Making a Gravestone from Polystyrene
Health and Safety - Goggles, gloves and dust masks should be worn when sanding down the polystyrene. The dust can be very irritable against skin and when in eyes. If does get in eyes, simply wash out with water or at the nearest eye cleaning kit. Overalls or long sleeves should also be worn when sanding down. Scalpel blades and craft knives are very sharp so gloves should be worn to stop any injuries. Also when using the bandsaw, it is important to be well trained and wearing protective gear such as eye protection and even noise protecting headphones.
- Polystyrene
- Permanent marker
- Bandsaw
- Scalpel
- Craft knife
- Sandpaper
- PVA glue
- Bendy metal ruler
- Artex
We were given an image of a greek style gravestone which we had to recreate in a piece of polystyrene. As it was a greek design, I had to find a Greek translation for the writing which I achieved using google translate. With a piece of polystyrene 600mm x 500mm, I started by sketching the rough shape of the gravestone using a marker pen so that it was clearly visible. To ensure my gravestone was symmetrical, I drew a parallel line down the centre and then a vertical line about a third of the way down from the top. Then with a bendy metal ruler I created a curve along the top to create the rounded gravestone look. This was then cut out on the bandsaw. I could have done this using a craft knife, but to save time, I simply used the bandsaw.
On an A4 piece of paper, I printed my writing out in my desired text and glued it with PVA onto the front of the polystyrene. Before gluing it down I drew on the centre line in pencil and matched it to the line on the gravestone. I made sure to chose a text that wasn't too difficult and intricate as I had to carve each letter into the polystyrene with a scalpel. This was left to dry for a little bit and then I was ready to cut out the letters. By cutting at a 40° angle into the centre of the letters, it made it look as if the writing had been chiseled in to stone. It was important to cut all my letters at an even depth. To achieve this, I marked on my scalpel with a piece of masking tape so I could see if I was cutting in deep enough.
After cutting away all the letters, the paper was then peeled off and binned. To create a realistically aged gravestone, I took a craft knife and cut away the sharp corners and took out some chips on the front which give a decayed look. Sandpaper was then used to add more texture and varied levels. Then using artex, I covered the gravestone all over, excluding the letters are they were too small and would just get lost in the artex. I used a few different methods to create a bumpy stone effect such as using a piece of paper to blot away some sections, sprinkling a bit of sand to add texture and then creating some very smooth surfaces to show how the stone looked originally. To make the artex, I mixed artex powder with water following the measurements on the bag and then added in some PVA glue. This was added to reduce risk of the artex cracking.
