Here's a solution if you live in an area where rocks are difficult to find or you don't have access to the type of stones found near a beach.
Check out your local home improvement store and/or it's website, especially during the summer months when landscaping and gardening projects are in full swing.
You'll want to search for any of these terms: pebbles, river rocks, landscaping rocks.
I purchased two bags of smooth, white beach pebbles (small and large) through the Home Depot website. To save on shipping, the stones were sent to my local store where I picked them up.
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| Small Caribbean Beach Pebbles |
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| Large Caribbean Beach Pebbles |
Of the small- and large-sized beach pebbles, I found the shapes of the small rocks to be better suited for most rock painting projects.
Here's how I painted some of the beach pebbles purchased at Home Depot.
The design is painted directly onto the cleaned and dried white, beach pebble. (I did not prime the stones before painting these butterflies and owls.) The stones were sealed after painting to protect and preserve the design.
Tips
- You may also find rocks, stones and pebbles at landscaping supply stores and/or Walmart
- Stay away from polished stones for painted rocks. They are too slick for the paint to adhere and/or remain on the stone
- Wash your stones with a little dish detergent and allow to dry completely before painting. (The white beach pebbles shown here were chalky until I washed them.)
- For brighter colors, you can prime the stones with white acrylic paint
- Be careful where you pick up rocks and stones. Public lands, state parks, federal lands prohibit the removal of natural material
- Enlist the help of friends and relatives
Useful Links
© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks
Is there any further reading you would recommend on this?
ReplyDeleteAmela
Northampton landscaping supplies
I did write another blog post about enlisting the help of friends to find rocks, Amela. Here's the link: http://paintingrocks.blogspot.com/2013/01/unpainted-rocks-stones-pebbles-how-to.html
DeleteOr do you mean further reading about rock painting in general?
How many rocks come in a bag?
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie. I never counted how many rocks were in my bags, but according to questions asked & answered on the Home Depot web page, there are 65-80 rocks in the bag of Small Caribbean Beach Pebbles and 35-40 in the bag of Large Caribbean Beach Pebbles.
DeleteI tried to order these online at home depot and have them sent to the store for pick up, and I was told they weren't available for store pick up. I would have to have them sent to my home. The shipping was as much as the stones.
DeleteI'm sorry you weren't able to pick up the stones at your local Home Depot. When I wrote this blog post in 2014, rock painting was not as popular as it is now which may affect the availability. Try searching for "Caribbean beach pebbles" at Amazon.com. If you spend $25, the shipping would be free. (FYI I cannot guarantee the quality of stones purchased at either Home Depot or Amazon.)
DeleteWhat kind of paint did you use? Just regular old acrylic?
ReplyDeleteI use acrylic paint and acrylic craft paint in the 2 oz. bottles.
DeleteI just went to a landscaping business and picked up about 30 smooth rocks about 4-5 in.and 3 hands full of small rocks for smaller painting .This cost 7.50 $, they have all sizes and shapes ,pick what you like
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to get rocks at landscaping businesses. You can pick and choose just what you want. Ordering online can be "iffy." Sometimes you get great rocks and other times, not so much.
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/SantoriniRockSales/?ref=share
ReplyDeleteAlways nice rocks. Nice selection
Thanks, Terri. Good rocks for painting have become more difficult to find since the publication date of this post.
Delete