5 Fun Rock Painting Ideas

I painted these 5 fun projects and used "Rock Art! Painting and Crafting with the Humble Pebble" by Denise Scicluna as inspiration.

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Metallic paint makes these rock stars shine.

Rock Stars: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

Simple, celestial moons were painted on oval pebbles.

The Man in the Moon: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

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Simple sun designs are painted on various rock shapes.

Sunny Side Up: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

Triangle designs contrast with oval stones or follow the form of a triangular rock.

 

Try Triangles: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

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Two flat, medium-sized rocks were the perfect shape for these colorful, humble abodes.

Rocky Road: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

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Useful Links

• "Rock Art! Painting and Crafting with the Humble Pebble"
• Pretty rock painting ideas from "Rock Art!"
• 5 imaginative rock painting ideas from "Rock Art!"
• 5 creative rock painting ideas from "Rock Art!"
• 5 easy and colorful ideas from "Rock Art!" 
• A Rock Painting Book Perfect for Beginners (Blog Post of May 19, 2015) 

 
© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

5 Creative Rock Painting Ideas

I just can't stop painting the projects in "Rock Art! Painting and Crafting with the Humble Pebble" by Denise Scicluna.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

What could be simpler than white paint and repetitive strokes like these?

Keep It Simple: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

I love bright colors and this simple, colorful pop art design is one of my favorites from the book. The color and design possibilities are endless.

Color Pops: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

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Another favorite of mine are these decorative, stylized flowers painted with only 2 colors.

Flower Power: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

I used both smooth and pitted stones for stylized, leaf-inspired painted rocks.

Fall Leaves: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

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A study in opposites - lightweight feathers painted on heavy stones. 

Light as a Feather: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

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Useful Links

• "Rock Art! Painting and Crafting with the Humble Pebble"
• Pretty rock painting ideas from "Rock Art!"
• 5 imaginative rock painting ideas from "Rock Art"
• 5 fun ideas from "Rock Art!"
• 5 easy and colorful ideas from "Rock Art!" 
• A Rock Painting Book Perfect for Beginners (Blog Post of May 19, 2015) 

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

5 Easy and Colorful Rock Painting Ideas

In my last post, I recommended a rock painting book for beginners called "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna.

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I found the projects so enjoyable (even for an experienced rock painter like myself), that I painted these 5 sets of colorful pebbles using the book as inspiration.

Color, pebble shape, and line drawings transform stones into a simple fruit combo.

Fruit Salad: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

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Who can resist quirky owls painted on stones?

 Wise Owls: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

Criss-cross lines and dots can be painted on any shape of rock. Mix up the colors and designs for your own pebble crossing.

Let's Get Linear: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

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Your imagination can run wild with painted mushroom rocks.

Mushrooms: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

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The color and design possibilities are endless for painting fish fins and scales on rocks.

Fish Out of Water: inspired by "Rock Art!" by Denise Scicluna

Useful Links

• 5 Imaginative Rock Painting Ideas from "Rock Art"
• 5 Creative Rock Painting Ideas from "Rock Art!"
• 5 Fun Rock Painting Ideas from "Rock Art!" 
• Pretty rock painting ideas from "Rock Art!"
• A Rock Painting Book Perfect for Beginners (Blog Post of May 19, 2015)
• "Rock Art! Painting and Crafting with the Humble Pebble" by Denise Scicluna

 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

A Rock Painting Book Perfect for Beginners

If ...

You have ever:

• Wanted to try your hand at rock painting, or 
• Thought that making art is not for you, or 
• Needed fun projects for kids and grandkids, or
• Searched for easy art therapy projects for both children and adults, or
• Been at a loss for creative inspiration...

Then...

"Rock Art! Painting and Crafting with the Humble Pebble" by Denise Scicluna is the perfect resource for you!

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This recently-published rock painting book gives tips for getting started such as:

• Where to find rocks
• What to look for in a rock
• How to find inspiration
• Rock painting tools and supplies
• Preparation
• Finishing touches
• How to use your painted rocks

And includes:

• 40 Simple step-by-step projects with several variations
• 250 full-color illustrations

I'm not a newbie to rock painting but I found the projects in this book helpful for practicing my line strokes. And, it was a fun way to decompress between my detailed painted rock projects.

Here's a sample of 5 projects I painted using "Rock Art!" as inspiration:

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At the Zoo

Bicycle Wheels

Under the Sea

Rock Garden

Into the Woods

I had so much fun painting these simple and colorful rocks using "Rock Art!" as inspiration, I'm going to paint 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.

Useful Links

• "Rock Art! Painting and Crafting with the Humble Pebble"
• See 5 easy and colorful ideas from "Rock Art!" 
• See 5 creative ideas from "Rock Art!"
• See 5 fun rock painting ideas from "Rock Art!" 
• See 5 imaginative rock painting ideas from "Rock Art!" 
• See pretty rock painting ideas from "Rock Art!" 

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

Rock Painting Projects for Valentine's Day

Nothing says "I love you" more than a hand-made gift. These rock painting projects and ideas are unique and whimsical ways to show your love on Valentine's Day and warm the recipient's heart.

Sweet, Simple Gifts - No Fat Rock Candies

Painted rock candies are a sweet Valentine's Day gift to paint on rocks and stones. Learn how to paint rock candy.

How to Create Valentine's Day Gifts of Painted Love Bug Rocks

Love Bug painted rocks would certainly warm the heart of that special Valentine both young and old. Learn how to paint these cute critters.

How to Create a Stained Glass Heart Stone with Glue and Paint

This is a simple project and great for kids. They can easily draw their own design and paint within the lines. See the "how to" for this project.

Painted Heart Stones

You can paint all types of heart designs on triangular and heart-shaped rocks and they make great gifts for any occasion!
Click here for heart ideas and inspiration.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

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.
 

Christmas Holiday Painted Rocks Projects

Are you stumped and don't know what to gift a friend who has everything? How about a rock hand painted by you?

Are you looking for projects to keep the children busy during their break from school? How about an afternoon of painting rocks?

My gift to you is four holiday rock painting projects which are easy and fun for all ages to make, give and receive.

* * * * *

 

Sweet, Simple Gifts - No-Fat Rock Candy

Painted rock candies are a sweet gift to have on hand around the holidays and very easy to paint.

Learn How to Paint Rock Candy

 * * * * *

How to Paint a Santa Hat on Rocks and Stones

Painted Santa hat rocks make cute DIY Christmas gifts which are easy enough for children to paint and fun for all ages to give and receive.

Learn How to Paint a Rock Santa Hat

* * * * *

How to Make a Melting Snowman with Painted Rocks

"Build" this snowman in the warmth of your home instead of braving the cold, frosty outdoors.

Learn How to Paint a Melting Snowman on Rocks

* * * * *

How to Make Christmas Trees with Pine Cones and Painted Stones

Collect a few pine cones and use them with small, painted rocks to create a Christmas tree. 

Learn How to Paint a Pine Cone/Stone Christmas Tree

* * * * *

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

Thanksgiving Turkeys Painted on Rocks

Cookie designs provided inspiration for these easy, Thanksgiving holiday painted stones.

Cookie designs are fabulous for easy rock painting projects because (in many instances) the decorating how to's can be adapted to rock painting.

The first turkey I painted used this Super Simple Turkey Cookies design. I added "Happy Turkey Day" on the reverse side.

This next painted rock turkey was a little more detailed and used this Decorated Turkey Cookies design. I painted "Gobble Gobble" on the reverse side.

The final Thanksgiving turkey was the most detailed of the three. I adapted this Easy Turkey Platter design for this painted stone.

After turkey dinner, this would be a fun project for the kiddos. I suggest sketching the designs on rocks first and then letting the children paint them.

Of course, if you're not a painter, bake the cute cookies instead or even do both!

Post by Painted Rocks by Cindy Thomas.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

10 Rock Painting Projects for Kids

If you're new to rock painting, a helpful resource is Lin Wellford's "Painting on Rocks for Kids."

Whether you're a kid, parent or grandparent, you'll find all the information you need to get started with rock painting.


You'll Learn About

• Tips for painting rocks
• Types of brushes, paint, and other recommended supplies
• Where to find rocks

 Each Easy-to-Follow Project

• Lists the supplies you'll need
• Illustrates the shape of rock to use
• Guides you step-by-step with clear, color photos, drawings, and written instructions
• Gives you ideas for variations of the project

Project How-To's Included in "Painting on Rocks for Kids"

1. Go Fish
2. Rocky Roadsters
3. Lazy Lizards
4. Flower Power
5. Rockosaurs
6. Go Buggy!
7. Sandbox City
8. Playful Food
9. Mystery Eggs
10. Bookend Bears

Find out more about Painting on Rocks for Kids

Other Rock Painting Guides by Lin Wellford

• Painting Zoo Animals on Rocks (Paperback)
• Lin Wellford's Painted Garden Art Anyone Can Do (Paperback)
• Painting Pets on Rocks (Paperback)
• The Art of Painting Animals on Rocks (Paperback)

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© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

How to Make a Melting Snowman with Painted Rocks

"Build" this snowman in the warmth of your home instead of braving the cold, frosty outdoors.

 

Supplies:

• One flat rock and a smaller round or oval rock

• White, black, red, orange acrylic paint
• Glue (I used E6000) 
• Protective sealer (optional)

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.

Step 1: Glue the smaller rock onto the larger, flat stone.

Step 2: Paint the stones white. (You may need to apply several coats of paint for good coverage.)

 Step 3: Paint the eyes, carrot nose, mouth, stick arms and buttons.

Ideas:

• Use 3-D fabric paint for the eyes and buttons
• Use buttons for the eyes and buttons
• Attach sticks for the arms instead of painting them
• Add glitter glue to give the snowman a glistening effect
• Attach small, painted stones for the eyes and buttons
• Attach a pretty ribbon to make a hanging tree ornament
• For an outdoor display, use a round garden paver for the melting body and a large stone for the head
• Melted snowman cookies were the inspiration for this project 

A melting snowman is an easy rock painting project and great for Christmas stocking stuffers.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

How to Make Painted Stones and Pine Cones Critters

Create cute, whimsical critters using pine cones and painted stones.

Pine Cones and Stones Painted Critters

For the little owl below, I painted two round, smooth stones with orange, white and black acrylic for eyes and attached them with white glue to the pine cone. I painted the pine cone scale yellow for his beak.

For the little bird below, I painted two round stones with yellow and black for eyes and a triangular stone orange for the beak and attached them with white glue to the pine cone. Adding wispy feathers over the painted stone eyes added that something extra to give the critter a whimsical appearance.

Tips

• ALWAYS keep small stones away from young children. They are a choking hazard!
• How to clean and preserve pine cones
• Test the stone placement on different sides of the pine cone. Some sides work better than others
• Lids from containers can be used as a base to keep the pine cone and stone critters upright

• Cut out felt or craft foam pieces for feathers, wings, feet, etc.
• Instead of painted rocks, use googly eyes from the craft store.
• Use a pipe cleaner for feet.

Start collecting pine cones and small stones to make your own cute critters - anything goes, not just birds. It's a fun project for both children and adults.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks