Get inspired by these creative rock painting ideas
If you're looking for a fun new way to tap into your artistic skills without spending a ton of money on supplies, we might have just the thing – rock painting!
Rock painting is a great activity for any age or skill level, and best of all, it doesn't require a ton of craft supplies to get started. You can decorate rocks in a variety of ways to create unique decor for in your home or the garden.
Painting stones and rocks is a great project to help keep creative kids busy but it can also be an ideal craft for adults to help unwind and practice mindfulness.
Top rock painting tips
Rock painting is a super easy craft to get started with but if you want to create a really polished finished look these tips could be helpful.
Cleaning - If you've picked up rocks from the garden or beach to paint, make sure to give them a good clean first. Fill a bowl with warm water and a few drops of washing up liquid and give the rocks a quick wash. If they are particularly dirty, use an old toothbrush or nail scrubber to get them really clean. Let them dry fully before painting.
Priming - It can be a good idea to give rocks a primer coat to fill in any little defects on the surface and ensure they aren't porous before painting them. Some watered-down PVA glue or coat of Mod Podge works as a good primer.
Sealing - If you're going to be putting your rocks outside once they are painted you'll want to give them a top coat of sealer to make them waterproof. You can get paint on outdoor sealers such as waterproof Mod Podge which is quick to dry and safe for kids to use.
Rock Painting Supplies
Rocks
Pencil or washi tape
Acrylic paint/paint pens
Brushes
Waterproof sealer
Rocks - You can use any kind of rocks that you like for painting on but if you want really smooth shaped rocks you can buy them online.
Pencil or washi tape - If you want to paint an intricate design on your rocks it can help to draw them out in pencil first. Creating geometric patterns or line designs can be made a lot easier by using washi tape to give straight edges or block off areas of the rock.
Acrylic paint or paint pens - If you're not overly confident with your painting skills, paint pens are a great alternative.
15PCS River Rocks for Painting
Crawford & Black 12ml Acrylic Paints: Pack of 20
Acrylic Paint Pens Paint Markers-26 Colors Dual Tip
Mod Podge Waterbase Sealer, Glue and Finish,16 oz
Rock painting ideas
There's no need to be a master artist when to comes to rock painting, the designs you add to your rock can be as simple or complex as you like. To help get you inspired for your first stone painting projects we've collected some of our favourite creative ideas from social media:
Fancy fairy houses
Rock painting and building a fairy garden are the ideal companion crafts. Take a leaf out of Instagrammer @pedrecolor book and turn a collection of garden findings into a cute little painted fairy house.
Simple stripes
Who says simple is boring? We love how elegant and stylish these striped rocks shared on Pinterest by @Barbara DuBois look. If you want to try recreating it yourself, try to work with a colour palette of two shades of the same colour and a single metallic. Jewel tones paired with a pastel give a really lovely effect.
Cute critters
Keep the kids busy creating a collection of cute critters and bug themed rocks. Simple designs such as ladybugs or bumble bees are perfect for younger kids to get to grips with and you can make it even more fun by adding on googly eyes once the paint has dried.
Beautiful boho vibes
If you're not overly confident in your art skills but want try out a design that is sure to impress, have a go at this beautiful boho-styled rock painting trend. We've seen it all over Instagram but particularly love the colour scheme that @danibord shared. The muted pastel tones of the paint with the solid black line drawings really stand out.
Get dipping
One of the easiest (and possibly most fun) ways for painting rocks doesn't actually involve a paintbrush! We love this method of dipping rocks into paint as demonstrated by @karasargentart on Instagram. It gives a great coating on the surface of the rock which you can then write a message or doodle over once it's dry, plus it's a fabulous way of using up paint at the end of a project.
Crafty cactus
Do you love the idea of having houseplants but struggle to keep them alive? Craft yourself a clever rock cactus. @mommodesign on Instagram shared the steps to this nice and simple DIY painted rock cacti that would look fabulous sitting on a windowsill or desk. You can even paint smaller rocks in bright colours and glue them to the tops to make flowering cacti!
Painted plant markers
Using painted rocks as plant markers is a great way to add a bit of fun to your vegetable patch or flower beds. Rocks painted to look exactly like the vegetable they are marking, as shared by @wjike on Pinterest, is a great task to get younger kids involved with. You can get them to help select the perfect shape rock and do the base colours with you finishing off the smaller details.
Painted rock path
Who says you can only paint little rocks? This fabulous rainbow-coloured path shared by @billyoh on Pinterest shows just how versatile painted rocks can be. Big boulder style rocks can be painted and used to line things like paths or flower beds to bring some extra fun into the garden. You can even try painting them with a layer of glow in the dark paint so that they mark out path or planter edges in the dark.
Do you love crafting? Share your creations with us by tagging @primamag in your pictures on Instagram!
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