Painted Easter Rocks
Springtime is quickly approaching, and Easter will soon be here. My house is usually filled to the brim with friends and family to celebrate. Unfortunately, that also means I could have a house full of tired kids looking for something to do. I try to have several activities ready to go for them, including an area for painting rocks.
Many kids will love sitting down with a rock and some paint and letting their imaginations run wild. Others will want a pattern or a picture to follow. I always try to have a few pre-painted rocks on the table to inspire and give them some ideas. I am going to show a couple that I made. One is very easy and the other, more complicated. I recommend having a few choices for the kids; you will likely have a variety of age levels that you are working with.
We are going to follow our 4Ps approach to rock painting. To review, the 4Ps are Prime, Pencil, Paint and Protect.
Painted Easter Rocks Design 1: Chick in Egg
Let’s start with a simple chick trying to hatch from an egg. The chick is a simple oval shape with eyes and nose. He has broken a big section of the egg and is peeping out. We will add the hole and some cracks to finish the design.
Prime: I primed this rock using two coats of white acrylic paint. I love to use Folk Art brand paint in vintage white. Priming your rock will fill in any small holes, even out the color of the rock, and provide a good paint base for the rest of your design to adhere to. I find using good quality acrylic paint is important for this step. It works great when I don’t have to apply numerous coats of paint and spend my entire day waiting for it to dry. Folk Art is usually great after two coats and dries quickly.
Pencil: Using a pencil, I drew the outline of the chick and added a wavy circle for the crack in the egg. I also drew the chick’s face and some cracking around the edge of the circle. When drawing an initial design on a rock, I always use a pencil so I can erase any mistakes. I do not draw a lot of details, those pencil lines would get lost under the layers of paint in the next step.
Paint: My favorite tools to use are Posca paint markers. I love the coverage they give, they dry quickly, and they are easy to handle. Paint markers are a great option for kids especially. I began with a yellow paint marker for the chick’s body. I filled in the hole with gray. I also used a bit of black and orange on the face.
Once that was dry, which only took a couple of minutes, I began adding details to the design. I used a black marker to outline the chick. I also outlined the hole and added more lines to the cracks. I wanted to add some more detail to the chick’s face so I used black to outline, added a few loose feathers to the top of his head and placed a couple of white dots in the eyes.
Protect: I sealed both rocks at the same time, so that process is described below.
Painted Easter Rocks Design 2: Bunny in Basket
This design is a little more involved. It would be great for older kids or something that you might pre-draw and let a younger child paint.
Prime: I also used two coats of Folk Art Vintage White acrylic paint to prime this rock.
Pencil: Using a pencil, I drew the basket with a handle and a checkered pattern. The bunny is facing away, you see the bottom of his feet, fluffy tail and ears.
Paint: Using Posca paint markers, I filled in the basket first, I used pink, light blue, and light purple, alternating the colors as I went. Light purple was used on the basket handle. Then, I used darker paint for the pads of the bunny’s feet. Finally, I used a white paint marker for the body of the bunny.
To add detail, I used a black paint marker to outline everything on the bunny and the basket. Finally, I used sky blue to fill in the remaining surface area.
Protect: Sealing your painted Easter rocks is a step that should not be skipped. Applying a sealer will help your design stand up to the elements and last a lot longer. There are many different ways to seal a rock. I prefer to use a clear, acrylic spray sealer. You can find these anywhere that they sell spray paint or painting supplies. Be sure to follow the instructions on your sealer to get the best results. I recommend using a spray sealer outside so that you have proper ventilation. If you would like more information on sealing rocks, please see my article here: How to Seal Painted Rocks.
These rocks are just adorable. Your house is going to be alive with laughter and creativity this Easter.
Happy Easter!