Now that it’s summer, my kids and I have been exploring our local creeks. We’ve found a couple cool shaped rocks on our exploration and got the idea to paint our own rocks. So follow along as we learn to paint our own rocks.
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Supplies Needed to Paint Rocks
All of the supplies listed below are linked with our recommended products. So you can click each supply to purchase are favorite supplies.
- Rocks – you can go search outdoors for cool ones or you can purchase craft ones like the ones linked here
- Acrylic paints – These Folk Art acrylic paints are my favorite! They are so smooth and vibrant. They are also outdoor acrylic paints, so they are able to withstand the elements better.
- Paintbrushes
- Paintbrush water cup – check out this awesome brush cleaner
- Plastic tablecloth or newspaper
- Polyurethane spray or Outdoor Modge Podge – this step is optional but a good option to protect your rock from the outdoor elements
How to Paint Rocks
1. First, find the rocks that you’d like to paint. I like to make this a fun adventurous activity for me and my kids to participate in. So we go and explore the creek and try to find the coolest and uniquely shaped rocks. However, you can just purchase craft rocks like the ones linked above in the supplies section.
2. Next, clean the rocks thoroughly. I used a scrub brush and dish soap to scrub them good and left them out to dry fully.
3. Then get creative and brainstorm something fun to paint onto your rock. We had a perfectly shaped triangle rock. So I thought it would be fun to paint it like a slice of pizza. My daughter found a rock that was shaped like a fish. So she planned to paint her rock like a rainbow colored fish.
4. Next lay down some type of tablecloth or newspaper to help protect your table service
5. Then paint your rocks however you’d like using acrylic paints. I have found that acrylic paints adhere to rocks the best, dry the quickest, and are typically water resistant once dry.
5. Once the rocks are dry, spray a polyurethane sealant (or apply an outdoor modge podge) onto the rocks to help protect them even more from the elements. This step is optional though!
6. Then marvel at your creations and have fun playing with them! We are planning on adding our food painted rocks to our outdoor mud kitchen which is a fun idea or you can hide them for someone to find.
Would you give this craft a try? If so, let us know your ideas for what to paint the rocks! Also, check out some of our other fun craft ideas that are linked below!
