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Monday, June 26, 2017

Painting a Basket of Pansies on a Rock

Painted rock of a basket of pansies by Cindy Thomas




YOU can paint a pretty basket of pansies similar to this with the guidance of Ernestina Gallina's free tutorial.
 





This is my interpretation of Ernestina's tutorial and the steps are explained below.

Steps for a painted rock basket of pansies by Cindy Thomas


Step 1: Choose your rock.

A good shape for this project is round or oval. The rock I chose is oval and measures 3 inches x 5 inches.




Step 2: Paint the lower half of the rock with dark brown.

I chose a hue called "burnt umber" for the lower half of my stone. (I used both crafter's acrylic and acrylic paint for this project.)



Step 3: Paint evenly-spaced horizontal strips in a lighter brown.

I used a hue called "burnt sienna." Tip: Before I painted the strips, I sketched them with a white pencil so I'd have guidelines to follow.





Step 4: Paint evenly-spaced vertical strips in the light brown hue.

After sketching the vertical lines with my white pencil, I used the same "burnt sienna" hue to paint evenly-spaced, vertical strips. Tip: My vertical strips should have been painted closer together.



Step 5: Highlight A

I suggest you study Ernestina's tutorial before starting this step because it's a little tricky. I used a "terra cotta" hue and carefully placed alternating swatches of this color where my horizontal and vertical lines met. Tip: I practiced on paper before attempting to paint my rock.



Step 6: Highlight B

I used a "yellow ochre" hue and highlighted the horizontal and vertical terra cotta portions painted in Step 5.



Step 7: Highlight C

I mixed the yellow ochre hue with a little white acrylic paint and highlighted once again, trying to achieve an interlaced basket effect.



Step 8: Sketch the pansies.

I used my white pencil to sketch pansies on the upper portion of my rock. I placed them at different angles, made them different sizes, and placed some overlapping the basket.



Step 9: Paint pansy petals with white base coat.

When I base coated the pansies with white acrylic paint, I left the edges unpainted to set off the petals.



Step 10: Paint the empty space.

I first used a "leaf green" hue to paint my empty space but had to go back and repaint it later with "hunter green" which was a darker shade. Tip: Use a dark green hue for this step.



Step 11: Paint the flowers.

Instead of painting the pansies yellow as Ernestina explained in her tutorial, I referred to a photo with a different color combo. In general, pansies are painted lighter at the edges and darker in the center. Tip: I suggest you study Ernestina's tutorial to help you understand how to properly shade the pansy petals.





Step 12: Paint the leaves.

I used a "leaf green" hue to paint the leaves and mixed a little white with the green to outline and add veins to each leaf. (Note: I chose to omit the basket's handle on my basket of pansies.)

Painted Rock of Pansies in a Basket by Cindy Thomas

Pansies in a basket painted on a stone by Cindy Thomas


Step 13: Seal the stone with your preferred clear coat protection.

To seal my pansies in a basket painted rock, I brushed on a coat of Mod Podge, followed by a coat of Americana DuraClear Satin Varnish.





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© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

4 Rock Painting Projects - No Drawing Skill Required

You don't have to be an artist to create colorful rocks.

Easy Painted Rock Projects

No drawing or painting skills are needed for these 4 techniques:
  • Mod Podge a design
  • Fingerprint stones
  • Graphic stones
  • Pattern tracing 

How to Mod Podge a Design onto Rocks

For this technique, all you'll need is a smooth rock, your design (I used a napkin) and some Mod Podge.

Click here for my tips on how to Mod Podge a design onto a rock.




How to Paint Fingerprint Stones

For this technique, you'll need some stones, acrylic paint, a marker and your finger (or thumb). The idea is to use your fingerprint to create a body and then add simple features with a marker.

Click here for my instructions and tips to create fingerprint stones.




How To Paint Graphic Stones

The secret to this "no drawing skill" painted stone is to portion off parts of the rock with masking tape. The only supplies needed are stones, paint, a brush and masking tape.

Click here for step-by-step instructions for easy, graphic stones.




How To Trace a Pattern onto a Stone

Graphite transfer paper is the special item you'll need for this technique. Although drawing skills aren't required, this technique is more involved than the other three mentioned in this post.

Click here for step-by-step instructions for transferring a pattern onto a rock.




No drawing skills? No problem! You can create colorful rock and stone art using these 4 techniques.

4 Easy Painted Rock Projects by Cindy Thomas

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks