The mausoleum needed to big enough to look impressive but small enough to overcome the always problematic storage situation. The idea then is to make it in sections of XPS foam that can come apart and stack easily for storage.
Step 1. Cut sheets of XPS foam (pink sheets) to form four walls. The edges of each side are cut into staggered keys so the whole thing can fit together with friction (didn't ultimately workout and some additional fasteners were needed). A projector was used to display an arch that was then traced on to the foam for the doorway.
Step 2. Add detail. A couple tricks at work here, the first is to stipple the foam by using a spray bottle of water followed by a pass with a heat gun. For the roof panels, a soldering iron was used to create a wood graining pattern. A router and hot knife were used to create mortar joints and general shaping. Some smaller chunks of phone were used to create trim and give the panels some more body. The rest is just improvisation with the random bits found in your garage, which in this case was a pool noodle, a bucket lid and some skulls cut in half.
Step 3. The mausoleum needs something interesting in it. How about a fountain? Stack a bunch of leftover foam pieces together and then carve away.
Step 4. Paint. Hours and hours of detailed faux painting with a quality brush and steady hand is an absolute necessity. I hope you went to art school, if you didn't, then don't bother with this step. Just kidding. When it comes to Halloween painting, precision goes out the window. The technique here is simple, prime everything then come black with a watered down black paint to get in all the cracks, then wipe off the excess black on the top with a wet rag. Finish off with some skull sconces to match the columns, a gate and some lighting. Job done.
Tagged: 2016 | mausoleum | projects
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