How to Use a Wash and Tint Technique for Painted Rocks

Painting a beloved pet from a photo proved challenging to get the fur colors accurate. A wash/tint technique saved the day when the fur was darker than I wanted.

First I identified the acrylic colors I wanted to use for Max. Learn how to identify colors from a photo.

Paint colors to use for Max

I used light brown as a base coat but it was darker than I expected. I should have used the creamy color for the base.

I started off with a too-dark base color

Rather than redo the base coat, I kept painting with the hope I could correct the fur with additional shading. But, when I thought Max was completed, the fur color just didn't seem right; it was too brown.

Max's fur looked too brown compared to his photo

I wanted a more golden hue for the fur, so I diluted raw sienna with a little water and washed it over the entire rock being careful to avoid the white areas.

When I compared the raw-sienna-tinted pup to the picture, the painted rock was now too golden. It looked nice but it wasn't Max.

The painted rock is too golden compared to the photo

Next, I diluted the light tan color (identified from Max's photo) with water and washed it over the raw-sienna tint, avoiding the white, painted areas.

That was much better even though not an exact match.

Max's fur is closer to this shade

The wash and tint technique is an effective way to subtly change a hue and soften and tone down paint colors. Because the paint has been thinned, you won't be covering up your earlier paint strokes, just tinting them.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

Painting Rocks: How to Create a Stained Glass Effect with Glue and Paint

I tried this black glue painting technique on stones and rocks to create a stained-glass effect.

I had loads of fun with this easy project which is great for kids. They can easily draw their own design and paint within the lines.

 

Stained glass effect using "black glue"

Supplies

• White school glue (e.g, Elmer's); 1/2 bottle
• Black acrylic paint
• Flat stone
• Paint colors of your choice

Steps

• Mix 2 squirts black paint into 1/2 bottle of white glue. (I used the end of an old paint brush to mix the glue and paint right in the bottle)
• Draw your design on the stone with a pencil first
• Trace over your pencil design by squeezing the black glue bottle (see Tips)

• Let the black glue dry completely (several hours is best) before painting the sections
• Paint each section. It will be easy to stay within the lines with the black glue border 

• Finish with a gloss sealer

Tips

• It's important to use this technique on a flat stone otherwise the glue will drip down the sides
• After drawing your design with pencil, fill it in with white paint and your paint colors will be brighter
• If you mess up while tracing your design with the black glue, just wipe it off before it dries
• You can also correct and erase black glue mistakes by using a toothpick or paper clip to scrape off or re-shape the line when the glue is semi-dry
• Two or more coats of paint may be necessary, especially if you didn't use white as a base coat  

Ideas

Look what you can paint on stones using the black glue technique

Black Glue Stone Heart Cheat Sheet

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Rock Painting Ideas: Owls

I enjoy painting owls and owlets on rocks and stones.

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

The next time I paint stone owls, my Pinterest board will be a reference for different feathers, style, or rock painting technique.

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

© 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

Painted Rocks: My Process for Creating Butterfly Kitty Cats

My creative juices started flowing the other day when I spied several flat, oddly-shaped stones in my rock pile.

The shapes and natural colors of these stones seemed ideal for painting half of a cat's face. The goal was to keep it simple with one eye-catching feature - the cat's eyes!


First, I traced the stone shape on a piece of paper and sketched my idea to see if it would work.

The initial design sketch

I was pleased with the effect and started painting my kitties with these two simple features:

• A pinkish nose
• White whiskers highlighted with gray

Because I was leaving most of the stone unpainted, I wanted my focal point to be each cat's eye.  I chose yellow, green and blue eye colors and added more detail to this specific facial feature for each kitty cat stone.

The eyes are the focal point on these painted stones

I liked the result and when I placed the two larger stones next to each other, I had an "Aha moment." Why not create a complete cat's face? I used my graphic viewer and flipped a 2nd image of the painted stone to complete each face. The kitty cat became symmetrical on both sides like a butterfly.

As you can see below, some stones worked better than others when creating a complete face.

Butterfly Stone Kitty Cats

It was a fun surprise to see each kitty's face after the original and flipped image were combined.

Ideas

• Find stones that closely match in shape and size and paint left and right sides of the face. Then mix and match for funny kitty faces
• Glue a half-face stony kitty to a stick and use for a bookmark or plant accessory
• Instead of leaving the stone's natural color, paint the rock black, white, calico, etc. before adding the nose, whiskers and eyes.
• Place a half-face kitty stone strategically in a garden so it looks like a cat is hiding among the greenery.
• Use this technique with other critters also - e.g., owls, dogs, bunnies. 

 A PURRfect solution for oddly-shaped stones!

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks