Name: Painting Rocks - Best Supplies for Painting and Decorating Rocks
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Painting Rocks - Best Supplies for Painting and Decorating Rocks

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Skip to contentAs an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links. See our full disclosure here.Painting rocks is easier than it looks and it’s also quite addicting once you get started. It can be difficult to figure out the best supplies and techniques so I thought I’d create a guide based on my experience.For years I sold&nbsp;my painted stones on Etsy, but now I prefer to share what I’ve learned so that others can enjoy painting rocks as much as I do. This post has a lot of great ways to get started painting rocks. You’ll also want to check out my Rock Art Handbook that’s available on Amazon with over 30 tutorials for painting rocks.Here are a few different places to find flat rocks, but first take a little walk around the neighborhood, you may by surprised what you find. Avoid buying rocks that have a wax film over them to make them shiny. This makes it difficult for paint or markers to adhere to the rock.See my recommendation below for my favorite brand of acrylics.Below are some of my paintbrushes for rock painting . You don’t need to spend a fortune on your brushes, the most important factor is keeping the brush size small.Another great option for painting on rocks, especially if you struggle with acrylic paint are paint pens and markers.If you want to doodle on your rocks using regular markers these Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens are my favorite. Shown in the pic below. You can see all the different ways I use them in this post. You will need to paint a white acrylic base on your stones if you are using these markers.For creating black outline around finished designs, I love these Micron Pens and these Faber-Castell pens. &nbsp;I like having a variety of sizes for different thicknesses. You just need to be sure the paint is completely dry before using the pen or else you risk ruining the tip of your pen with paint.These white gel pens are great for fine details and designs on painted rocks.Chalk marker are such a great option for rocks, especially when crafting with kids. Here is great option&nbsp;Chalk Markers. &nbsp;NOTE: For the chalk markers you will most likely need to paint a white acrylic base on your stone first, unless your rock is already a light color.These chalk crayons are another great option when doing rock crafts with kids. &nbsp;You can use them to draw directly onto the rock. See the pic above for reference.&nbsp;When it comes to sealing rocks I prefer to keep the matte natural look of the rock as I usually don’t cover the rock completely with paint. I&nbsp;mostly use this favorite spray sealer by Design Masters. This spray sealant will work no matter what you use to decorate rocks. And it will not smear your design as sometimes other sealants might. If you want a glass-like glossy finish, you will love this gloss spray sealant option! Be sure to spray in a well-ventilated area.OTHER SUPPLIESYou can read more about other supplies I love for painting rocks in this post about doodling on rocks&nbsp;and this post about&nbsp;creative ways to decorate rocks.Before you get started painting rocks you’re probably wondering if you need to do something to your rocks first to prep them.&nbsp;For the thousands of rocks that I’ve painted I simply wash the rocks outside with a house and let them dry and I’ve never had any problems with decorating them using the supplies I prefer.Start with a base coat using white acrylic paint that either covers the area you’ll be painting or the entire rock. Having this white base coat underneath acts as a primer for the rock and helps brighten the other paint colors.Paint the basic design using the main colors.Go back and add more details and design with additional colors.Outline the finished design with a fine black pen for enhanced detail.Use a sealer to protect you finished design.Here are some fun and easy rock painting ideas that are great for beginners to try.Have fun coming up with with different painted rock people. Get creative with their clothing, facial expressions and accessories. Using multiple rocks makes the project even more fun. You can even create your own family portrait.Ladybugs are a great and simple rock painting idea for kids and adults. You can make your ladybugs different colors or even different themes.Who doesn’t love a colorful alphabet project. Paint your own alphabet rocks and then use the letters to spell out messaged for friends and family. You can glue the rocks down on a piece of wood or canvas to make a special gift.If you want to put a smile on someone’s face you can make your own kindness rocks. Pick inspiring words or phrases and add them to your rocks. If you’re looking to order some kindness rocks check out the Rainbow Rock Project on Etsy!