In this simple guide, you’ll learn how to come out of your shell and create a rock reptile!
Turtle Rock Painting Supply list
- Smooth rock
- Pencil
- Acrylic paint – white, darker green, lighter green
- Round tip brush
- Black permanent marker
- Sealer – either a brush-on sealer (like ModPodge) or a spray-on acrylic sealer
- Optional supplies – table cloth (or other surface protector), paper plate for paint, cup of water
**Note on paintbrushes: You can typically find brush sizes marked 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, etc. The higher the number, the wider the brush. Unfortunately, these are not standardized so there is not much consistency. The brushes I use are the smaller ones in the craft section of a big department store such as Wal-Mart. They are normally numbered 00, 0, or 1.
Inspiration from Charlie
I try to find inspiration in the everyday. If you sit and think about it for a bit, inspiration is everywhere. There is probably something right in front of you that would make a good painting project. I recently had an encounter with my mother’s dog that left me laughing.
Meet Charlie. Charlie is a mix of King Charles Spaniel and Dachshund. She is extremely active, but as you can see has a long, narrow mouth. One day Charlie came in carrying a gift for my mother. A turtle had wandered into the back yard and Charlie decided that she needed a new friend. Once Charlie was in the house she immediately ran for cover under my mother’s bed, protecting her turtle friend from certain eviction. I am still trying to figure out how she fit the turtle in her mouth and then carried it that far.
Eventually, we were able to get to the turtle and set it free. In the front yard of course. However, that did not stop the turtle from wandering back into the back yard and we went through the whole fiasco again.
My daughter came to me the other day and wanted to paint a turtle on a rock and place it in the garden. So we gathered supplies and set to work.
Easy ways to draw a turtle on a Rock
First, we set out to learn how to draw a turtle. I always like to practice my drawings on paper before taking on any project. I have included some links below for some easy turtle drawing tutorials.
How to Draw a Turtle – Step by Step Drawing Tutorial – Easy Peasy and Fun
For our practice turtle drawing, we followed these steps:
- Draw a wide upside-down “U” shape
2. Flare out the bottom a bit and draw a new bottom line
3. Draw an open ended oval shape for the head and feet
4. Add a curved triangle shape for the tail
5. Inside the shell, draw a pentagon in the center and draw lines out from each point to the end of the shell. Add a face for the turtle
Picking out a rock
There are lots of sources for rocks for your turtle rock painting project. You could simply walk around your neighborhood or a nature trail and find small rocks.
I like to purchase a 3-pound bag of rocks from Hobby Lobby. They are called river rocks and run between $3 and $4 for a small bag. These are similar sizes, but give me a nice variety for different projects.
Rocks can also be purchased at home improvement stores or through landscaping companies.
Painting the Turtle rock
Once we settled on our turtle design and practiced drawing it, we gathered our supplies. For this project, I did not need very many paint colors. Just white a darker green and a lighter green. You can purchase acrylic paint online or at any craft store. They typically come in 2-ounce bottles and cost less than a dollar. Some specialty paints such as metallic colors will cost a little more.
Then, I primed the rock. You have a couple of choices for priming a rock. I chose to paint a white background over the majority of the face of the rock. This allows you to fill in any porous areas of the rock and helps your paint stick better to the rock’s slick surface. I ended up putting on three coats of white paint in order to get the coverage I wanted. Allow the paint to dry completely between coats.
If you did not want a colored background on your rock, you could also coat the rock with a layer of acrylic sealer. You can use either a brush-on sealer like ModPodge or a spray sealer. Allow the sealer to dry completely before painting.
Once the primer coat was dry, I started drawing on the turtle in pencil, using the same steps as above. Practicing on paper was a great way to feel more confident with drawing on the rock. Use a light hand to draw your turtle. If you make a mistake, lightly erase the pencil line and keep going. Paint will help cover up any pencil accidents.
I started with the lighter green color and filled in the head, feet and tail areas. My daughter was excited to help with the painting. We moved on to the darker green for the shell. Once dry, we did a second coat of both colors.
Here is another simple design from Sam at Simple Everyday Mom. I love how her designs are fun and can be replicated by anyone.
How To Make Easy Turtle Painted Rocks For Kids [VIDEO TUTORIAL] (simpleeverydaymom.com)
Another idea is to use the entire rock and make a 3D turtle. Terri at Creative Family Fun has a great tutorial for a simple 3D turtle design.
Adding the details
It is starting to come together. You can use a fine-tipped paintbrush and black paint for the detail work if you like. If you are a beginner, you may find it easier to use a black paint marker for this type of work. I used the marker on all the borders of the drawing, the inside of the shell, and the turtle’s face.
If you have a black permanent marker, that would work nicely also. However, if you use a permanent marker you will need to use a brush on sealer instead of a spray-on sealer.
Sealing the rock
I prefer to use a spray sealer, but a brush on sealer works just fine also. Make sure your sealer is weather-proof and non-yellowing, that way your masterpiece is protected while it is outside. I recommend using a brush on sealer if you have used a sharpie on your project. The aerosol spray can cause the marker to run.
Always use spray sealer outside. I only spray over the side that I painted on. Had I painted on both sides, I would have let the sealer dry completely before treating the other side. Place your rock on something to protect the surface underneath. I find a paper plate, or part of a plastic tablecloth work perfectly.
We happen to live near a beautiful public garden with many walking trails. This is a popular spot for kids to hide and find painted rocks. We mark the back of each one with the hashtag for the Facebook group. Everyone loves to post the rocks that they find so they can share them with others.
Turtle Rock Painting Top Take-Aways
These are my top tips and tricks after completing the turtle rock project.
- Priming the rock is important – this helps the paint layer on the rock and creates a bolder color
- It is not recommended to use a spray primer when you have colored with a permanent marker, the aerosol spray will cause the marker to bleed
- Never underestimate a small dog making a new friend with a big turtle
- Think about a friend for your Turtle rock – How to Paint a Bee on a Rock – 2 easy ways
Happy painting!