5 Specialty Acrylics for Painted Rocks

 
Rock painting can be taken to a whole new level when you use specialty acrylic paints.


Here's how I used five, different types of specialty acrylics on my painted rocks.

Glitter paint

These little pots of glitter paint are perfect for Christmas-themed painted rocks. I used them to add sparkle to the puff ball and trim of Santa's hat. (Glitter paint also comes in 2 oz. bottles.)

How to Paint a Santa Hat on Rocks

Glow in the dark

I used glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint for the eyes of these mystery rocks. Glow paint is great for garden and Halloween-themed painted rocks.

Learn more about how these mystery eggs were made

Metallics

Metallics are one of my favorite specialty acrylic paints because I can use them on so many projects. In addition to gold, silver and copper, metallics are also available in many brilliant colors such as the  Emerald green and Topaz blue I used for the owls below.

Patio or Garden

Yard & Garden paint (also called Patio Paints) are specially formulated for outdoor use. This gnome home was painted using these specialty acrylics. I would still recommend you "seal" the painted stone if it will be kept outdoors.

Do You Want to Give this Gnome Home a Home?

Dimensional Paint

These specialty paints are referred to as fabric, 3-D and puffy paint. I used them to add realistic details to painted rock candy.

How to Paint Rock Candy

These are just a few of the many specialty paints available. Be creative, experiment, and try some for yourself. Most important of all - have fun!

Useful Links

Types of Craft Paint
Painted Mystery Rock Eggs
How to Paint a Santa Hat on Rocks and Stones
How to Paint Rock Candy
Add Magic to Your Garden with Painted Gnome Home Rocks


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

How to Paint a Santa Hat on Rocks and Stones

Just in time for the holidays I came across a rock that was perfect for painting this Santa hat.

Step 1:  If you look closely, you can see how I drew a line around the bottom third of the stone and added a circle towards the middle right.

Step 1 - Sketch simple hat design on stone

Step 2:  Next, I gave the stone a base coat in 2 different colors - yellow for the portions that will be painted red and a shade of blue for the sections that will be painted white. (To get the blue shade, I mixed medium blue with a touch of white and black acrylic paint).

Step 2 - Add base coat of blue and yellow acrylic paint

Tip:  I discovered that a binder clip was a great tool for holding the stone so I could paint both sides at once.

A binder clip is a great tool for holding a thin stone while painting

Step 3:  Then I painted over the yellow base coat on both sides of the stone with red acrylic paint.

Step 3 - Apply red paint over yellow on both sides of stone

Step 4:  I added a dab of black paint to the red to get a maroon color and outlined the blue circle, added a couple of arcs from the circle to the top of the hat, and added a line between the blue and red along the bottom.

Step 4: Outline and define

Step 5:  I achieved the fleecy texture by using a stiff, flat brush and dabbed on white paint, allowing some of the blue base coat to show through.

Step 5: Dab on white paint for the fleece

Idea 1:  You can stop here or add finishing touches such as sealer and glitter.

Three Variations - unsealed - sealed - glittered

Idea 2:  Here's another idea for your painted stone: Add a ribbon or pipe cleaner and your painted Santa hat rock has now become a Christmas tree ornament.

Painted Rock Santa Hat Ornaments

Idea 3:  You can personalize the Santa hat by adding a name or slogan to the bottom, white portion.

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


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks