Rock Painting Supplies
Painting rocks is one of the oldest forms of artistic expression known to man. People have been painting on rocks for centuries. You do not need a lot of specialised materials to get started painting rocks. You can use whatever you have around the house to decorate your rocks.
Remember art is personal and your creations are not meant for a gallery but rather an outdoor setting. The enjoyment from the finders of your rock comes not from the artistic quality but that they have found something that someone has gone to the effort of painting and hiding as a good deed for an unknown stranger. Your rocks will live a life in the outdoors in the elements, so make sure you seal and protect your rocks from rain/snow/ UV light. That being said, here are some items we like to use to get good results.Recommended Paints
Undercoating your rocks with a solid color makes your design pop, but it does take away from the natural feeling of the tones of natural rock. If you are using a thick opaque paint or paint pen, undercoating is not as important as if you are using a more translucent or lighter color paint. To undercoat we like Rust-Oleum Flat White Primer. When painting, acrylic paints work best. We like to use a paint that is economical such as Apple Barrel or CraftSmart or check what your local craft store has in stock. These paints can be picked up for around $1 per 2 ounce bottle. For writing your unique code on the back of your rock avoid using sharpies, they have a tendency to fade in sunlight and run/streak when sealing your rocks, we recommend Posca paint pens (fine tip) for large rocks and Tooli-Art (0.7mm tip) for small rocks. Paint pens are also great if you don’t feel like getting all the paints out or want to trace around a stencil to get a sharp outline edge. It is more expensive to purchase paint in pen format but they are super easy to use and provide great results.Recommended Brushes
No need for elaborate fancy brushes. Something like a 20 pack of Bosobo brushes will cover you for most occasions. At less than 50 cents per brush they wont beak the bank. For a precise fine detail finish we have had great results from The Army Painter detail brush set.Recommended Sealants
It is important to protect your art from the elements. Art resin works very well and we have found it gives the best results to protect from water, UV light and rough handling. The downside is that it is more expensive than other alternatives and it requires mixing the resin and hardener together in a 50:50 ratio. It can sometimes be difficult to prepare the correct quantity, so you end up having enough resin mixed but don’t waste a whole lot because once you have combined the 2 parts, you have about 45 minutes to complete the task before it becomes too tacky to work with. Duraclear by Decoart is a varnish that is easy to use and is cheap but wont give the same durability as resin. Another alternative is ModPoge which is easy to apply and gives a good layer of protection but is not UV resistant nor waterproof. An option is to give a coat of ModPoge Dishwasher safe and then coat with Rustoleum 2X matte clear sealant. The downside is that ModPoge takes a long time to set. On the bottle it says a full cure is achieved after 28 days. The simplest sealant option would be to spray your rocks with Rustoleum 2X matte clear sealant. It is waterproof and UV resistant and provides a very thin layer of protection for your rocks.Recommended Rocks
The best rocks are free- find them in your backyard or ask a neighbour who has some land. Please don’t take rocks from private property that you do not have permission from the owner. Also be aware that taking rocks from public land is not allowed and while it may seem ok to just take one or a few rocks, if everyone did this there would be none left! If you don’t have a supply of rocks accessible to you, or you are looking for something specialised, you can sometimes find bargain landscaping stones from your local hardware or landscaping store. We like a rock on the larger size. 3 inches or more will give you plenty of space for your design and to write your message on the back. Santorini stones have an amazing white sparkling appearance with flat edges. They look phenomenal when painted and feel nice to touch but they are expensive. Is the wow factor worth it? It’s up to you to decide.Recommended Stencils
Sometimes I face artists block and stare at a rock for ages before putting any paint on it. I wonder what image to paint and what colors to use. Stencils are a great way to paint rocks quickly and to get you started when you’re having trouble deciding on the theme for a rock. We like to use a paint pen like Posca (for large rocks) or Tooli-Art (for small rocks) to trace the outline of the stencil then acrylic paint to fill in the spaces. Depending on rock size, we like stencils that are about 2-3 inches in size.Recommended books
If you would like some more direction or tutorials, there are some great books available. These books are also great to flip through if you are sitting with a rock and need some inspiration on what to paint on it. Check out these books: Scribble Stones Art Guide Rock Art Critters Rock Art Handbook Mandala Stones
