Moon Painted Rocks – Full Moon
I was driving home the other evening and noticed a big, bright full moon in the sky above me. We are in the midst of storm season in Oklahoma, so a clear sky is a welcome sight. The moon was shining bright and numerous stars were all around.
It is getting dark later and later – soon the sun will be out past 9 pm. Our time with the moon will be limited for a season, but we can remember the night sky with painted moon rocks.
My youngest son is learning about Astronomy in school so this will be a great project to teach him about moon phases.
I chose three designs to feature today, they will each get progressively more difficult. So grab a smooth rock and some paint pens and let’s get started.
Supply List for your Moon 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
Choosing and Priming Your Moon 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?
Moon Painted Rocks Design 1: Moon Reflection
Even though the moon is bright, the light that it gives off is limited. I enjoy going to the lake or the river in the evening and seeing the reflection of the moon on the water. The water distorts the light and makes for a beautiful scene.
I began this rock by painting the entire surface with two coats of black acrylic paint. I like to use Folk Art paint for my projects, I feel it gives the best coverage and dries quickly. With a pencil, I drew a half circle in the upper portion of the rock. This is the start of the moon. I painted in this shape with a white paint marker.
I used the same white paint marker to add some lines below the moon. Each was a different length and went below the moon at equal distances. I did not go out far from the edge of the moon shape.
Then I added lines in gray and silver using paint markers. This will give the illusion of the reflection on moving water. I also put a few drops of gray paint on the face of the moon and smeared it over the surface with a dry paint brush.
Moon Painted Rocks Design 2: Moon Silhouette
Let’s make this one a bit harder. I love the classic silhouette shape of a crescent moon. I will add the face shape to the moon to make it more like a storybook character. I also primed this rock with black acrylic paint. To make the moon shape, I used a pencil to draw a full circle and then I marked off the ends of the crescent moon shape. The remainder of the circle was simply erased from the rock.
I colored in the moon with a white paint marker. I used white, yellow and blue paint markers and made small dots over the surface of the rock for stars.
Finally, I added the closed eye to the moon. I went ahead and outline the moon with a black paint marker to better define the profile shape.
Moon Painted Rocks Design 3: Shadow Moon with Trees
Have you ever laid on the ground and looked up at the moon? It can cast some interesting shadows. The moon is very bright against the dark background and the area around it will gradually get darker.
For this rock, I began by priming the entire surface with white acrylic paint. I used a penny to draw a circle in the upper portion of the rock. The inside of the circle will remain white.
I used several colors of blue paint marker to make rings around the circle. Make sure to have the colors go from light to dark. I ended with a large area of gray.
I added stars with a white paint marker by adding dots all over the rings. To make the rings blend and add some mist to the project, I took an extremely small amount of gray paint on a dry brush and went over the whole rock, pushing the paint up and down. You want only a very small amount, you are not trying to cover the rock just put a thin layer of gray over the blue rings.
Then I drew in the trees. These were simple vertical lines that I added in the bottom section with a black paint marker. Keep the trees completely black so they are shadows under the moonlight.
Sealing the Moon Painted Rocks
I decided to seal the moon 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 Moon Painted Rocks
Here are instructions for some educational moon rocks, there were used to teach about the phases of the moon.
Moon Phase Rocks Project
Here is a cute abstract moon rock. I really like the contrasting color on this one.
Pinterest
I also enjoyed this moon painted rock. The details on the howling wolf are great.
Pinterest
Top Take-Aways from this Moon Painted Rocks Project
1. You can use any color for a primer. Sometimes you will have the primer show through as we did with the moon shadow rock.
2. If you need to draw a part of a circle, try drawing the full circle first and mark off what you need. Then the remainder can be erased.
3. When painting a reflection, keep in mind that the water would be moving, so it should be a little distorted from the original design.
Happy painting!
