Painting Rocks: Easy Ideas and Tips

Painted rocks are a lot of fun to make.

They're a super easy craft for adults and kids, make great gifts and fun home decor accents.

Check out my easy tips to look like a painting pro!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that summertime is when I really get to dive into crafting.

I can step away from the home decor and repair DIYs and play with all the fun stuff I have stashed away in my craft closet.

I can experiment, make frivolous, fun projects, upcycle and when they let me, involve my kids.

Although truth be told, lately, it's been them telling me to step away from the computer screen and join them at the kitchen table to craft.

Of course, I'm always thrilled.

This week, we painted rocks.

I don't really have a fancy tutorial for this one.

It's a pretty basic concept, but here's how we did it, the rock painting supplies we used and a few tips.

How To Paint Rocks

First, things first. There are no rules. Have fun with this process.  

1. Collect Your Rocks

Go outside on a warm summer day, without shoes.

Pad around on the hot ground gathering rocks of all shapes and sizes. Pick up a few super teeny, tiny pebbles and some larger, more substantial stones.

You don't even have to leave your yard.

The more diverse your collection, the more choices you'll have when it comes to design. The most important consideration is that they all have a relatively smooth surface for painting.

Of course, being barefoot is not a requirement, but it is summer. You may as well enjoy nature while you're hunting.

Even if that part's not really crafty.

2. Rinse Them Off To Remove Any Dirt Or Dust

You want your painting surface to be free of any debris.

Don't use soap, just rinse with plain water and scrub them with a paper towel or your fingers if necessary.

3. Air Dry Them

I place my rocks on a paper towel to dry so they will be free of any dust or lint.

Once that stuff gets caught in a paint brush, it's a mess to get rid of.

4. Decide On A Design For Your Artwork

My daughter was in charge of this one.

She had a ton of ideas.

She even checked Pinterest for inspiration. Your choices are limitless, regardless of your interests, age and/ or skill level.

Have something in mind? If you can paint it, I say go for it!

5. Grab Your Paint And Get To Work

It's actually easier than you think to get professional results.

Start with a base coat. We used Americana acrylic paint <---like this - and let it dry. It works great.

However, in recent years, I've actually started with spray paint as a base coat like I did on my shell Christmas tree. It covers evenly and provides a strong base coat for your artwork.  

If necessary, rough out your pattern on the rock.

If you are not confident in your freehand skills, you can use tracing paper and a pencil to sketch your design onto the newly painted surface.

I recommend using bristle brushes as opposed to foam for this type of project.

Sometimes, the foam brushes can leave small bubbles in the wake of application.

Teeny, tiny brushes <---like these - ones with a pointed tip, work well on pebbles or details.

Don't be afraid to add your own accents to your artwork and if you make a mistake a little water will take the wet paint right off.

I use pointed q-tips <-- like these for make up, to erase paint in tight spots.

They're great for projects in any season.

6. Add A Top Coat

To seal, protect and make your rocks really pop, add a top coat of decoupage gel or glitter paint. If you're going to display them outside I recommend a spray sealer.

On one of our rocks we used DecoArt's Craft Twinkles in Crystal for a little sparkle.

Again, I recommend brushes for application.

7. Display Your Creations Or Give Them Away

They are great little DIY decor accents for the everyday and holidays.

They are also really cute personalized gifts, just wrap them up pretty for Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, Christmas, baby and wedding showers, anniversaries, graduations.

For example, some easy rock painting ideas are initials, years, school names.

Kindness rocks, mandalas.

You don't need to paint a picture.

There is no end to what you can put on a rock.

We made little bugs to decorate my kitchen.

A sheep, because I'm a farm girl at heart.

And a very special gift for super sports fan.

Like many of the crafts I do, the possibilities here are truly endless. If you can dream it, you can paint it.

No right, no wrong.

There are no rules.

And I love that.


Especially in summer!

How about you?


 Hey, before you go, did you know that I was a designer for All Free Holiday Crafts and have a profile there with some of my most popular crafty ideas? It's true!

It's a great website filled with holiday projects and easy instructions.

As a matter of fact, there's a neat post with a different rock painting technique that I love. If you're looking for some more painting inspiration, you should check it out!