Rock painting craft ideas with pebbles and stones

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details.

Rock painting is an ancient art. Make hand painted rocks, painted pebbles, painted stones and rock painting crafts like stone art with ideas. Learn the basics of how to paint various designs on rocks?

Whether you like to use stones, pebbles or rocks to make art, they are all fun to paint depending on the project you have in mind. Create decorative rocks to brighten up your home and garden. Let the kids learn and have fun making painted rocks (painted pebbles or painted stones) for themselves.

Make learning time interesting for your toddlers, kindergartners, and preschoolers with interactive learning activities using watercolors, acrylic paints, sharpies, markers and even glitter pens. Enjoy a few family games with a twist by using painted rocks.

Rock painting craft ideas

DECORATIVE ROCK PAINTING

Drawing on rocks paints and supply list

You can use a variety of paints and supplies on rocks. Basically anything you like, some choices are:

Smooth rocks
acrylic paints
paint markers
Acrylic paint pens in both extra fine and medium tip for outline
Posca paint markers with fine pen tip and medium marker tip. Also available in 8 color markers
Regular markers – sharpies, Permanent markers or metallic markers for doodling and fine detail drawing. Be sure to paint the rock base white before using these markers for best results.
Black waterproof pens – Black pens or micro pens for outlining. Available in a variety of sizes for different thickness. Use it on dry paint to avoid damaging the tip of your pen.
White gel pens for details and fine designs.
Set of paint brushes – these are for watercolors but they work best with acrylic paints on rocks. Use fine tip paint brushes for details. Basic paint brushes work best for covering a large area.
pastel paints
chalk markers – fun to use with kids. Paint a white rock base before using these markers unless your rocks are light in color.
chalk crayons – fun to use with kids.
Clear finish varnish to seal and protect the surface from UV light, dust, dirt and scratches. For glossy finish use rustoleum thick glaze spray as sealant. These will not smear your paints and design. Spray in a well-ventilated area.
oil based pens – they take longer to dry

You can use blow dryer to speed up the drying process when painting pebbles.

Where can I find smooth rocks for painting?

You can find them at:

Amazon:
Landscaping supply stores, stone yards and stone depot also sell river rocks in bulk. Make sure to take your bucket.
Garden sections of Lowes and Home Depot.
Craft stores like Michaels, Dollar store and Walmart also sell rocks for decoration and crafts.

How to seal painted rocks?

Use a sealer to seal your artwork on rocks and prevent it from fading off and erasing with time.

Best Sealer: How to Waterproof Acrylic Paint on rocks

Sealer Test

How not to use painted rocks?

According to CBC news Canada, painted rocks should not be placed in the parks and forests where wildlife can access them. Using these rocks to decorate home and garden is fun, however, in open spaces animals can mistake them for food and may end up inhaling or eating potentially toxic substances like paint and glitter.

How to prepare rocks for rock painting?

Before initiating the painting process, it is important to prep the surface for best results:

Choose rocks with smooth or flat surface. You can find them in nature or craft stores also carry them.
Wash the rocks with dish soap and let them dry.
Seal the rocks with spray sealer or use a brush to coat the rocks. This will ensure the rock doesn’t absorb all the paint and dry your markers off!
Instead of sealant, you can also paint the rocks white for a better base for your rock painting.
Now that the rocks are ready, use paints of your choice to draw your art. Let it dry between layers for better results.
Use fine tip markers, small brushes or stylus to make small details.
Oil based paint markers and sharpies are best for writing messages on the rocks.
Seal the final product with a coat or two of mod podge or spray sealant to protect your beautiful rock painting art from natural elements.

Painted Rock Ideas

1. DIY Mandala Stone

via Colorful Crafts

2. Making magnets with painted rocks

via Alisa Burke

3. River Rock Garden Markers

via West Valley City Moms Blog

4. Chalkboard Rock Vase Filler

Wash the rocks and apply a fresh coat of chalkboard paint. Let it dry and write meaningful messages on it using chalk or chalk pens via B3 Home Designs.

5. Painted Word Rocks

Spread wonderful messages with word rocks and inspire your circle with this wonderful idea via Dabbles and Babbles.

6. Painted Rock Rings

These rings via Itsy Bitsy Fun reminded me of Captain Planet ‘The power is yours’.

7. Painted cactus rocks

Use acrylic paints to make this adorable decoration piece.

8. Rock family kids craft

via kentikelenis

ANIMAL ROCK PAINTING FOR KIDS

9. Painted Budgies/Parakeet Birds

10. Painted owls using sharpie

via craftionary

11. How to Make a Rock Caterpillar?

via Nellie Bellie

12. How To Paint A Bee?

via Pet A Rock Homestead

13. Rock Painting lady bugs

via Lake Shore Learning

14. Foolish Tortoise Rock Painting

via Kitchen Floor Crafts

15. Colorful rock painting monster magnets

via craftionary

16. Make DIY painted rock city

I love this idea to create a city in the backyard with a variety of rock shapes and sizes. Paint them to make houses, stores and buildings and let your imagination flow.