Classic Design Ideas for Painted Rocks

Don't only rely on rock painting books for design ideas. Classic designs from books published years ago can easily be painted on rocks also.

For instance, the book "Pat Olson's Holiday Classics 1" (published in 1994) contains 37 designs (mostly bunnies) but also includes several patterns for Valentine's, St. Patrick's, and Patriotic-themed paint projects.

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In addition to the 37 patterns, "Pat Olson's Holiday Classics 1" also includes general info about acrylic painting, painting terms, fabric painting, "watercoloring" with acrylics and an acrylic paint color comparison chart.

Each design pattern lists the brand of paint and colors to use, step-by-step, written instructions and indicates the page where the painted, finished design appears in the book.

Look at what I painted on a rock using two of the design patterns from Pat Olson's book!

I used these designs from the book - "Chunkie Bunny with a Heart" and "Sending My Love" - to paint this rock. One side featured the cute bunny and I took advantage of the reverse, heart-shaped side to paint a plaid heart.

"Chunkie Bunny with a Heart" and "Sending My Love"

For a St. Patrick's Day rock, I used the "Irish Children Chunkies" design and painted the girl on one side of the rock and painted the boy on the rock's reverse side.

"Irish Children Chunkies"

So, don't ignore out-of-print design and pattern books. They can be a valuable source of inspiration for your rock painting projects.

Helpful Links

• Additional Pat Olson Books
• Rock Painting Tips for Beginners
• Helpful Rock Painting Tools and Supplies

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© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Before & After Painted Rocks: Rabbits

You can paint rabbits on rocks or transform a rock into a rabbit.

I used the shape of this smooth, flat stone to paint a rabbit holding a heart on one side and a large, plaid heart on the reverse side.

The shape, dimension and size of this rock was ideal for a painted flop-eared bunny rabbit. 

See More Before & After Painted Rocks

• Various
• The Beatles
• Garden Critters
• Furry Pets 
• Machines
• Wild Animals
• Suns
• Christmas Holiday
• Things with Wings  

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

How To Paint Shabby-Chic Rocks and Stones

Pretty, shabby-chic painted stones are an easy rock-painting project for both Easter and year-round display.

Supplies

• Smooth stones - any shape (oval rocks will look like painted eggs)
• Acrylic paint in a muted color (I used "Light Buttermilk")
• Black 3D fabric paint (also known as puffy paint)
• Brush
• Pencil
• Sandpaper

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Supplies used for shabby-chic painted rocks

How To Make Shabby-Chic Painted Rocks

Cover your stone with acrylic paint and allow it to dry.

Cover the stone with acrylic

Using a pencil, draw a swirly design on your painted stone. You can go around the edges, down the middle, whatever you like.

Draw a swirly design

Use the black 3D fabric paint to outline your sketched swirls. (You want the line to be raised.) Allow the fabric paint to dry for 4 hours.
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Outline the swirls with 3D paint

Once the black 3D fabric paint is dry, cover it with your original color and allow it dry.

Cover the swirls with the original color

Use sandpaper to carefully scrape off some of the paint on the raised design so the black shows through.

Scrape off some paint from swirls

Ideas

Paint different, muted colors and vary the placement of the swirl design.

"Mod Podge" flowers or other vintage images onto the stone.

Display your shabby-chic painted stones in a pretty dish or bowl.

 

Tips

• Vintage paint colors are pale and muted - good colors to use are dusty rose, pale green, yellow ochre, cream, etc.
• Practice with your 3D fabric paint first; it can be tricky if you've never used it before 
• Matte 3D fabric paint works better than shiny but you can use either one as long as it's black
• For a raised line, hold the 3D fabric paint bottle like a pencil and angle the tip while outlining your design
• I did not use a sealer on these rocks because I wanted them to look "old" and the sealer would add shine
• When you Mod Podge a design onto the rock, tear around the design's edges rather than cutting; the design will blend better into the stone. It also helps to add some of your paint around the design to camouflage the edges   

Helpful resources

• 3D Fabric Paint
• How to use 3D fabric paint
• 10 Tips for Using Mod Podge

Note: When you click on certain links in this post, I may receive a commission for the purchase of products. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The inspiration for this project was a DIY idea for Shabby Chic Easter Eggs by Sylwia Serwin.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Painted Rocks - An Experiment with Shaving Cream and Acrylics

Coloring eggs is a traditional Easter holiday activity that children enjoy and I wondered if something different could be done using rocks instead of hard-boiled eggs. 

I came across this idea using shaving cream and acrylic paints and decided to experiment with stones instead of paper.

This video also shows the process.

My 1st try using shaving cream & acrylic paint on paper

 My 1st result using a stone (smeared by my finger)

My 2nd stone with a little peach color added (streaked by squeegee)

 
I experimented a second time using different stones:

Primed, egg-shaped smooth stones and natural, flat porous stones

and a new shaving cream/acrylic paint color combination:

Shaving cream and acrylic paint swirled and ready to go

Here's the result of both attempts using the shaving cream/acrylic paint process on stones.

