Cat Painted Rocks

Cat Rock Painting: Two Simple and Fun Designs

Cats are great pets and companions. They are loyal and smart. Their attitude can put anyone to shame. Are you looking for a way to remember a special cat in your life? Do you need a gift for a friend who is a cat person? Or is that cat person you? Then cat painted rocks might be just the project for you.

Both of these rocks are fun to create. I stuck with some basic colors for the cats, but feel free to change it up. I chose these two designs because they encompass two different personalities of cats.

Cat Rock Designs – Places to Find Inspiration

If you are looking for examples of cat painted rocks, they can be found in many places. I provided links to some of my favorites below. Inspiration is everywhere!

The Destiny Formula has a great article for animal painted rocks. They have a very cute cat face that is easy to follow.
https://thedestinyformula.com/animal-painted-rocks/

Bev at Felt Magnet has a wonderful tutorial for a cat rock. Her design makes great use of the entire rock surface and is very realistic.
https://feltmagnet.com/painting/How-to-Paint-Stones-Cat-Portrait

Billie at Art Wanted took a different approach to a full painted cat rock. The face is cute and cartoonish, but the details help fill the whole rock.
https://www.artwanted.com/imageview.cfm?id=1483295

Creative DIY has some more fun designs that they showcase in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjvHaTT0Ez8

Supply List for Cat Painted Rocks

• Smooth, flat Rocks
• Acrylic paint pens, assorted colors and widths
• Acrylic sealer, spray or paint on
• Other supplies: table cloth, paper plate, pencil

Choosing & Priming Your Rocks

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. The ones that I am using for this project were purchased at Hobby Lobby. I found them in the mosaics section.

The two rocks I chose were about 4 inches tall and had a flat surface. Both were porous and tan. I chose not to put a primer coat on either rock and used the natural rock color for the background.

Here is some more information on priming rocks if you would like to read further.
How to Prepare Rocks for Painting?

I used paint markers on both of the cat painted rocks. Paint markers are a great tool for rock painting. I have included a link to my tutorial on paint markers if you are unfamiliar and would like to read further.
8 Paint Pens for Rock Painting

Cat Painted Rock Design 1: Cat Friends

Cats love to cuddle. Wait, let me rephrase. Cats love to cuddle on their own terms. This rock depicts a pair of cat friends snuggling together. Let’s take a look at how to create this rock.

First, I sketched the design in pencil. When sketching, do not worry about putting in every detail. The pencil lines will get covered up by the paint marker. I stuck to the basic shape of the cats.

Then I began to add the paint one layer at a time. I began with the main body color for each cat. I used a white paint marker for the right cat and a gray paint marker for the left.

cat painted rocks - drawing cats on rock

I used a black paint marker to outline the shapes of both cats and add the lines for each tail.

Finally, I added in the details. I filled in the white cat’s ears with a light pink and added a smiling face with closed eyes. The gray cat received some striping down the outside of the body and top of the head in black. I also used black for the inside of the ears and the cat’s face.

They are just darling!

Cat Painted Rock Design 2: Scaredy Cat

I am sure you have seen a cat get scared and jump in the air. It can be quite a sight. I attempted to capture that moment in this rock.

First, I sketched the cat on the rock using a pencil. As before, don’t get bogged down in details when sketching. You will lose a lot of the pencil lines when you go over the design with paint.

I am going to make a black cat on this rock, so I colored in the entire sketch with a black paint marker. Feel free to use any color you wish on your cat. You can even add stripes or other markings on yours.

cat painted rocks - drawing cats on rock 2

Finally, I added the details. I drew the eyes and nose using a white paint marker. Using a black paint marker, I added scratch lines above all four paws. I also drew in whiskers on the cat and the pupils of the eyes.

This cat has definitely been spooked!

Sealing your Cat Painted Rocks

I decided to seal the cat 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.

These rocks were both fun and easy. They will go on display outside in my rock garden. I do not currently have a cat, but these rocks made me smile.