&nbsp;You can create decorative rocks for all of the holidays! Check out these rock painting posts for inspiration.Looking for more rock art inspiration? Check out my book, The Rock Art Handbook! It has over 30 different rock art tutorials featuring dot painting, marbling, embellishments, decoupaging and much more. In the book I go in-depth on different art supplies that you can use on rocks and provide a ton of tutorials to get your creativity flowing..Are you ready to start painting rocks? &nbsp;Make sure you check out all of my other rocks posts for more ideas. Also I’d love to see what you’re creating. Come find my on Facebook or Instagram and share your beautiful creations.Sharing is caring!The pictures of my rock doodles are some of my most popular pictures on my Instagram page. The first question I get asked is where do I find such smooth rocks? I’m lucky enough to live near a beach filled with them, but if you’re having trouble finding your own, I see some places below…Last school year I had a lot of fun doing kid art projects with my son’s first grade class. The class loved the Halloween Picasso Frankenstein art project&nbsp;we did as well as our Jim Dine inspired liquid watercolor hearts. But I think the hands down favorite project was when I taught the kids watercolor painting…It’s actually incredibly easy to turn watercolor pencils into a paint palette. This is a great idea for taking your art and sketchbooks on the go. It’s also a great way to great some fun watercolor coloring pages for the kiddos. See below for my recommended products as well as my favorite watercolor pencils. Supplies…I love decorating gingerbread houses at Christmas time so I thought it might be just as fun to create painted rock gingerbread houses as a fun Christmas rock painting craft. You could use this same concept and also turn your houses into painted rock fairy houses as another great option. Not only do these painted…I have a love hate relationship with glitter. I love the look of it and it’s an amazing craft material but it is absolutely no fun to clean-up. For this project I used a large foil type of glitter which made &nbsp;clean-up much easier than using fine glitter, plus I love the iridescent look. These…Abbi here from Abbi Kirsten Collections. I’m excited to be guest posting and sharing this fun tropical leaf paper banner project on Color Made Happy.&nbsp;I’ve been feeling a bit tropical in the studio since the heat of summer has official arrived! If you are planning a summer barbecue or maybe a festive luau party, this…I like to wash my rocks in my dishwasher. They come out clean, sanitize, and dry ready for painting.ReplyDirt washes off of rocks and settles in pipes if you wash your rocks in the sink or dishwasher.Replyoh darn I didnt think of that… ty ty!!! gotta have hubby clean my trap area!!ReplyI do also wash mine in the dishwasher.ReplyI would think if you rinse them with a hose first, washing them in the dishwasher would be OK. Then again. I am not a plumberReplyI am going to share this to my Rock group – NSW Friendly Rocks on Facebook. I can’t wait to try some of these ideas out! Not sure if we can get hold of the Martha Stewart paints here is Australia, but I will go on the hunt this week. Thanks for posting, Samantha.ReplyJust on line and search for it. You should be able to order it online but really any paint will do. good luck. I would love to see your website. I am in Texas and my rock club isbelton rocks.com and with the space or you can search for Belton TX rock clubgood luckReplyYou can order Martha Stewart paint from Amazon!ReplyThanks for sharing your knowledge. Do the posca pens come in a set or do you have to buy them individually?ReplyPingback: Tips and Tools for Drawing on Rocks - Color Made HappyI love your painted rocks. I am going to paint alot of rocks soon, I never done this before so I will practice to make it look better. What if I make mistake, how can I remove some paint at some spots and not start all over again? Thanks for great tips!ReplyIs there a store that I can purchase the pin paints from, becides the net?ReplyWe are having our whole schoolPaint rocks for a project. With 800 kids painting, can you use tempera paint and then apply a waterproof sealant?ReplyPingback: Rock Crafts for Kids - 25 Creative Rock Painting Ideas - Color Made HappyI found outdoor mod podge. I’m giving that a try for mine at Michaels.ReplyYou gave me so many different ideas! Thank you..I’m painting rocks for soveniors to take with one for a 100+ Celebration of life party on August 13. I hope I can get that many done. Thanks again. I seen many simple and fastly done but pretty…I got all my rocks at the Dollar store and they are flat and BLACK! Shiny too. I have a spray can of Rust-Oleum 2 times ultra cover. Will this seal my rocks so the paint stays on them.. Would you agree? Please help!!!ReplyJust a heads up on the rocks from the dollar stores… namely Dollar Tree. You might do a test and see if your paints cover. Because most of them are covered with a waxy coating. Very deceiving because you can’t scratch it off, and they are called “Polished”, and they are sorta are, but decor rocks have that finish- at least at the Dollar Tree. They are still a great source for rocks, I’m still working on my batch. 😀 Knowing that- I was able to put a little effort into them- I soaked them in hot water and Dawn and a little baking soda, maybe 30 minutes. Very little elbow grease I was able to use a green scrubby to get the last of the wax out of any divots or rough spots – I would NOT dump the water down the drain since it’s waxy. But I was a little surprised the rocks were not actually black. :/ I bought them because I liked the size and shapes (relatively small, mostly smooth and flat-ish) So for that- knowing what to expect it was mostly worth it . The coating might not cause an issue with the paint itself, but probably when you seal it, if you choose to do so. I went this route because I was new to rocks and felt it was a good option to see if it was worth the hobby. (it was)ReplyHi I’m knew to painting rocks.I’m A elderly lady , that always needs A HobbieAnd something different to try.So what I need now ,is to get my supplies.You have given very good instructions.Thank you, for sharing!ReplyPingback: Free Kindness Rock Painting at Michaels Craft Stores - Color Made HappyBIG THANK YOU!!! I used to tole paint with my sister but when she passed away I lost inspiration. I picked up paint brushes again for the ‘kindness rock’ project &amp; your rocks have been a huge inspiration! I just ordered the pens to try. Thank you again!ReplyWhat about sharpie pens? Do those work well on rocks?ReplyThanks for the great post on painting rocks. Haven’t painted any rocks in decades and looking forward to painting some!BTW, when I was about 19, I bought some blue engine paint for my 1969 Mustang. I sprayed a few smooth round rocks with the left over paint. Forty years later, those rocks are still blue!ReplyI meant to add that the rocks have been outside the entire time…tough paint!ReplyCan you use puff paint like the stuff for t shirts?ReplyWhat do you set the rocks on to dry after spraying with clear sealer. Mine are sticking to everything.ReplyPingback: Sugar Skull Rocks Using Puffy Paint - Color Made HappyI’m not very artistic and I will like to sell some rocks to raise money for our nonprofit organization that raise awareness for veterans suffering from PTSD and MST. Can I used transfer stickers or tatoos or small stencils.ReplyIs there a “safe” paint and marker for painti g alphabet rocks that a toddler will play with? I’m so confused with so much research I’ve done!Thank you.ReplyCan you sand rocks to smooth them someReplyI got a lovely bag of white cobbles from a builders merchants here in the UK. They are powdery to start with, but after washing and drying they are perfect for painting.ReplyI am having hard time with yellows and oranges covering the rock. Any brand cover in one coat?ReplyCan you use stamps on flat rocks? I carve my own stamps and would love to use them.I would also love to sell some of my finished rocks to help me pay my medical bills. ☺ReplyPingback: 12 spectacular sugar skull craft ideas for Dia de Los MuertosRock novice, poor eyesight &amp; shaky hands. Not good with the art work but I’ve read a lot of good tips. Discovered rock art through my local f group Bucks Rocks. Hoping to move on from Relocation Specialist to Artist.ReplyI seen a cute idea just using stick figures. Should I just use a fine point pen or markers ???ReplyA project for the physically challenged is to paint the rock a solid or mix of colors, When dry add a symbol, I.e. chinese,A second project is to mix colors on a plate, (foam works well) them when you like the pattern dip the rock in and pick up carefully,ReplyI love all these great tips and ideas. I’m planning something for my friend’s 60th birthday to follow up on a rock I gave her for her 40th that was engraved with “at least you’re not as old as this rock”. Your suggestions for supplies is perfect and just what I was looking for. Thank you for sharing!ReplyI want to thank you for taking the time to show others how to have fun while creating beautiful, fun art pieces with rocks! I bought a rock kit to start, and I had a difficult time getting the paint to stick. I was disappointed, as I wanted to do something light and fun with my daughter; hoping it could be an ongoing activity. I came looking for help on the internet, and found your wonderful post immediately! I don’t even have to look for any more instruction! You’ve brightened my day with color, and offered me the silver lining with a smile, after a dark, cold week! Thank you, and God bless you, in Jesus’ name! Nature is the best art!The Silver Lining at angelaslittleattic.comReplyDo the rocks have to be completely dry for the sealant? I run a children’s department and thought about painting rocks, but I know kids will want to take them home when they’re done. Any suggestions for speed drying, or sealing while wet? Thanks.ReplyPingback: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Painted Rocks • Color Made HappyHow long does the sealant take to dry? I am thinking of making about 50 with a group, prepainting some and having the participants put on their on touches with markers. If they are sprayed with sealant when they are done, would they be dry enough in 30 minutes to transport in a plastic container?ReplyI have 7painted rocks by an artist. They are beautiful, a very thin rock and a pin was put on the back to wear it. Sample of one is a cottage, with flowers around and a window box filled with flowers. She had brushes with 1 and 2 bristles in them, worked under a magnifying glass. These I see you do are adorable. Wish I was artistic. Loved your whole page of help and ideas. Thank you for sharing it.ReplyThank you so much for sharing your talent and not keeping your knowledge a secret ?. I have the supplies, now I just need to make time to start!!ReplyHello,I am so impressed with the craft work. I work for a public library and I want to help kids make some galaxy rocks for a craft. I don’t have a large budget so I’m going to have to buy some of the items myself. Would it work if I substituted the Martha Stewart black matte paint for spray paint? That way I can get a larger number of rocks painted and ready for the craft with less $ and in a larger quantity. I want to try to follow the rest of your instructions as close as possible. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!ReplyThank you so much for recommending the matt spray sealant by Design Masters. I used matt Mod Podge and sure enough over time the stones I used Micron pens on have badly faded. So disappointing on very detailed pieces. I just ordered the spray sealant. Thank you again!ReplyI live on the Moray Firth in Scotland where smooth beach stonesare plentyful. After watching your article I cannot wait to give ita try. THANKS !!!!ReplyI am having problems with my painted rock smearing when I seal them. I am using good products. How long should rocks sit before sealing?ReplyHello – all I have is Crayola washable paint (as we’re in n apartment with no outdoor space!). Do you think this would work?ReplyHi, I was just wondering if anyone knows if this-Design Master® Clear Finish, Matte is the same as the one that is recommended above..I found it at Michaels, it has the same number on the can as this one “169” but the can looks completely different. Here is a link to the page I don’t know if a link will work on here but ill try anyway.http://www.michaels.com/design-master-clear-finish-matte/10064488.html?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_National_PLA_Shopping_Null_Null_All+Products_General-_-All-Products&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwhqXbBRAREiwAucoo-_tbboNK-f9cmaZCK_Ldu8AsOPL-IgyPZFtXOY_P93HLLdEz72le7hoCJu4QAvD_BwE—————————–Im sorry its such a long link 🙁 but ty in advance for any repliesReplysome great ideas here, Indeed like to share with my group NWRocks based out of WA and ORReplyThank you for providing such great information on rock painting. I am going to try this as an art project for my grandsons.ReplyDo you still need to apply sealant to Posca paint pens to preserve rock designs for outdoors?ReplyThis site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.I’m Sam, and I love color and making happy things. The best compliment I could receive is that my projects and pictures make you smile.

Skip to contentAs an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links. See our full disclosure here.Painting rocks is easier than it looks and it’s also quite addicting once you get started. It can be difficult to figure out the best supplies and techniques so I thought I’d create a guide based on my experience.For years I sold&nbsp;my painted stones on Etsy, but now I prefer to share what I’ve learned so that others can enjoy painting rocks as much as I do. This post has a lot of great ways to get started painting rocks. You’ll also want to check...

Painting Rocks - Best Supplies for Painting and Decorating Rocks

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