My results using primed and unprimed stones

What I learned:

• Stones are heavy and sink into the shaving cream so the finished design is not as pretty and marbleized as when done using paper
• If your stones are very smooth, you'll need to paint 1-2 coats of white, acrylic paint to prime them first
• Painting the stones white helps the other colors show up better 

• The stones are slippery when removing them from the shaving cream/acrylic and your fingers can "smear" some of the area when you remove them from the tray

• Removing the shaving cream with a squeegee left streaks on the rocks (I also used string and an index card and had the same results)
• This project is messy so you'll need to protect your work surface and have plenty of paper towels handy 
• Once dry, you can protect the stones with a clear, polyurethane or acrylic sealer

Even though the results weren't as pretty as I hoped, this would still be a fun painting project for kids whether you use paper or stones.

Do you have any ideas for making this work better? 

Please comment. 

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Painted Rock Nativity Sets - Ready for Spring

The joy of Spring and Easter is in the air and I was drawn to the yummy, pastel acrylic hues of "Basil Green" and "Summer Peach" for my latest unique nativity sets painted on rocks.

"Basil Green" and "Summer Peach" Acrylic Paint Purchased at Hobby Lobby

I was anxious to try these beautiful colors, so I primed some stones and went to work painting them.

Primed stones awaiting pastel paint

Here are my two latest nativity set creations using "lightweight" colors rather than the blues and browns I normally paint with.

Painted Rock Nativity Scene Figures Ready for Spring

Painted Stone Nativity Scene Figures in Spring Attire

Remember, painted rock nativity sets aren't just for Christmas. They can be displayed in unique ways year round as a piece of art.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

He Came Bearing Gifts of Painted Rocks

With the holidays approaching, small painted stones make great gifts and travel well.

My husband took a trip back East to visit family and friends after a 10-year absence. I did not accompany him but wanted to let everyone know I missed them and was thinking of them. A variety of painted stone gifts transported in an egg carton was the perfect solution.

Getting through airline security can be problematic, however, the stones were light enough and the egg carton compact enough to fit in a carry-on bag and go through security with no problem. I wrote "painted stones" on the carton in case questions arose as to the contents.

A plain egg carton transported small painted rocks

At the family get-together, my husband placed the egg carton on a table and surprised the group by opening the lid to expose a painted rock menagerie smiling up at them.

A collection of painted gift rocks

The egg carton was passed around and each family member chose the painted stone they liked best. Some comments about the painted stone gifts sent in my absence were:

• Thank YOU Cindy for the wonderful gift of stones!
• Thanks for sending so many NICE SAMPLES !!!!!
• Thank you so much for my cute gift.

A great gift idea for kids, especially at Halloween or Easter, is painted mystery rocks in an egg carton. Imagine their surprise as they open the carton expecting eggs and see this instead.

Surprise - it's not eggs in that carton

As Cathy A. Malchiodi states in The Soul's Palette: Drawing on Art's Transformative Powers: "It would be indeed revolutionary if each of us could offer one small act of art to another person...a single act that eventually "pays it forward" in ways that often cannot be predicted or planned."


My painted rock gifts were a small act of art kindness which, similar to a stone skipped into a lake, created ever-widening circles of smiles.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Do You Need Rock Painting Ideas?

Look what's possible with ordinary rocks and acrylic paint.

Sample of Painted Rocks by Cindy Thomas

Is your garden looking a little dreary because all the flowers have bloomed and gone to seed? A painted rock gnome home would add some color to your garden nestled among the greenery.

Do you need a gift for a friend in the hospital? A basket of hungry baby bird painted rocks are sure to lift their spirits?

Do you want something different to display at the holidays? There are painted rocks for all holiday occasions - Christmas Santas & nativity sets, Halloween ghosts & pumpkins, Valentine's love bugs, and Easter chicks.

Do you want to play a joke on unsuspecting friends? Painting rocks to resemble food will certainly catch them off guard. Please note that small painted rocks may look so yummy that young children will actually try to eat them. PLEASE USE CAUTION with this idea.

Do you need a gift for an animal lover? Rocks can be painted as cats, dogs and other pets as well as wild animals, farm animals, and more.

Once you start painting rocks and stones, you'll discover all sorts of ideas. The only problem will be finding enough time to create all of your masterpieces!

To see more ideas for painted rocks, please visit (and like) my Facebook Fan Page.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Hand-Painted Mystery Rocks - Unique Easter Basket and Garden Decor Gifts

Imagine the surprise on Easter morning when a child looks into their Easter basket and hidden among the marshmallow Peeps, colored eggs, chocolate, and jelly beans they find mysterious eyes looking up at them. What are those things? What kind of creatures are hiding inside?

Hand Painted Mystery Eggs Rocks

Those things are one-of-a-kind, hand painted rocks and they are a quirky, unusual gift idea for a child's Easter basket. After all the candy is eaten, these "Easter" eggs will still be around because they're painted stones. They easily fit into a child's pocket and will become their new pocket pet. Children's imagination will be sparked when they try to determine what type of critter actually lives inside these unusual, one-of-a-kind rocks.

Mystery Rocks for Garden Decor

As gifts for your gardening friends, these painted mystery rocks would be an unusual addition to their garden decor. Imagine these small, painted stones in a garden hidden among the flowers and plants, waiting to catch the eye of a passer by, inviting a closer look.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks