Headstone designs you can letter yourself

Uprights

• 

  Single upright

  The single upright is the stone most people picture: one tablet of granite standing on its own base, for one person or for a couple who share it. Tops are cut flat, serpentine, oval or arched. The face is polished, and the edges are left rock-pitched or polished to match. On grey granite the cut letters read darker than the stone; on red or black granite they read pale. Families choose an upright when the cemetery allows height and they want the names easy to read from the path. This grey one is about 24 inches wide and 30 tall and carries one or two names in a single centred column.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

• 

  Serpentine upright in red granite

  A serpentine top rises gently in the middle and flows down in S-shaped curves to a short shoulder at each side. It is the same single upright as above with a softer outline, and it suits a family who wants the stone to feel less square. Red and other dark granites take the lettering pale, so names, dates and artwork stand out against the polished face. The one in the studio is a red single upright about 30 inches wide, and every letter height it shows is worked out from that size.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

• 

  Black granite upright

  After grey, black is the colour families choose most. Polished black takes the lettering pale: each letter is cut through the polish and frosted, so names, dates and artwork read light grey on a face that is close to a mirror. Families pick it for that contrast and for a formal, modern look, and it holds fine artwork well. On a bright day it reflects the sky and the trees, which some families love and others find harder to read at an angle. Black single uprights usually run 24 to 36 inches wide; the one in the studio is about 24 wide and 28 tall, with a serpentine top.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

• 

  Companion upright

  A companion upright is a wider tablet made for two people, most often a husband and wife. The family name runs across the top, and each person's first name and dates sit in their own column beneath it, so the stone reads as one family. Many couples set a companion stone while both are living, and the second date is cut later by the monument company. It carries two sets of names and dates, so it is wider than a single upright; the grey companion in the studio is about 36 inches across and lays out both columns for you.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

Hearts

• 

  Heart upright

  A heart upright is a stone cut in the shape of a heart and set on a base, often in a shaped block that holds its point. Families choose it for a mother, a wife or a child, when the shape says what words cannot. Because the whole face is the heart, the lettering follows it: the family name runs across the widest part under the two lobes, the names and dates sit below, and a short line of words goes near the point, where the face narrows. Hearts are commonly 20 to 30 inches across. The studio's grey heart is about 24 inches wide and keeps every letter inside it.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

• 

  Double heart

  A double heart is two hearts cut from one stone, side by side and joined in the middle, made for a couple. Each heart carries one person, their first name and dates in their own heart, while the family name and a shared line of words run across both. Many couples choose it while both are living and have the second date cut later, so the stone is already theirs. Double hearts usually run 30 to 42 inches across and stand on a base. The one in the studio is grey, about 36 inches wide, polished as one face with no line between the hearts, and it lays out one column in each heart for you.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

Markers

• 

  Flat marker

  A flat marker, also called a grass or flush marker, is a granite slab set level with the ground so a mower can pass over it. Many lawn cemeteries and memorial parks allow only flat markers in some sections, and that rule is often the reason a family chooses one. The whole top carries the inscription, so it reads like a small plaque: the name, the dates, and perhaps a symbol and a line of words. Single markers usually run 20 to 28 inches wide and 10 to 14 deep. The grey one in the studio is about 24 by 12 inches, seen as you would stand at its foot.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

• 

  Bevel marker

  A bevel marker is a low block of granite whose top slopes gently toward the front, a little higher at the back, so it sits just above the grass and tips the lettering toward the reader. Where a cemetery allows some height but not an upright, it is a step up from a flat marker, and it is often chosen for the same sections that take slants. The sloped top carries the name, the dates, a short line and perhaps a symbol. Bevels are commonly 20 to 28 inches wide, 10 to 14 deep and 6 to 8 tall at the back; the studio's grey bevel is about 24 by 12 inches.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

• 

  Slant marker

  A slant marker is a low, wedge-shaped stone whose polished face is cut at an angle, so the lettering tilts up toward whoever is reading it. It sits on a base and stands well below an upright. Families choose a slant when a cemetery section limits height but still allows a stone above the grass, or when they want something simple and close to the ground. The angled face has room for one or two names, the dates and a short line of words. Slants are usually 16 to 36 inches wide and 12 to 16 tall; the studio's grey slant is about 24 wide, lettered on its angled face.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

• 

  Bronze marker

  A bronze marker is cast metal lettering and artwork mounted on a granite base, usually set flat in the lawn. Memorial parks often ask for bronze so that the markers in a section match. The letters are raised rather than cut into the surface, and the metal darkens with the weather unless it is cleaned and sealed from time to time. The layout follows the foundry's own designs, so a family chooses the artwork and the wording, and the monument company or the cemetery places the order.

  Coming to the studio. The picture shows the shape only.

Pets

• 

  Pet marker

  A pet marker is a small stone for a dog, a cat or any animal that was part of the family. The flat kind lies level in the grass of a garden, a yard or a pet cemetery, where it is easy to keep tidy. It holds what matters most: the name, large enough to read from the path, the years, and one short line, like Good boy or Forever loved. A paw print is the symbol most families pick, and a bone or a cat is there too. Flat pet markers usually run from 12 by 6 inches to about 18 by 12. The black one in the studio is about 18 by 12, with pale frosted letters.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

• 

  Pet upright

  A small upright gives a pet a stone that stands up out of the grass, so it is easy to find in a flower bed or at the edge of the yard where they liked to lie. It is knee height or less, often with a rounded or heart-shaped top, and it sits on its own little base so it stays level through the seasons. The face has room for the name, the years and a short line, and a paw print, a bone or a cat can sit in the curve of the top. Pet uprights usually stand 10 to 16 inches tall. The grey one in the studio is about 12 inches wide and 14 tall.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.

Benches

• 

  Memorial bench

  A memorial bench is a granite seat placed at a grave, in a family plot or in a garden, with the family name cut into it. It is a memorial and a place to sit, which is why families sometimes choose one for a parent who loved being outdoors, or set it beside an existing headstone. Cemeteries often allow benches only in certain places, so the cemetery's rules come first. Benches usually run 36 to 48 inches long; lettering goes on the backrest, the front of the seat or the legs. The studio's grey bench has a tall backrest about 48 inches wide and 20 high, lettered on its polished face, so the family name can be cut about 3 inches tall.

  Letter this stone in the studio, free.