How I Discovered Rock Painting

It took me over 30 years to discover rock painting!

As a child, I enjoyed drawing and always had a pencil and/or crayons in my hand. I was one of those kids whose favorite class was art. 

But, rather than pursue an education or career in art, all artistic endeavors were forgotten when I moved to a big city, married, and had a child.

Twenty years later, I received a painted, clay pot as a Christmas gift from my sister. I loved my painted pot and it came with me (unbroken) on 3 moves to different states.

Skip ahead 13 years to where my last move took me - an environment I never experienced before - few trees and lots of rocky terrain. I thought I had landed on the moon! People used rocks instead of grass for their yard! Yuck, how ugly!

Then, I saw a review for Really Jazzy Pots: Glorious Gift Ideas and thought to myself, "I like gardening, want to paint with acrylics, loved my painted pot Christmas gift, why not give this a try."

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.

 

So, I started looking for this clay-pot-painting book. I'm the type who likes to borrow a book from the library and peruse it before making a purchase. However, my library did not have this particular book nor did my local bookstore at the time.

Months later, while I was looking through the book rack at Hobby Lobby for "Really Jazzy Pots," I discovered "Rock Painting Fun for Everyone" by Lin Wellford.


Once I started paging through Lin's book, I was hooked! It was perfect and even better than painted clay pots! The "canvas" was rocks - something plentiful where I lived! 

Each page of the rock painting book brought a smile to my face as I saw the cute things I could paint with acrylics and rocks. And, Lin's step-by-step instructions illustrated how easily I could do it!

My first kitty cats painted on rocks

I painted my first rocks seven years ago. Now my eye is drawn to rocks of all shapes, sizes and textures. I see their potential to come alive with acrylic paint to warm your heart and bring a smile to your face.

P.S. I don't think rocks are so ugly anymore.


Rock Painting Links
Lin Wellford's how-to-paint-rocks books
Free rock painting projects and other resources 
Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks on Facebook 

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.

How to Prepare Rocks and Stones for Painting

Cleaning is the first thing I do to prepare my rocks for painting. 

• Use a little dish detergent and water
• Scrub the rocks to remove dirt
• Rinse well
• Allow the stones and rocks to dry completely

• CLEANING TIPS: 
• I like to do several stones at one time in a bucket
• Dirt from the stones may clog the pipes, so be sure to dispose of the cleaning water in a suitable place
• To sanitize the stones after washing and rinsing, I add a little bleach to a bucket of clean water, then rinse well 

Many rocks need just a good cleaning and no other preparation for painting.
 
Priming will make your project go much easier for certain types of rock and stones. 

Candidates for priming: 

• Smooth stones
• Dark-colored rocks and stones
• Rough, porous, and/or pitted rocks or bricks

SMOOTH STONES 

I purchased these landscaping stones in the garden department of a big box store. 
 

They are a great shape for rock painting, but the smooth surface makes it difficult for paint to adhere properly. Without priming the rocks first, my design and hard work can peel right off. 

To prime these stones (after they've been cleaned and dried), I just apply 1 or 2 coats of white (or light colored) acrylic or craft paint. 

The light primer not only helps subsequent paint layers adhere but also brightens subsequent colors.

Update August 2017: My preferred primer is gesso. Learn more about gesso and how it is used.

DARK-COLORED STONES 

A coat or two of white or light-colored paint applied to dark stones helps brighten subsequent paint colors as illustrated below.

Painted Rock Ladybug Color Counters

PITTED OR ROUGH STONES OR BRICKS

There are several ways to prime pitted or rough stones.

Acrylic paint can be used to fill the pits (if they aren't numerous or deep) by dabbing the paint into any little crevasses or holes. 


Landscaping bricks, edgers and pavers are very rough. I like to brush on a product called KILZ to prime them before painting.

 

Sometimes, I smooth wood filler over a rock's holes and cracks to fill them before applying a primer and/or painting. 

Update August 2017: For slightly pitted stones, I now use super heavy gesso. Learn more about gesso and how it is used.

To protect and seal my rocks once they are painted, I brush on Americana DuraClear Satin Varnish. 

 

These are the supplies and methods I prefer for painted rocks preparation and protection.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

Rock Painting Ideas: Wild Animals

I have a new Pinterest inspiration board for painting wild animals on rocks which I'll be adding to regularly.

Ideas: Wild Animals Rocks

You can paint all types of wild animals on rocks, either realistically or cartoon-like. Many people have a favorite animal they like to collect and painted rocks are great, personalized gifts for any occasion! 

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

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

DIY Stable for Nativity Sets Painted on Rocks

On a trip to my local craft store, I found an object in the unpainted wood department I used as a stable for a painted rock nativity. 

Supplies

• Unfinished wood key/letter caddy
• Glue
• Bark chips
• Moss
• Wooden star (optional)

Instructions

1. The unpainted, wooden letter/key caddy was rotated so that the arched back now became the stable's floor
2. Brown acrylic paint mixed with water was applied to the unfinished wood with a rag, followed by a coat of gloss sealer
3. Thin wood chips were glued along the front sides of the rotated caddy
4. Thicker wood chips were glued to the top of the rotated caddy to embellish the roof of the stable
5. A thin layer of glue was painted on the floor of the stable and natural moss was then attached
6. A large wooden star was painted silver; gold glitter paint was added for highlighting
7. The star was attached to a slim wooden stick and glued to the back of the stable

The before and after picture shows the finished stable. Note that the rounded back of the unpainted letter/key caddy became the floor for the stable.

For another variation of the DIY stable, I removed the star and used a Mother and Child painted rock.

This DIY stable was made using a small, wooden, letter/key caddy. The craft store also carried a larger caddy that would be suitable for displaying larger or additional nativity scene figures painted on rocks.

See more nativity set display ideas.

© 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