Before & After Painted Rocks: Dogs

Here are the rocks I used to paint various types dogs. Most often I chose a loaf-shaped rock for a reclining dog.

This is Max. He was a memorial stone and special request. Max was also used in my blog post about "How to Use a Wash and Tint Technique on Painted Rocks."

Say "hello" to Deuce. He was a special request for a birthday gift. (The brindle fur was quite a challenge for me.)

Meet Mr. Pug. He was painted using this tutorial by Ernestina Gallina.

This dog with puppies was painted using a tutorial from the e-book, "Artistry Set on Stone" 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 

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

Before & After Painted Rocks: Adorned Elephants

The rock shapes I chose for these adorned, painted elephants were:

• Round, roly-poly stone (left)
• Loaf shape (center)
• Triangular (right) 

My first step was to paint the elephants without any colorful garments. To help with the proportions and shading I referred to Lin Wellford's book - Painting Zoo Animals on 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.

Elephant features sketched on the stones

The rock elephants are brought to life with shading and details

I then chose a different head covering and blanket design for each elephant.

Painted rock elephants adorned in festive apparel

Rocks are enlivened by paint to become adorned, decorated elephants.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Helpful Links

• Painting Zoo Animals on Rocks by Lin Wellford
• Helpful Rock Painting Tools and Supplies
• Rock Painting Tips for Beginners

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.

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

Before & After Painted Rocks: Suns

In the 1970's, I made this sun wall hanging using yarn and burlap. After I left home, my sister saved Mr. Sun from the trash and now proudly displays him in her home and collects sun art. To thank her for reuniting me with a blast from the past, I offered to paint a sun rock for her collection.

Reunited with my wall hanging after 40 years

I used 4 different stones so I could paint 4 different sun designs.

I started with the smallest stone and simplest design first - a stylized sun on one side and moon on the other.

Stylized sun and moon painted rock

Both my sister and I live in the Southwest so hot chili peppers were the inspiration for this sun's design.

Red Hot Mama Painted Sun Rock

A Talvera Mexican ceramic tile was the inspiration for this painted rock sun.

Talavera Inspired Painted Sun Rock

Rocks don't have to be round for a sun & moon design. My sister liked this one the best and it's now a part of her collection.

© 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: Things with Wings

These are a few of my favorite winged things.

Three, smooth, dark-colored Mexican beach pebbles were primed with white acrylic paint and transformed into Angel Babies.

One pitted and one smooth rock became pigs with wings garden decor.

See More Photos of Flying Pigs Rocks

I purchased these Caribbean beach pebbles by the bag and love them for rock painting. The stones are smooth and many of the shapes are perfect for owls.

See More Painted Birds Rocks

A large, 10-pound rock was the perfect shape for a life-size hen.

See More Photos of this Red Rock Hen Coming to Life

What's a hen without some chicks? Egg-shaped stones became my version of "peeps."

See More Before & After Painted Rocks

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

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Wild Animals Painted on Rocks: Before & After

A smooth, 3-inch stone was primed with white acrylic and transformed into a cute panda painted rock.

See more photos of this panda

This rock had been sitting around (unpainted) for quite a while. I didn't see the shape of the elephant until I picked it up and turned it over. The rock's striations and color were used as part of the elephant by shading/painting just his head and legs.

 

This is another rock which was sitting around and I kept seeing a duck until I painted my first elephant (above). To add a little pizazz to this rock elephant, I painted a paisley design for a headdress and blanket.

See more photos of this elephant

See More Before & After Painted Rocks

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

Useful Links

• Blog Post: Ideas for Wild Animals Painted on Rocks
• Pinterest Board: Ideas: Wild Animals Rocks

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Before & After Painted Rocks and Stones: Machines

Cold, hard machines warm your heart and bring a smile to your face when they're painted on rocks and stones.

The curved shape of this stone reminded me of an IBM Selectric typewriter I used years ago. This small stone had an angled, flat front which was a perfect surface for painting typewriter keys. I painted a manual typewriter because the features seemed more charming and recognizable than the Selectric's.

The shape of this angular rock said "adding machine" even before it was painted. The numerical display panel features the year I painted this office machine.

This large, rounded stone was perfect for a car. Can you see the tire on the front, lower left of the unpainted stone? 

As you can see, more than critters and flowers can be painted on rocks and stones. 

See more before and after painted rocks:

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

© 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

Painted Rocks: Garden Critters Before & After

I was inspired by a true story to paint a mouse hitching a ride on the back of a frog. Note how each stone's shape and size were transformed into the frog and mouse. Read more about the frog and mouse painted rocks.

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Learn how I used "black glue" to paint a butterfly with a stained glass effect on this rock.

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I like to use the rock's natural shape and characteristics whenever possible as illustrated in this ladybug before and after photo.

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More before and after painted rocks

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

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks