I didn’t think this scratch art rock painting project would work but it did and the results are gorgeous. You likely have everything you need on hand for this simple rock painting idea for kids (and adults)!
Related Reading: Christmas Rock Painting
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Scratch Art Rock Painting
When I dreamt up this scratch art rock painting idea, I actually didn’t think it would work. However, I was locked in when I mentioned we should try it because scratch art for kids is one of the time-tested favorites.
Who doesn’t love scratch art? You get to create on top of a colorful background and when you make your own, the options are endless.
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Supplies
We didn’t know if the craft supplies we had on hand would work, so we experimented. We tried both black acrylic paint and chalkboard paint. Use what you have on hand – after all, this is one of our easy rock painting ideas for kids.
Note: if you’re new to rock painting, here is our Get Started Page with tips and tricks and more ideas to get rock painting with kids.
The chalkboard paint was easier for my 5-year-old to scratch off but I had no problem with the acrylic, so I’m confident both will work for you. Use whatever you have on hand, including washable tempera paint.
- 1 tbsp black acrylic paint, tempera, or chalkboard paint (chalkboard paint works THE BEST)
- 1/8th of a teaspoon of dish soap (update: dish soap, not dishwasher appliance soap) ;)
- crayons (we only buy Twistables now because they’re so easy)
- rocks
- foam brushes
- something pointy (we used a skewer and a metal clay tool which worked best)
- sealant (inside we use ModPodge, outside we are switching to Minxwax Polyurethane)
Watch How Easy It Is to Make These
If you are a visual learner, I put together a quick video tutorial on how to make scratch art rock paintings.
Step by Step Scratch Art Rock Painting
Surprisingly, this craft doesn’t take a long time to set up and complete. We didn’t seal the rocks or base paint them before coloring and they look great.
Step 1: Color the rocks with crayons!
Step 2: Mix the paint and dishwasher soap until incorporated. Cover the rocks with the black paint, making sure to coat the light spots again. Just one coat will work.
Let dry completely. Ours only took about 30-minutes to dry and the chalkboard paint dried first.
Step 3: Use a tool to make designs on the scratch art rock painting project you just created!
Step 4: Seal the rocks for indoor or outdoor use.
Related Reading: Rock Painting Metallic Stones with No Paint
More Rock Painting Ideas
- Learn how to paint three fox rock painting ideas for beginners.
- These Kawaii weather story stones are bound to make learning fun.
- Who doesn’t love a rainbow? Learn to blend paint pens for rock painting.
Over to You
Have you jumped on the rock painting craze yet? If not, this scratch art rock painting idea is sure to please even the youngest artist.
jessie
Sunday 8th of July 2018
Hi, I was wondering what ratio of black paint-to-dishwasher soap you used? and also if you meant the kind that actually goes into the appliance or just dishsoap? Thanks!
Sarah Nenni-Daher
Sunday 8th of July 2018
We used a tiny Dixie cup for the paint, so I would say no more than a tablespoon of black paint and 1/8 of a teaspoon for the dish soap.
And yes, dish soap (to wash dishes in the sink, not the dishwasher). ;)
Hope that helps!