How to Prepare Rocks and Stones for Painting

Cleaning is the first thing I do to prepare my rocks for painting. 

• Use a little dish detergent and water
• Scrub the rocks to remove dirt
• Rinse well
• Allow the stones and rocks to dry completely

• CLEANING TIPS: 
• I like to do several stones at one time in a bucket
• Dirt from the stones may clog the pipes, so be sure to dispose of the cleaning water in a suitable place
• To sanitize the stones after washing and rinsing, I add a little bleach to a bucket of clean water, then rinse well 

Many rocks need just a good cleaning and no other preparation for painting.
 
Priming will make your project go much easier for certain types of rock and stones. 

Candidates for priming: 

• Smooth stones
• Dark-colored rocks and stones
• Rough, porous, and/or pitted rocks or bricks

SMOOTH STONES 

I purchased these landscaping stones in the garden department of a big box store. 
 

They are a great shape for rock painting, but the smooth surface makes it difficult for paint to adhere properly. Without priming the rocks first, my design and hard work can peel right off. 

To prime these stones (after they've been cleaned and dried), I just apply 1 or 2 coats of white (or light colored) acrylic or craft paint. 

The light primer not only helps subsequent paint layers adhere but also brightens subsequent colors.

Update August 2017: My preferred primer is gesso. Learn more about gesso and how it is used.

DARK-COLORED STONES 

A coat or two of white or light-colored paint applied to dark stones helps brighten subsequent paint colors as illustrated below.

Painted Rock Ladybug Color Counters

PITTED OR ROUGH STONES OR BRICKS

There are several ways to prime pitted or rough stones.

Acrylic paint can be used to fill the pits (if they aren't numerous or deep) by dabbing the paint into any little crevasses or holes. 


Landscaping bricks, edgers and pavers are very rough. I like to brush on a product called KILZ to prime them before painting.

 

Sometimes, I smooth wood filler over a rock's holes and cracks to fill them before applying a primer and/or painting. 

Update August 2017: For slightly pitted stones, I now use super heavy gesso. Learn more about gesso and how it is used.

To protect and seal my rocks once they are painted, I brush on Americana DuraClear Satin Varnish. 

 

These are the supplies and methods I prefer for painted rocks preparation and protection.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

Rock Painting Idea: Animal Prints

A fun, easy rock painting project is animal prints.

Animal prints painted on stones

The easiest animal print to start with is a black and white cow. Just base coat a stone with white acrylic paint then add black splotches of various sizes and shapes.

A tiger print is easily painted also. Base coat the stone with orange acrylic paint then add long, black squiggly or wavy shapes. Make sure the black squiggles go in the same general direction. (Switch the orange paint to white and you'd have a zebra print.)

Click here to see a size comparison for this stone

A fun variation of an animal print is to paint hearts on a stone base coated with pale pink.

For an animal print that shines, use metallic craft paint.

Click here to see a size comparison for this stone

You can paint various sizes of paw prints on a stone too and stay within the animal print theme.

Click here to see a size comparison for this stone

With practice you can paint more detailed animal prints on stones.

Have fun and get creative with painted rock animal prints. Small stones can be used for paper weights and larger rocks make colorful door stops.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

How to Paint Fingerprint Stones: No Drawing Skills Required

I came across a fingerprint drawing book and wondered if the clever technique would work with rocks and acrylic paint.

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.

To my delight, the project was very easy and the results made me smile. 

Although you don't see the loops and whorls of a fingerprint, the simply-painted stones are quite charming. This would certainly be a fun, easy project for children.

Supplies you'll need:

• flat stones
• your finger (or thumb)
• paintbrush
• acrylic paint
• paint pen or marker
• sealer (optional)

Fingerprint Stone Painting Process

• Paint one of your fingers or thumb
• Press your finger onto the stone
• Let the paint dry
• Add some dots and lines
• Seal the stone to protect it (optional)

Tips

• It's better to use light-colored stones
• Bright, saturated paint colors show up better
• Paint your finger or thumb, don't dip it into a puddle of paint. (You don't want a glob of paint on the rock.)
• Practice on paper first to test the amount of paint required for good coverage 
• Apply more paint before each finger press onto the stone
• If using more than one color, allow the first color to dry first 
• Use a small brush and touch up (by dabbing) any areas where the fingerprint is light or uneven
• I like to use acrylic-paint-filled pens, however, magic markers could work
• Ed Emberley's Complete Funprint Drawing Book is a wonderful resource for fingerprint and thumbprint ideas for critters, people, and more

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.


Ideas

 * * * * *

No two fingerprints are alike and no two fingerprint-painted stones will look alike - prints will be dark or light, lines will be thick or thin, colors will vary.

Fingerprint painted stones are great personalized gifts to both give and receive. 


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

DIY Craft Paint Storage Idea

My craft paint carousel worked well for a time, however, the weight of the paint, brushes, sealers, etc. has now made this storage solution wobbly.

My current paint storage solution - a wobbly carousel

Here's a clever idea for storing craft paint so it's easy to see and grab the desired color.

How to Organize Craft Paint on a Cabinet Door

For around $30 you can make this handy craft paint storage project.

Click here for the tutorial.

Now that I've seen this DIY storage idea, I'm motivated to try something similar to get my craft paints organized and easy to grab for my rock painting.  

How to Paint Flying Bugs, Pigs, and Fish on Rocks Using Free Tutorials

Today's FREE lessons are provided by Ernestina Gallina.

I would categorize Ernestina's how-to guides as intermediate skill level. My feeling is "practice makes perfect" and even if you're a beginner rock painter, you can improve your skills by trying these free, rock painting projects.

These free tutorials (in PDF format) include:

• A list of the materials you'll need
• Guidance on the type of rocks suitable for the project
• Detailed step-by-step instructions and illustrations for painting cute flying bug rocks, baby pig rocks, and little Nemo rocks

Flying Bugs

Here's my first attempt at using the flying bug rocks tutorial

Once you learn a technique for painting rocks, you can change up the colors and add your own special touch and creative ideas to differentiate your painted rocks from those of other artists.

I altered this project by using metallic acrylic paint for the flying bugs in the photo below.

Metallic flying bugs painted rocks

Baby Pig

Two pigs I painted using the free Baby Pig tutorial

I learned the importance of choosing smooth rocks when I painted these two baby pigs. Smooth rocks allow paint to be applied and lines to be drawn easily. Pitted rocks are definitely more challenging to paint. Doesn't my little piggy look like he's been in a barnyard fight or just escaped the meat grinder? 

Little Nemo

Little Nemo I painted using this free tutorial

I had the perfect rock for painting a Little Nemo. By varying the acrylic paint colors, it's possible to create an aquarium full of unique, painted fish rocks. One of Ernestina's clever ideas for this project was to add gold glitter paint to "simulate sparkling scales on the body."

Thank you, Ernestina Gallina, for generously sharing your creative, rock painting how-to-guides.


The free projects mentioned in this post along with their links were viewable on the date of this post. I cannot guarantee how long the projects will remain free and available online. 


© 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

Rock Painting How-To Guide Now Available for Amazon's Kindle Ebook Reader

Click here for the Kindle version.

The Kindle version of the craft painting book, How to Paint a Stony Face on Rocks, includes access to a full-size, full-color, printable PDF version of this project which can be downloaded to any computing device for easy printing. 

This is an easy, rock painting project for both kids and adults using ordinary stones and acrylic paint.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks