Dr Seuss Painted Rocks
Read Across America Day is held in conjunction with Dr Seuss’s birthday each year on March 2nd. It is a big celebration for schools and libraries across the country. Our school celebrates with dress-up days and numerous craft projects. There will be story times at the public library and a project to go along with the book.
We are always looking for new ways to incorporate a love of reading with our kids. Dr Seuss’s books make reading fun and the creative possibilities are endless. I am going to show you some Dr Seuss painted rocks. These rocks are both fun, colorful, and long-lasting.
Our rocks will incorporate our 4Ps approach to rock painting: prime, pencil, paint and protect. These easy-to-follow steps will guide you to a successful rock painting project. Let’s look at each step individually.
Prime: Priming your Dr Seuss painted rocks serves many purposes. It helps to fill in small holes, even out the color of the rock, and help even out the rock’s surface. There are many ways to prime a rock. You could use sandpaper to grind down an uneven surface. For filling in holes, you could use a light layer of wood filler. I recommend priming with acrylic paint if your rock has a relatively even surface and a few small holes. Use whatever color of paint you would like for the background of your design. I will often use white paint for this process. I like using Folk Art paint in Vintage White.
Pencil: After priming your rock, use a pencil to begin drawing your design. I like using a pencil so that if I make a mistake I can easily erase it. This step will give me a guide for where I want to put the paint on my rock. When doing a pencil drawing, you do not need to add a lot of detail, you are mostly going for an outline. Details will get lost once you start applying paint.
Paint: I recommend using acrylic paint or acrylic paint markers for your design. Acrylic paint is easy to work with, dries quickly and cleans up with soap and water. I will sometimes use other mediums, such as watercolors, colored pencils, or markers, but that will depend on the effect that I am trying to achieve.
Protect: Sealing your rock is a very important step that should not be skipped. Although a painted rock is long-lasting, the paint can flake off and wear. Applying a sealer will help the paint stay on the rock for a longer period of time. There are many ways to seal from paint-on sealers, and enamels, to spray-on sealers. I prefer using a spray sealer. The one that I normally use is from Mod Podge. Make sure you have a clear sealer and follow the directions on the can.
Dr Seuss Painted Rocks – Design 1: The Cat in the Hat
I think The Cat in the Hat is one of Dr Seuss’s most recognizable characters. That is probably one of the first books that any child learns to read. I am going to show you a Cat in the Hat rock that is easy and fun for all ages.
Following the 4Ps approach, I primed the rock with two coats of white acrylic paint. Then I used a pencil to draw the iconic Cat. If you have an older child doing this project, they may be fine drawing the cat themselves. You may have to help a younger child. If you are concerned about the quality of your drawing, you could also use carbon paper to trace the face of the cat (or any design) onto your rock.
I began painting the Cat with Posca Paint markers. I used red and white to fill in the stripes on the hat. I used a dark gray on some of the facial features of the cat.
Then, I outlined the whole design with a fine-tipped black paint marker.
I sealed all three rocks together, so that process will be described below.
Dr Seuss Painted Rocks – Design 2: The Lorax
When I was younger, I preferred the story of The Lorax to the Cat in the Hat. My kids also love the cartoon movie that came out a few years ago. The Lorax is also a very recognizable Dr Seuss character. This is a great book and project for Read Across America Week.
I also used two coats of white paint to prime the rock. Once that paint was dry, I drew The Lorax with a pencil.
For painting, I started with a yellow and an orange paint marker. The majority of the Lorax is orange but his mustache is yellow.
Then I used a black marker to outline. I added some detail to his eyes and some texture to his body to make him look a little more like the book character.
Dr Seuss Painted Rocks – Design 3: Horton
Horton is also a favorite around my house. We are going to try to capture Horton carrying around his flower, which really contains the world of the Whos.
To prime this rock I used two coats of white paint. Then, I drew Horton with his flower in his trunk.
To paint Horton, I used a light blue paint marker and some purple for the flower. I have seen Horton drawn in many shades of blue and gray, but I like this bright color the best.
Then, I outlined in black.
To seal these rocks, I took them outside and put them on a paper plate. I sprayed some of my acrylic sealer over the top, let that dry for a few hours and then sprayed a second coat of sealer.
What a great way to celebrate Dr Seuss’s birthday and Read Across America Day! It’s going to be so much fun with these Dr Seuss painted rocks.
Who is your favorite Dr Seuss character?