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November 5, 2016 in Handmade

Rock art with acrylic and spray paint

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I'll make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
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Isn’t it funny how you can spend $25 and up on a toy for a child that gets played with a few times then tossed?

Even if they requested that specific toy!

My kids love playing with non-toy items such as twigs, leaves, sticks and rocks found outside.

More so than any pricey plastic toy.

They spend hours whacking each other with twigs in the backyard or rock painting in the driveway at little cost to myself.

Best of all….it’s “real” fun. Imaginative play.

Recently, my mom has been experimenting with painting rocks and the results have been impressive.

It’s incredible how painted rocks can come close to resembling just about any image you can dream up.

So far, we’ve tried pumpkins, turtles and a duck pond, all of which came up to scratch.

And we have lots of unique ideas for you today!

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Why paint rocks?

Painting rocks is fun for the kids. But shhhhhh, it’s equally fun for adults.

Just ask my mom! She’s a rock painting addict now. Besides, it’s reasonably inexpensive to do. Rocks are free after all.

Once painted, you’d almost never believe they were ever rocks in the first place.

They can be used for play, decoration or both.

Painted rocks are fun to mix with other natural items such as “real” pumpkins or gourds for an eye catching display.

Painted rocks make great seasonal decor that can be displayed indoors or out.

Showcase them on your coffee table or outdoors on your front porch.

And it’s not a lifetime commitment. If you don’t like the outcome, repaint the rock. Give it another go or find another rock more suitable.

The duck pond with the mom and dad duck and their ducklings? Okay, my mom made that one.

The girls helped with the pumpkins and the turtles. Sure, they’re not perfect, but they are super cute.

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What you need

  • Smooth rocks in all sorts of unique sizes and shapes. Always be on the hunt for rocks that can take on the shape of your next project!
  • Paint – both acrylic and spray paint.
  • Some type of sealer varnish, an indoor/exterior spray enamel with a gloss finish. Rust-Oleum works well.
  • Instant glue.
  • Black Sharpie marker.
  • Your imagination!
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Decide what you want to create/replicate

Rock art can mimic just about anything. In this post, you’re obviously seeing ducks, their pond, turtles and pumpkins.

But come Spring,  I’m going to be tempted to make a rock vegetable garden.

Can you imagine the cucumbers, tomatoes and peas? How cute the rocks will look all painted up in a harvest basket.

So use some of my ideas or dream up your own.

I’m also thinking a hamburger with cute little rock pickles, tomato and onion would be sweet to make.

Not to mention the little rock bun and burger itself.

What would you make?

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Simple step-by-step instructions

1.) Have all your supplies ready to go. This includes your rocks and smooth stones.

Hopefully, you have “the vision” of what they will look like once painted.

Example. Can you find a curvy stone that resembles a pumpkin stem when painted green?

A long, flat, smooth rock that will easily take on the appearance of a pond when painted the right shade of blue?

How about a rock with just the right indentations to resemble a duck head when glued on another rock?

These are the types of questions to ask yourself when seeking the right rocks.

2.) Use either spray paint or acrylic paint on your rocks.

Adults might prefer several coats of spray paint. Kids might enjoy hand painting using brushes with acrylics.

It may take a few coats to truly coat the rock. Perhaps three coats?

Let rocks dry in between coats. Make sure you paint your rocks on newspaper, especially when kids are involved and preferably outside for ventilation.

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3.) When rocks are 100% dry and look just the way you want, you can start the gluing process.

This may include gluing duck heads on their body or stems onto the pumpkin. Make sure they stick!

4.) Coat well with a sealant.

Not only will this give your rock art a slightly shiny appearance, but more importantly, it will prevent the paint from washing off.

This is particularly true if you plan on leaving your rock art outside where it is exposed to the elements. Weather is rough so treat your rock art right!

5.) If your rock art is an animal such as a turtle or duck, you’ll need a black Sharpie marker to add the eyes.

That’s it! How easy and fun.

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One last super helpful tip….

When you are choosing rocks to be the head of the duck, or stem of a vegetable, you need to carefully consider adhesion.

If you have too much of a gap, even with super glue, your pieces are likely to fall off in time.

A little gap is fine, but if the two pieces are wobbling even before you’ve used glue, then it’s probably not a good fit. Glue can only fix so much!

Keep looking for rocks until you find ones with the right shape that seem like they fit together. As in…puzzle style to your bigger rock.

You don’ t want to keep gluing turtle feet back on! Seek a natural seal between the rocks and you should be fine.

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Kids love painted rocks!

I still can’t believe the money spent on toys. Toys that hardly get used.

My mom just spray-painted smooth rocks in some pastel colors like lilac, pink, yellow and green. She also did some gold ones.

My two girls alongside their cousin loved manipulating them while playing imaginatively together.

She even took a piece of lace to lay on the top of a few of them to create quite an effect on top of the rock. Of course, all three girls fought over the gold rocks! Ha.

