Home Depot Eternal Embrace Tombstone Prop Upgrade

My first prop of the season is done! I recently picked up a 40 in. Grave & Bones Eternal Embrace Tombstone from Home Depot. Another really great sculpt on a big box store-bought piece, and with a little bit of added detail would make a fantastic new statue for my Cemetery display. It would also make a great companion piece to last year's Grim Reaper statue project.

The finished piece, shot at my local cemetery...

I made quick work of detailing this piece, using a similar technique to last year's: start with a wash of black paint for the recessed areas and a light wash of white paint in the highlight areas for added detail and depth, followed by a quick dry brushing of green for recessed areas of moss. I then went in and added drippy black tears from the blackened eyes, streaking down the front of the piece. I wanted to concentrate the most detail into the facial area creating a subtle main focal point. The final step would then be a heavy coating of air compressor-and-webcaster hot glue stick spider webbing to give it a well-aged look...

The original piece, right out of the box. Really not bad, but lacks any detail or depth...

With a black paint wash added to darken the recessed shadow areas.

Now with a white paint wash added to pump up the contrast of the highlight areas...

And then a dry brushed green for a mossy effect in the recessed areas. The moss really gives it an aged, organic look.

The final step of adding black tears down the face from blackened eyes, and then a heavy coating of spider webs to give it a decayed, creepy, old look. And the added detail in the faces creates a great, natural focal point to the piece.

I'm REALLY happy with the way this turned out. I was able to detail this piece in short time and the old, decayed look was achieved with relative ease. The cherry on top being that I was able to get my compressor and webcaster gun working correctly and got much better looking webbing than on last year's statue.

Another great piece ready to go into this year's display and the motivation to jump into my next project on the list. Let's go.

  

Countdown To Halloween, 2025

Image courtesy of Countdown To Halloween.

I just signed up again to participate in the annual Countdown To Halloween, where for my FIFTEENTH year in a row, I'll be celebrating all October with daily blog posts all the way up to the High Holiday itself. Anything and everything Halloween! An orange-and-black blitz of all things creepy and cool!

If you have participated in the past, I hope to see you again this October. If you haven't yet, please go check out the Countdown To Halloween blog and Instagram page and sign up for the fun. And don't forget to grab one of their annual Cryptkeeper banners, this year designed by Cheers With Chelsea and Leigh SB Designs!

I've got tons more to roll out this month, but please be sure to stop by the Cemetery on October 1st to get the official party started!

Only 52 more days until the big night. Are you ready?

Ghoul and Spiter, Live in Cleveland 9-01-25

I made the decision to fly solo up to Cleveland this Labor Day to check out the Weapons of Mosh Destruction 666 Tour featuring 2 bands high on my list of needing to see live: Ghoul and Spiter.

I had been trying to see both bands live for a while now, but the timing had never worked out. Until now.

Five bands for 30 bucks at No Class, Cleveland's best hole-in-the-wall, cheap beer punk dive bar to see live music. It was a no-brainer.

After many years of trying, I finally got to witness the hooded madness of Ghoul, playing on a small stage in a small club, still complete with various gruesome stage characters sporting blood-spraying prosthetics. It was glorious. The band sounded tight and I was treated to a shower of fake blood not 15 seconds into their set. Twenty years on, they still bring it live!

The other band I really wanted to see was Spiter, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek black metal band, sporting the perfect throwback goth makeup, cape, leather-and-spikes metal aesthetic. Stripped down and raw, their set was a black feast for the ears.

And the absolutely insane Spiter video that started it all for me. (Not for the kiddies!)

I was wary at first of heading to the show solo, but I really wanted to see both bands, so I said what the heck. And it was the best decision. I don't go out to too many shows anymore, but I'm glad I went to this one. All five bands were really great and it was definitely the most fun I've had at a show in a long time.

All hail the metal and don't forget to support live music!