The Abandoned Cemetery

Scenery of the Day

Starting my period drift, I am being drawn already into 18thC imagi-nation territory.

I don't want to be strictly historical with this next project though, as from what I can read, there is ample evidence that most of the Duchies, Principalities and various states of the imagi-nary 18th Century were often plagued by the occasional outbreaks of Vampyres, Werewolves, Witches, unspeakable cults .... and other weird goings on's.

So my 18C world will have a distinct Gothic Horror thread running through there somewhere.

An abandoned cemetery with crumbling stone walls ... aglow beneath the mists in the light of a full moon.

Then again, every Napoleonic battlefield could use some more objective markers. Here the abandoned cemetery provides some cover between the marshlands and the road.

Very simple to put together - I use a 4" x 4" canvas card base from Mont Marte Art Supplies.  You can get these from any decent art supplies shop, and they come out to about 30 cents each (or less if you buy the bulk pack).

Highly recommended little things for doing any scenic material - the card base is about 3mm thick, very strong .. similar to MDF.  They are pre-covered in artists canvas and already primed, so they hold paint extremely well and have a built-in texture.

They also hold PVA glue well, so you can knock things up in cheap clay, and PVA these to the base before the clay dries. Ends up being very robust.

Anyway, for the cemetery, all that was needed here was about half an hour of fun with the clay to make a wall with crumbled edges .. add a few broken bricks, and make up some grave stones.

PVA + kitty litter gloop additions, and a tree.  Build up the grave area with PVA + beachsand mixture.

After its dry (leave it for a day), stain with burnt umber, add a few big black stains for fires past .. drybrush, dirt and flock.

Finally, lay a thick line of PVA over each grave and sprinkle a light line of railway ballast.

Done.


Total cost - well under the magic $2 limit.