate, I see that around these parts. You can easily make your own with the foam board from Home Depot and you’ll probably get better results then the store bought ones.

HTH!
Rachel

[jadewik]

You'd be amazed and the symbolism behind some of the symbols carved into headstones. There is a list that shows some of the symbols and their possible meanings here:
http://www.graveaddiction.com/symbol.html