And it is funny watching kids play with the ducks in the duck pond.

They just love moving those ducks around in a dirt-cheap Playmobil kind of way and it’s interesting to watch them.

The eight ducklings get maneuvered around their sparkling blue pond as it rests on the coffee table. Lots of singing is involved!

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Just a little thought….

From time to time, we’re all looking for a handmade gift, something small and special to accompany a gift card or box of chocolates.

How about a painted rock paperweight? For the teacher in the shape of an apple? Or a pumpkin? How cute is that.

And this Fall, I’ve really been enjoying my “rock” pumpkins adorning my “real” pumpkins on my small front porch.

Mix together, they look great and are all natural materials.

 What would you like to create out of rocks?

84 Comments

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janis C says

    August 7, 2021 at 9:45 am

    So cute!

    Reply
    • Donna L Holder says

      September 4, 2021 at 1:07 am

      so neat looks like fun

      Reply
  2. Carol Naes says

    August 7, 2021 at 9:58 am

    cute, but not for me

    Reply
  3. Audrey says

    August 7, 2021 at 10:14 am

    the ducklings are so cute!

    Reply
  4. Chad Boyd says

    August 7, 2021 at 12:58 pm

    This would be a cool project to do with the little! Thanks. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Penny Branson LeBaron says

    August 7, 2021 at 1:31 pm

    I love painted rock art and I love the people that leave them out for others to find

    Reply
  6. Christina Gould says

    August 7, 2021 at 2:19 pm

    I’ve never seen this done before. Very cool. Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  7. Jennylyn Gross says

    August 7, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    Cool thanks for the info

    Reply
  8. Colleen Debs says

    August 7, 2021 at 2:44 pm

    Very colorful

    Reply
  9. David Farrell says

    August 7, 2021 at 3:50 pm

    what a great idea to keep a group busy

    Reply
  10. Tish Blackwood says

    August 7, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    gorgeous!

    Reply
  11. donna porter says

    August 7, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    What a great idea when I have the nieces and nephews for a few days. They would really enjoy this activity!

    Reply
  12. Tony Platz says

    August 7, 2021 at 5:10 pm

    I love to do rock art .

    Reply
  13. paige chandler says

    August 7, 2021 at 6:23 pm

    So cool and awesome activity to share with the kids.

    Reply
  14. Thomas Gibson says

    August 7, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    My niece would love doing this.

    Reply
  15. Jennifer Hedden says

    August 7, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    This is such a fun idea! Love that you can paint yourself or have the kids paint them. My favorites are the ducks and turtles! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  16. Sherry McCarthy says

    August 7, 2021 at 11:02 pm

    Great ideas! Perfect as gifts and decor.

    Reply
  17. Mary Meadows says

    August 8, 2021 at 7:46 am

    My Grandchildren would enjoy this!

    Reply
    • Elissa Hammond says

      August 8, 2021 at 2:38 pm

      My mom actually paints inspiring rocks and leaves them around town. Love this!

      Reply
  18. cynthia says

    August 8, 2021 at 10:34 am

    So simple and easy to make.

    Reply
  19. cylina williams says

    August 8, 2021 at 10:40 am

    Very creative and a great activity

    Reply
  20. Lori Byrd says

    August 8, 2021 at 10:53 am

    Such a fun thing to do with my grandchildren.

    Reply
  21. Bradley Marquis says

    August 8, 2021 at 11:15 am

    cool

    Reply
  22. CYNTHIA CHAMBERLAIN says

    August 8, 2021 at 11:18 am

    That’s a great idea. I am always looking for new craft ideas to do with my 5 year old granddaughter

    Reply
  23. Charles Irvin says

    August 8, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    Cool

    Reply
  24. Vicki Davis says

    August 8, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    Neato❣️

    Reply
  25. Rena T Walter says

    August 8, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    I do live the painted rocks!

    Reply
  26. irina says

    August 8, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    Turtles and fish

    Reply
  27. Christina Wahrmund says

    August 8, 2021 at 5:11 pm

    How creative! Will have to try this.

    Reply
  28. Christina Wahrmund says

    August 8, 2021 at 5:12 pm

    Someone is creative. Will have to try this.

    Reply
  29. Debbie Rhoades says

    August 8, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    What a wonderful idea for entertaining and teaching children! Thank you for this.

    Reply
  30. Sandra McFadden says

    August 8, 2021 at 6:01 pm

    So cute I have friends who pain on rocks and paint rocks and assemble them to look like critters.

    Reply
  31. Joann Higbie says

    August 8, 2021 at 6:27 pm

    Very cute craft to do with the children….great for their imagination.

    Reply
  32. Sarah+Bridges says

    August 8, 2021 at 9:29 pm

    So cute and fun! I’d like to try making sea creatures and fish.

    Reply
  33. David M. says

    August 8, 2021 at 10:05 pm

    These gardening ideas and products are so very novel.

    Reply