3 Cute Heart Painted Rocks for your Special Valentines
Hearts Everywhere
Christmas has come and gone. Another new year and new beginnings. Right after Christmas, I went to my local Wal-Mart to stock up on food. It seems I was out of everything. Having kids at home for Winter Break has hit my pantry and freezer hard.
I was wandering the aisles that used to hold all of the Christmas seasonal items and noticed the quick transition to the next holiday; Valentine’s Day. Stocking and candy canes were replaced with hearts and stuffed animals. Gone was the wrapping paper, trees, and ornaments. Paper cards, cupids, and chocolate roses had taken their place.
This got me thinking about what I was going to do for Valentine’s Day. I thought it might be fun to get an early start and make painted heart rocks to give away instead of candy. Trust me, we get plenty of candy around here – we just purged all of the leftover Halloween stuff.
So here are three cute heart rock painting ideas I hope you enjoy.
Supply List for Heart Painted Rocks
• Smooth, flat Rock
• Acrylic paint, I used turquoise and orange
• Acrylic paint markers, assorted colors
• Paintbrushes, thin flat-point brush
• Acrylic sealer, spray or paint on
• Other supplies: table cloth, paper plate, cup of water
Heart Rocks Design
Hearts seem like a simple enough design, but I wanted each rock to have its own personality or message. There are so many things that you can do with a heart drawing. I picked three different designs for this project, but there is lots of inspiration out there. Here are some great examples of heart painted rocks.
These conversation hearts at Made with Happy are a cute and fun way to exchange Valentines.
Conversation Heart Painted Rocks – Made with HAPPY
Mandala painting is a great way to create a heart rock. Jane and Sonja at Sustain My Craft Habit show some simple ideas to get started on this project.
Painting Rocks with Love: Painted Mandala Hearts – Sustain My Craft Habit
Maggy at Red Ted Art has several easy heart designs to share.
Choosing & Priming your Heart Rock
Rocks are everywhere. But not all rocks are ideal for painting. You can go on a stroll through your neighborhood or park and pick up a few rocks. However, I have found that most of those can be too small or not have much of a flat surface. Purchasing rocks is also an option. You can find them at craft stores, home improvement stores, landscaping companies, or even order them online.
I chose to use three different rock shapes for this project. Each was a different size and shape. I chose each one to fit the heart designs that I have chosen.
Heart Painted Rock Design 1: Color blocking
I am excited to show you this colorful, color-blocked rock. I chose not to put a primer coat on this rock. I wanted the natural color of the rock to serve as the background. With any rock that needs a sketch, I did a practice run on some lined paper.
The hardest part of the heart is symmetry. This will come easier with practice. Using lined paper, you can get the feel of making both sides of the heart equal.
Once I was ready for the actual rock, I drew the heart to fill the majority of the face. Then I added an angled, smaller heart toward the upper left corner. Finally, I added the outline of the color blocking. I drew six lines creating seven sections.
I started in the top right section of the heart rock and worked my way around clockwise. All of these sections were colored using acrylic paint markers.
First, I added red.
Then I added orange.
The next section of the painted heart rock was yellow.
After that was green, followed by blue then purple.
The last section I filled in with pink.
Paint markers dry quickly. I was able to fill in the smaller heart with black after just a few minutes of dry time. I also outlined the large heart and each color-blocked section.
Heart Painted Rock Design 2: Linked hearts on blue background
For the second design, I chose a rock that was long and narrow. I painted the entire background of the rock turquoise blue. I applied a second coat and let it dry completely.
In pencil, I drew in six hearts, each at a different angle and not in a straight line.
I painted each heart on the rock a different color using acrylic paint markers.
Once dry, I drew dotted lines connecting each heart to the next. I used a black paint marker for this.
Heart Painted Rock Design 3: Love heart
The third design was the most complicated and required the most drying time. I practiced the design on lined paper before trying it on the rock. I drew a heart that would fill the majority of the space on the rock. I added the word love in three-dimensional letters. Then, I added a couple of simple daisy shapes around the rock.
I began with an oval-shaped rock that was about three inches tall and painted the surface orange. This required a second coat to get the coverage I desired. For more information on prepping rocks for their final image check out this tutorial: How to prepare rocks for rock painting?
Once dry, I recreated the drawing on the face of the rock in pencil.
I added color to the heart rock design. I began with a yellow acrylic paint marker. I colored in the middle of the three daisies and the O.
Next, I used a blue acrylic paint marker for the petals of one flower and the L.
Using Purple, I colored the petals of a second flower and the V.
I added green to the E.
Then, white to the final flower and I painted in what was remaining of the heart in red.
To outline my heart painted rock, I used a black acrylic paint marker. I went around each flower, the word love and the outside of the heart. Then I added some shading lines to the middle of each flower, the left side of the letters, and around the heart.
Sealing the Heart Painted Rocks
I decided to seal the heart rocks using a spray acrylic sealer made by 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.
Heart Painted Rocks – Valentine Gifts
These rocks are going to be super Valentine’s Day gifts. They won’t get thrown away like a paper card or eaten up like candy. They can be a daily reminder to someone that you care. I am going to make several more for my kids to give away.
Top Take-Aways from my Heart Painted Rocks Project
- Rocks make great gifts. They can be personalized for any occasion.
- Practice making hearts on lined paper. This will help with creating symmetry.
- Candy is quickly eaten, but a painted rock can last forever.
Happy painting!