Before & After Painted Rocks: Cats

Here are the rocks I used to paint various types of cats along with the sketches for the placement of the kitty's features.

Sleepy Kitty - A Flora Tan Design

White Persian Cat - A Suzi Chua Design

Orange Striped Tabby - A Suzi Chua Design

Black and White Cat - An Ernestina Gallina Design

Brown Persian Kitty - A Suzi Chua Design

How to Paint Cats on Rocks Tutorials:

• "Painting Pets on Rocks" by Lin Wellford
• "How to Paint on Rock a Black and White Cat" downloadable PDF by Ernestina Gallina
• "Let's Get Catty: Painting Realistic and Detailed Cats on Stone" downloadable ebook by Suzi Chua

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.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

There's More Than One Way to Paint a Cat Rock

I used how-to guides from 4 different artists to create these kitty cats painted rocks.

Lin Wellford's book, "Painting Pets on Rocks" was the inspiration for this Black Cat painted rock.

Design courtesy of Lin Wellford

I found Lin's instructions clear and easy to follow. Other cat designs included in Lin Wellford's "Painting Pets on Rocks" book are: Tabby Cat, White Cat, Siamese Cat.

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.

This Black and White Cat was painted using Ernestina Gallina's downloadable PDF tutorial - "How to Paint on Rock a Black and White Cat."

Design Courtesy of Ernestina Gallina

This Black and White Cat was more difficult to paint than Lin Wellford's version, however, by following Ernestina's detailed instructions, I was pleased with the result.

Suzi Chua's ebook "Let's Get Catty: Painting Realistic and Detailed Cats on Stone" inspired the Striped Orange Tabby and White Persian painted cats rocks.

 

Design Courtesy of Suzi Chua

Design Courtesy of Suzi Chua

I am always able to paint cute, whimsical designs using a Suzi Chua how-to guide. However, I find it necessary to study Suzi's included photos because her directions aren't as detailed as Lin Wellford's or Ernestina Gallina's and could be frustrating for beginners.


Flora Tan was a guest artist also featured in Suzi Chua's "Let's Get Catty" ebook who included instructions for painting this Sleepy Kitty.

Design Courtesy of Flora Tan

Of the five cats I painted using the how-to guides, I found the Sleepy Kitty to be the most challenging. The instructions were clear and detailed but all the fur strokes became frustrating for me.

The steps for painting a cat on a rock are basically the same in each how-to guide. I often refer to and adapt various steps/features from each guide to paint my own version of a cat rock.


How to Paint Cats tutorials mentioned in this post:

• "Painting Pets on Rocks" by Lin Wellford
• "How to Paint on Rock a Black and White Cat" downloadable PDF by Ernestina Gallina
• "Let's Get Catty: Painting Realistic and Detailed Cats on Stone" downloadable ebook by Suzi Chua

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.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

5 Rock Painting Ideas for Halloween

Black Cat - What could be easier than painting a cat using a few black lines on an orange, painted stone?

Simple Cat Line Art on a Rock

Ghost Cats - A simple, repetitive design is painted on an orange and black stone.

Repetitive Design on a Stone

Ghost Owl - A stylized owl design using Autumn hues is painted on a white stone.

Stylized Owl Design on a White Rock

Pumpkins & Candy - Round stones make cute, little pumpkins and a triangular shape is perfect for "rock" candy corn.

Pumpkins and Candy Painted Rocks

Ghosts - Triangular rocks which stand upright are transformed into ghostly figures.

Ghostly Painted Stones

Be safe and have fun!

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Before and After Painted Rocks: Christmas Holiday

Now is the time to put Christmas decorations away until next year.

Flip a triangular or heart-shaped stone upside down and it's the perfect shape for Santa's hat and beard.

A kidney-shaped stone worked well for painting Father Christmas.

Rectangular, flat stones were used for each of these Nutcrackers.

A triangular-shaped stone was perfect for a kitty in a Santa hat...

...and a puppy in a Santa hat too.

A round piece of slate and a small, oval stone were glued together to create a melting snowman.

Learn How to Make a Melting Snowman with Painted Rocks

See More Before & After Painted Rocks

• Various
• The Beatles
• Garden Critters
• Furry Pets 
• Machines
• Wild Animals  

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Before & After Painted Rocks and Stones: Furry Pets

Both smooth and pitted rocks come alive when painted as furry pets. 


Two, smooth elongated rocks were the perfect shape for painting a pair of ferrets.

See these ferrets and more painted rock pets on Facebook

The shape of this large, smooth rock allowed me to nicely place a dog and two puppies.

Puppy Love

I used pitted rocks for this cat and kitten. Notice how the painted fur strokes camouflage the pits.

Sleeping Cats

For this ginger kitty, I used an unusually-shaped rock and attached two smaller pebbles for the paws.

