Coffee Lover
I will admit that I am not a coffee drinker. I am more of a tea person. However, I do love the smell of coffee and every time I try it I am disappointed that it does not taste as good as it smells.
One of my friends is coffee obsessed. It is to the point that the barista at Starbucks knows her order and starts on it when she sees her walking in the door. I don’t normally worry about what to get her for her birthday, a new mug and a Starbucks gift card will normally do the trick. But I wanted to do something different this year. I decided to make some coffee painted rocks to gift to her. I am going to stick with three basic coffee shapes for this article; mug, travel cup, and coffee pot.
Supply List for Coffee Painted Rocks
• Smooth, flat Rocks
• Acrylic sealer, spray or paint on
• Acrylic paint markers in assorted colors
• Acrylic paint in assorted colors
• Other supplies: table cloth, paper plate, pencil
Coffee Painted Rocks – Choosing and Priming Your Rocks
When choosing a rock for a project, keep in mind that the size and shape matter. I would not want to paint The Statue of Liberty on a tiny pebble. I normally purchase rocks at Hobby Lobby or on Amazon. Purchased rocks tend to be flatter and bigger than what I find out on a stroll in the park. But I live in Oklahoma, we are not exactly known for having an abundance of rocks.
The rocks I chose were about 2 to 3 inches in diameter and had a flat surface. I will often put a primer coat of paint on the rock before painting the design. A primer coat helps to fill in holes, it provides coverage when your rock is a darker color and will help the paint for your design adhere to the rock better. A primer coat can be any color you choose. Mostly I will use white, but I will use other colors depending on what I am painting.
Here is some more information on priming rocks if you would like to read further.
How to Prepare Rocks for Painting?
Coffee Painted Rocks Design 1: Travel Mug
Let’s make this one a bit harder. We are going to make a travel mug of coffee. These cups are a thick paper material with a protective sleeve and a fitted lid. The colors vary, but I am starting with a general idea for you. I painted the rock with two coats of primer. I used metallic pink paint for this step. Then, I sketched the travel mug, which looks a lot like a cylinder with a top hat.
Then, I used paint markers to color the mug, tan for the body, dark brown for the sleeve, and white for the lid.
For the details, I used a black paint marker to outline the different sections of the mug. I also used black for the shading lines on the lid and the quote ‘I love you like I love coffee’. Finally, I added the texture to the sleeve using a tan marker.
Coffee Painted Rock2 Design 2: Coffee Pot
I think the coffee pot is a bit harder to draw because of the shape of the mouth and handle, so I saved it for last. You see a lot of different shapes for coffee pots, I went with what I would consider a classic diner-style coffee pot.
I began by putting two coats of metallic blue acrylic paint for a primer. I love the metallic colors from Folk Art. They give a nice shine to the rock. I used a pencil to lightly sketch the drawing of the pot on the left side of the rock.
I used a white paint marker to outline the pot and leave a shine mark. Then I used a black paint marker for the lip and the handle of the pot. I added the coffee to the pot with a brown marker, leaving a small space between the coffee and the edge of the pot to give the illusion of a thick glass pot.
Then, I added the saying ‘you’re brewtiful’ in black, a red heart, and steam with gray.
Coffee Painted Rocks Design 3: Coffee Mug
I love a good coffee mug. I have a few in my cabinet (for hot tea of course). They have cute designs on them and remind you of a warm hug. A mug is not a difficult shape to draw so I figured we would start with that. I began priming the rock with two coats of lavender acrylic paint. I used a pencil to lightly sketch the mug on the left side of the rock.
Then, I began painting with paint markers. I used a tan color for the mug, white for the saucer, and dark gray for the words ‘perk up!’
For the details, I used a dark brown for the coffee in the mug and drew ‘mom’ on the surface. I smeared together some white and gray for the steam coming off of the mug.
Sealing the Coffee Painted Rocks
I decided to seal the coffee rocks using a spray acrylic sealer from ModPodge. I made sure to do this step outside. Spray sealer can give off some strong fumes and you don’t want to have that linger inside the house. I set the rocks on a protective surface so I didn’t get the sealer everywhere. Using a paper plate or plastic table cloth works perfectly for this step. I sprayed a light coat of sealer and let it dry. Be sure to follow the package instructions on your sealer.
More Inspiration for Coffee Painted Rocks
Here are a couple of cute coffee mug-painted rocks that I found on Pinterest.
Pinterest
This link will take you to a video tutorial from Kristoyna with some stacked coffee mugs.
Stacked Coffee Cups Painted Rock | Step-by-Step Tutorial – Bing video
I was very impressed with this abstract coffee mug that was also found on Pinterest.
Pinterest
Top Take-Aways from my Coffee Painted Rocks Project
1. You can use any color for a primer. I like using metallic acrylic paint to give the rock a shimmer.
2. When drawing a liquid in a glass container, leave a little space between the liquid and the outline of the glass.
3. What other ideas could you paint on a rock to represent coffee? Cups and mugs come in many shapes and sizes.
Happy painting!