Inside Out

Taking advantage of the warm weather and abundant sunshine, I tested the finish on the outside of the walls for water resistance. The blue color wash held up, the yellow came off a bit, and the brown came off about half the stones. So, after consultation with SpiderWitch, I went back over them with a blue and a gray wash. I also went over the panel lines to bring them out from the background.

Once that was done, it was time to glue/staple the SceneSetter backing on the inside of the walls. This was tedious, and it didn't help that a breeze blew in. But, all the walls have their insides prepped, so the project is one BIG step closer to being finished.

The next step will be to assemble the structure using L-brackets and fastening plates, to hold it steady while I make a roof out of the weed-barrier fabric. When that is complete, I'll finish detailing the outside walls- paint the trim boards, finish the bottom of the walls, add the moss and maybe some stains.

In September, I'll work on the bricks which will be laying about the grounds, as well as the crypt itself. Slow but steady...

Here are some pics of the repainted walls:

The inner side of the wall, showing the SceneSetter

The front arch, with its fresh coat of blue and gray

The upper side wall, with the toned-down brown panels

Foam to Stone...With a Little Help From My Friends

Lots of progress today!
First, got the black and white laid in with the sponge- turned the bare grays into a more granite-like look:

While I was working on this, the neighbor girl (9) came by to check things out. She was soon sponging away at the panels, which was a big help.

Once that was finished, we were supposed to weather the panels with some washes and color variations. However, it was easier (and more educational) to simply wash the entire surface of the stone with a thinned down color, which we were able to do in very short order:

Okay, maybe the colors aren't representative of "real" stone, and maybe they're too bright, or not tied together...but the really important thing is that today a love of Halloween- including the building of props and development of a theme- was passed along to a young girl...who will continue to be a part of our haunt until she grows and moves away and develops her own haunt- and one day, she can pass it along to the next generation. I'd rather teach one child about the fun of building and decorating than create the greatest prop ever...after all, we do it for the kids!

Not Quite Fifty Shades of Gray...Well, Two Actually

Got the primary colors laid in on the walls- two shades of gray, which gives them a subtle but distinct difference between them. The next step will be to use a sponge and add black and white paint to give it a stone look. The first pic has a higher contrast to bring out the difference in the colors, the second photo is more of a normal view.

Monster Mud and Monster Heat

Got a bit warm here today- high 80s and a bright toasty-thing in the sky. Still, a good day for cutting and texturing foam. First up was the foam knife and heat gun- I cut the foam boards into blocks, then used the heat gun to add details:

After that was done, I applied Monster Mud to all the panels- right now they're beige, but we'll be painted and dry brushing and stippling and washing them to create more of a stone effect.

Once the outer wall textures are finished, the next step will be to complete the interior- either paint or Scene Setters stone wall pattern. Once that's done, we'll assemble the structure and build a roof, complete the details for the exterior, and begin work on the doors, broken wall, and rear wall; this looks into the garage, so it's the last part to complete before we tackle the interior project.

Lots to do still, but the hardest parts are behind us now.

The Crypt Comes To Life

Got the walls to the crypt entrance built and did a quick test-fit. Next step will be to permanently fasten them, cover the insides (canvas and scene setters), then start texturing the outside. Final steps will involve building a roof and adding architectural details like moldings, trim, etc.

Math Foils Me Again

Went to the building supply store this morning, eager to buy the foam board and 1x2"s to build my crypt entrance. They didn't have 4x8' board, but they offered a discount on 2x4' boards, so I bought (what I thought was) enough for both projects...

I had the schematic with me, and it spelled out how many boards I needed for the two projects. Since I was getting 2x4 instead of 4x8, and since 2x2=4 and 4x2=8, I reasoned that I needed twice as many of the smaller boards as I had listed in the larger sizes. Having completed my purchases, I returned home and commenced laying out my wall.

Aaaaannnddd....it all went "pear-shaped." If you saw this coming- congrats! Turns out, through some bizarre property of math, that you need four 2x4' boards to equal one 4x8' board. In one fell swoop, I went from more than enough for both projects to a bit more than enough for one project.

Meanwhile, the adhesive wasn't bonding to the foam properly, which meant my boards didn't stick to the wooden frames. The wood glue didn't adhere to the wood, so the frames fell apart. And it was hot and sunny, so I got cooked and burned.

For a day's worth of work, all I have to show are two boards glued to two pieces of wood, various other pieces of wood cut to length, and sunburn.

This is why I started in June...

Happy Walpurgisnacht!

That's right, it's Walpurgisnacht- that Central/Northern European festival where witches are said to dance around bonfires in celebration of Spring. Six more months to Halloween- getting ready yet? Lots to do before game day...