Rock Painting 101 – How to Get Started Painting Rocks
This is our Rock Painting 101 resource, all things associated with getting started with rock painting. Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, we’ve jumped on the rock painting trend with fervor!
Whether it’s rock painting or painted pebbles you’re interested in, this is such a fun family activity.
My daughter and I both like coming up with designs and working together on them at the dining room table. It’s a wonderful activity to spend time with kids.
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Rock Painting Starter Kit
You’ve probably got everything you need to get started painting rocks. Below are a few of the supplies we use over and over, no matter the project.
Be sure to grab some cute clipart for easy story stones, too. Using clipart makes it so fun and even very small kids can do it.
- paint
- our favorite, no-fail paint pens
- gold and silver ‘cheater’ paint
- foam brushes and foam daubers
- detail brushes and clay tools (great for dotting and words)
- Indoor Sealant (ModPodge works, too)
- outdoor sealant
- oven-bake or air dry clay (we prefer to use this clay)
- rocks (Home Depot US sells bags and individual river rocks but you can use anything you can find, including slate) – note: it is illegal to remove some rocks from protected areas. Please be mindful of the local, state, and national laws.
- this rock primer to make rocks smoother for more intricate designs or a smooth finish
Tips and Tricks
- You don’t need a base coat on every rock.
- If you have a very porous rock, a base coat would be a good idea.
- Use a smaller brush than you think you’ll need, other than for base coats.
- When adding clay pieces to a rock, fit them tightly but make sure you can get them off without much warping. The pieces will get slightly smaller after you bake them.
- Experiment!
- Make a rock stand and save yourself a lot of trouble ;)
Mistakes and How to Fix Them and Rock Painting Tips
- If you make a mistake with acrylic paint while rock painting, let it dry and then lightly scratch it off.
- Paint over them – almost anything can be covered.
- You can use nail polish remover if you have a single layer of paint to remove.
- When the paint won’t cover, wipe it off and paint it white. Then, cover with the color you desire.
- Use outlines to cover small mistakes and make the really colors pop.
Rock Painting Video Tutorials
From animals to amazing gems, we’re sharing all of our videos in one place. Note: not all projects have a video.
I’m a visual learner and if you are, too, click here for a ton of rock painting video tutorials.
Rock Painting 101: Project Ideas
Character Rock Painting Ideas
From Harry Potter to the heroes of Star Wars, here are some of our favorite character rock painting tutorials:
- Baby Yoda rock painting idea
- Harry Potter story stones and rock paintings
- fall gnome rock painting tutorials
Animal Rock Painting Ideas
You can see all of our animal rock painting ideas here, but to get you started…
- dog rock painting tutorial
- easy unicorn rock painting ideas
- adorable fox rock painting tutorials (3 ways)
Christmas Rock Painting Tutorials
If you need a lot of inspiration, our holiday and Christmas rock painting tutorials are listed here. Just a few:
- gingerbread house rock painting
- snow globe rock painting tutorial and stand DIY
- Christmas gnome rock painting ideas
Story Stone Tutorials
I loved making these full sets of story stones tutorials for learning and play. Here are a few we loved sharing: