My Rock Painting Hobby

Rock painting has been such a fun and joy-filled activity for me these past several days and I’m having a blast with it. It’s not only been therapeutic but just enormous amount of fun. I haven’t had so many colors in front of me in so long and it just makes me so ecstatic!!! This summer I started getting more into gardening and this goes so hand-in-hand with that hobby of mine. I’m still learning both of them, but both of these activities bring me so much joy! Here are the photos of some of the rocks I have painted: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17864036462577357/.

My colleague, Claire, inspired me to start this hobby. She shared rocks she and her son painted and I instantly fell in love with this art. I inquired about it and then started reading blogs and other websites for it and also watched several YouTube videos before I started painting my own rocks. I’m going to link all of these things below in case you’d also like to start rock painting. I’ve been getting this question quite a lot so thought I’d just put the info in a blog post and share. 

First and foremost, be safe while doing everything and enjoy it and share with others around you! 💗😁

Here’s what I do for my rock painting:

1. Get the rocks. Select the kinds you’d like to paint. They could be any shape or color. I have quite a few in my backyard / garden that I purchased long while ago so I just go pick some out from there. My suggestion is to buy some from local stores. I got some of mine at TriCity Rock here: http://www.tricityrock.com. There are many other places that sell rocks. 
2. Wash and prep the rocks. I wash the rocks with soapy water and brush in sink, making sure the bits from rocks don’t go in sink / garbage disposal. You can also wash them in two buckets - one with soapy water and other with clean water. Make sure to remove the dirt and other things from them. This video has been very helpful to me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD_v8zg26VU.
3. Let the rocks dry completely before you start painting them. I let them air dry on towel or plate in the yard and go flip them after a few min to let the other side try.
4. Get acrylic painting pens or colors and brushes, whichever you prefer. I use the Artistro acrylic painting pens. Here are the links to purchase them:
1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07485T22B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NS381GK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
3. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSP573D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 
5. Paint the rocks. This is the most fun part!! Enjoy it!! Let your imaginations run wild and also get inspired by everything around you (several links with ideas below).
6. Let the rocks dry completely.
7. Seal your rocks. If you plan to place your rocks outdoors or near water, make sure to seal them before you do that. You can spray them or paint them with sealant. See this page on how to: https://rockpainting101.com/how-to-seal-painted-rocks/. I haven’t sealed any of my rocks yet. Waiting for my Krylon spray paint to arrive. I have ordered this one and it’s on the way: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004O7HTDQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Once I have used it, I’ll share how I like it.
8. Let the rocks dry completely.
9. Use your painted & sealed rocks in your home, garden, desk, anywhere you like and gift them to loved ones. You can also hide them in open public places for strangers to find them and spread kindness and positivity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kindness_Rock_Project I didn’t know this was a big thing until recently! Check out here for more on that: https://www.google.com/search?q=best+places+to+hide+painted+rocks&sxsrf=ALeKk03U40trOU1l96ECfDo3zE_vMmjlRw%3A1627928377056&source=hp&ei=OTcIYfQF6M7Q8Q_rhBg&iflsig=AINFCbYAAAAAYQhFSWigbd3pOQDn1qiQFl5oNHpU6CA2&oq=hide+painted+rocks.  

Here are some more links to check out:

My favorite rock painting blog / resource: https://rockpainting101.com/

Rock painting ideas: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rock+painting+ideas

More Rock painting ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=rock%20painting%20%20markers&rs=rs&eq=&etslf=3585&term_meta[]=rock%7Crecentsearch%7C4&term_meta[]=painting%7Crecentsearch%7C4&term_meta[]=markers%7Crecentsearch%7C4

More Rock painting ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=rock%20painting%20ideas&eq=rock%20painting&etslf=2101&term_meta[]=rock%7Cautocomplete%7C0&term_meta[]=painting%7Cautocomplete%7C0&term_meta[]=ideas%7Cautocomplete%7C0

More rock painting ideas: https://www.google.com/search?q=rock+painting+ideas 

Hope these are of help!! If you do start rock painting, please share your work. I'd love to see it! 💖👍😃

Kanan