String Rock Painting
I am always on the lookout for new, fun ways to paint rocks. I came across a technique for painting trees that I thought would look great on a rock. This method used a string to create a birch tree trunk. You simply dip the string in white paint, pull the string across the length of the rock, and then move the string from side to side to create the width of your tree trunk. This will create a white trunk with some natural breaks in the color.
We are going to take our 4Ps approach to rock painting for this one. If you are not familiar, the 4Ps are Prime, Pencil, Paint, and Protect. This design will not require a pencil drawing, so we are going to skip that step. If you need further detail on the 4Ps please visit my article here: How to Paint Rocks – A Beginner’s Rock Painting Guide
Prime: I primed this rock using one coat of white acrylic paint. I would normally put down two coats, but I am going to paint a dark background, so one should do the trick.
Then, I used darker colors to make a blended background. I placed a drop of black on the bottom of the rock, dark blue in the middle, and light blue toward the top of the rock. With a back-and-forth motion, I used a wide paint brush to blend these colors directly onto the rock. This created a night sky background for our white trees.
Paint: I painted the tree trunks using a piece of string and some white acrylic paint. I cut the string a little longer than the rock. Then I dipped the string in the white paint and stretched it along the length of the rock. I moved the string back and forth a little bit to create the width of the tree trunk. The bumpy string and the uneven rock will work together for you to make some natural gaps in the trunk.
Continue with your string painting across the rock until you have all the trunks that you want. You can make them all different widths. You could also darken your white paint and use different shades for different tree trunks.
Once those were completed and dry, I took a black paint marker and added a few extra small gaps in the trunks. I also used a white paint marker to add some small, thin branches.
Protect: Sealing your rock will help protect your design from the elements and make your masterpiece last longer. I like to use a clear acrylic spray sealer. The brand I normally use is Mod Podge, but this kind of sealer comes in many different brands and finishes. Use whichever one you prefer. I recommend reading the instructions on the can of sealer and only using the spray outside. The fumes can be pretty strong.
This string rock painting technique was fun and easy. It also produced a great result! I wonder what other designs I could make using string?