Otaku's Tombstone Entry

[Otaku]

Well, here it is! The height came in at 41". The cost is:

Old fence boards - free
Approx. 10' jute twine - 1.00
Four nails - .25
Lichens from hobby store - 1.00 (pro-rated)
Spanish moss - 1.00 (pro-rated)
Mache skull - 1.00
White glue - 1.00

I know the night pic is terrible - I need to get a new camera.

http://halloweengallery.com/albums/userpics/10252/normal_DSC05287es.JPG

http://halloweengallery.com/albums/userpics/10252/normal_DSC05288s.JPG

This pic was taken at a local cemetery. Some guy was watching me set it up. Probably was wondering who I buried.

http://halloweengallery.com/displayimage.php?pos=-3318

[Sickie Ickie]

I tried to help you out some by correcting some gamma on your photos. :-)

Hey, it inspired me to open a photobucket acct! lol

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h231/Sickie_Ickie/okatu/otaku.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h231/Sickie_Ickie/okatu/otaku2.jpg

If the above images don't work:http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h231/Sickie_Ickie/okatu/otaku2.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h231/Sickie_Ickie/okatu/otaku.jpg

[Hellrazor]

thats cool, I like the different medium you used. Good job!

[DeathTouch]

I like it. Simple and scary. The best in the world.

[Haunted Neurons]

Nice..I like the moss, looks like it belongs in an old graveyard way down south somewhere

[Otaku]

Thanks, everyone. Actually, the Spanish moss did come from a Civil War cemetery down in Florida. My friend Brad Green packed up a few pounds of it and sent it to me. Wonderful stuff, it gives a look of neglect to anything you use it with. To add to the creepiness, the postage for the moss shipment was $6.66!

[krough]

Very nice Otaku. Simple yet effective. That picture of it in the dark is very eerie. Reminds me of the photos ive seen of the Hallowed Haunting Grounds

[Fangs]

My son wanted me to tell you this: "Cool. It looks like it's gonna float!"

You did a Nice Job Otaku!! :)

[Bone Dancer]

Very nice Otaku. Simple yet effective. That picture of it in the dark is very eerie. Reminds me of the photos ive seen of the Hallowed Haunting Grounds

I totally agree, simple but effective. nice job

[darryl]

Just what I think Zombie was after. Not super elaborite but something you would find in a real cemetary. Super spooky, well done. Good use of simple materials.

[Zombie-F]

I've got an old, decaying fence in my back yard that has some pickets falling off of it. I think I may just break 'em off and make a few of these myself. Good job!

[Dr Morbius]

Great job, Otaku! I like how different it is. Something about a skull topped grave marker that gives me the creeps.

[TipoDeemin]

With a bunch of those things, you could make one hell of a creepy cemetery--and for really cheap, too, looking at your parts list. Gives me all kinds of terrible, terrible ideas. :devil:

[Bram Bones]

That's a great marker.
Seems voodoo-ish. Very scary design.
Excellent!

[Hella]

nice job Otaku, I like the simplicity of it, makes it easy to copy from..:devil:

and too funny about your musings on the guy watching you at the cemetary..lol

[ScareFX]

Well done Otaku. :)

[Zombie-F]

I like this entry so much, that I went out and bought some hemp today. I have a section of fence that needs to come down and be replaced, so I will be breaking off some of the pickets from the old fence and tying them up with some hemp. I think I'll make a few of these to help fill out the graveyard better this year.

Thanks for the inspiration Otaku. :D

[Otaku]

Glad you like it, Z-F! Actually, my inspiration for this came from the pics of Skull and Bone's 2004 haunt. Rob also used these markers in 2005.
http://www.skullandbone.com/page_10.htm

[Zombie-F]

I've started working on mine this morning. I'm making mine a little different than Otaku's in that instead of lopping off the pointed end of the picket, I'm sawing it into a sharper point that I will use to stake it into the ground with. I'll post some pics later on. Thanks for finally getting me off my ass and making these. This is a style of stone I've wanted to do for a while now. :)

[DeathTouch]

I was thinking of making one out of foam. Uncle benny made a door out of foam and he made it look like it was wood. He sent me pictures and all how he did it. I might have to try foam instead of wood.

[Hellrazor]

I like it too. Im boarding up my windows this fall for my haunted walk and I think I will try and pull something like this off with my leftovers as well. Thanks for the inspiration. I needed more stones for my graveyard and Know I dont have enough time but I may be able to rig some of these up in a day or 2. Thanks!

[ruafraid]

You can pick up shipping pallets for free almost anywhere! the business I have asked are all to excited to have the hauled off and the boards on many of them are weathered looking and are a great source of wood for this project and boarded up windows coffins etc. I have a few plaster skulls I made so I am going to give this one a shot as well. Cheap and easy thats the haunted way LOL

[Dr Morbius]

You got a how-to on those plaster skulls, R?

[Hellrazor]

Ya I want to see too, my paper mache bucky didnt turn out all that well....

[heresjohnny]

Otaku, you definitely win the prize for most inspirational, I think we will see a whole lot of wooden cross grave markers in the near future!

[Bram Bones]

totally agree.
Otaku's amazing grave marker has inspired so many people.

[Zombie-F]

It's a marker I've wanted to make for a while, Otaku's creation just finally kicked me in the keister to get going with it. He also developed a "look" for it that I thought was perfect. I was unsure of what I wanted out of it before I saw this entry.

Thanks Otaku! :D

[faerydreams]

WOW. You all did such a wonderful job. Makes me kind of sad I joined when I did. But thats alright, I cant wait for the next one.

[ruafraid]

You got a how-to on those plaster skulls, R?
Well Doc sort of but not with pictures only the finished results. What I did is buy a plastic candle mold and use it to cast plaster skull's and since the mold is a two piece you can either make the complete skull or just the face either way. You can get the molds on e-bay item number currently: 8285421873 I bought a big bag of plaster at the Home Depot and just add some water into a container then sprinkle the plaster into the water until it fills up and then wait 5 min and mix it up and pour into the mold. The plaster does not need a mold release but you can wax the mold to make it easier to remove. Car wax works fine do 2 coats buff the mold in between coats. Pics of some plaster creations: The one on the top is the candle mold face only. The others are plaster casts from home made molds of a bucky skull made from silicone. If you have more questions let me know.
Props 2006 pictures by ruafraid - Photobucket

[Dr Morbius]

Candle molds! Simply brilliant...I'm gonna have to try that! Thanks RU!