Ginger Tabby Hand-Painted Rock

See more before and after painted rocks:

• Various
• Beatles
• Garden Critters
• Machines 
• Wild Animals  
• Things with Wings
• Christmas Holiday 

 © Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Rock Painting Tip: How to Test Your Design Before Painting It on a Rock

I like to use a graphics painting program when I'm unsure how a design will fit onto a rock. 

First, I take a photo of my unpainted stone and upload it to the computer. (I planned to paint a cat on this stone but wasn't sure how to place the features.)

 

Next, I open the image in Microsoft Paint. (This is a simple graphics painting program included with Microsoft Windows.)

Tip: If you right-click on an image and choose "Edit" the image will automatically open in MS Paint.

I then use the brush feature to sketch a simple design onto the stone. 

I find it much easier to paint my rock once I've planned out the idea on the computer first. 

Painting a Ginger Tabby Cat

I use MS Paint for Windows 7, but any graphics painting program should work with this technique.

Useful Resources

• Microsoft Paint - Wikipedia
• How to Work with Paint in Windows 7 & 8
• How to Use Windows 7 MS Paint Part 1 (YouTube)
• How to Use Windows 7 MS Paint Part 2 (YouTube) 

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

How to Make a No-Sew Bed for Painted Rock Pets

You can easily make a bed for your dogs and cats painted on stones and rocks without sewing a stitch!

Tips & Ideas

• A bag with a round or oval bottom works best
• The canvas bag used for these pet rock beds measures 4-1/2 inches in diameter by 7 inches tall and fits painted rock pets measuring up to 3 inches wide
• Remove the drawstring before folding the bag inward
• A thin, knit sock (men's or women's) can be used instead of the canvas bag

• Felt or fleece are cozy liners for the bed 

Keep your painted rock pets comfy in a cute, cozy bed.

Canvas bag - no-sew pet rock bed

Knit sock - no-sew pet rock beds

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Do-Over Painted Rocks OR How To Re-Paint Rocks and Stones

Oops...the painted rocks shaving cream experiment did not turn out like I expected.

Shaving cream experiment gone wrong

The shape and texture of these rocks were too good to toss aside. 

Time for a do over!

I just covered the shaving cream rocks with solid white acrylic and re-painted them.

The Owl and the Pussycats

Send in the Clowns

Painted rocks are very forgiving. If you don't like something you've painted on a rock or stone, just cover with a few coats of white acrylic paint (or any other color) and start over.

Don't be afraid to experiment with rock painting!

Don't you think these are much better?

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

Rock Painting Ideas: Cats

I enjoy painting cats on rocks and stones...

...however, I don't enjoy painting the fur - it's very tedious and time consuming.

I'm always looking for different ways to paint cats on rocks and have a new Pinterest board: Ideas for Painted Cats Rocks. 

The next time I paint a kitty on stones, my Pinterest board will be a reference for a different rock painting technique.


Visit my Pinterest Rock Painting Ideas and Helps board to get inspiration for other painted rocks projects.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Simple Rock Painting Idea for Polished Stones

My problem: Polished stones are difficult to paint because of the smooth, slick surface. (The paint doesn't want to adhere to the stone.)


My simple solution for some of the prettier, polished stones like the group pictured above:

 

Polished Stone Kitties

How to Paint Kitty Cats on Polished Stones

My supply of polished rocks included small stones with a perfect shape for a cat's face, as well as larger, colorful stones to use for the body.

Step 1: Choose a large and small stone that closely match in color. (Small triangular or round stones work well for the face; round or oval shapes work well for the body.)

Step 2: Glue the small stone onto the large stone using E-6000 glue (or similar craft adhesive).

Attach the face stone to the body with E-6000 glue

Step 3: After the glue has dried, use 3-D fabric paint in various colors to add simple details for the face and body.

3-D Fabric Paint

Add simple details to the face and body

Step 4: To keep the paint from flaking off the stone(s) you'll need to seal the rocks:

• First coat: Mod Podge (an all-in-one glue, sealer and finish)
• Second coat: Delta Ceramcoat Varnish (to avoid stickiness of Mod Podge in high humidity) 

Sealer 1: Mod Podge - Sealer 2: Delta Ceramcoat Varnish

Update: I used the brush-on sealers pictured above for the cats pictured. Since the time of this post, I still use Mod Podge as a first coat, but I now prefer Americana Duraclear Satin Varnish for my second coat.

Tips

• Before gluing the polished stones together, sand the area where they'll be attached. This will help the glue adhere better
• Apply the glue to each stone and wait approximately 2 minutes before attaching the stones together
• Press the stones together for a few minutes to make sure you have a good hold. (Be watchful of the stone sliding rather than adhering.)
• You can use a brush instead of the 3-D paint tip for applying the details. This may give you more control on smaller stones  

Ideas

• Tie a ribbon around the cat's neck
• Add a little bell on thin elastic around the kitty's neck
• Use this idea for painting other critters on polished stones
• Display your painted stone pets in little baskets or no-sew bedding

Painted Rock Pets

A PURRfect solution for polished stones!

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks