Home » Paper Flowers » Easy Rock Painting Ideas + Cactus Rock Painting Tutorial

Easy Rock Painting Ideas + Cactus Rock Painting Tutorial

This post may contain affiliate links that won’t change your price but will share some commission.

How to paint rocks. Easy Rock Painting Ideas: DIY Cactus Rock Painting Tutorial.

Rock Painting: What it is and who is it for?

Have any of you noticed some of the most creative trendy projects can come from the simplest concepts? While the idea of painted rocks is nothing new, there are countless ways to discover new concepts to paint them! Today I am going to to share with you some easy rock painting ideas, the supplies for rock painting, a cactus painted rock tutorial and my favorite Rock Art Handbook!

A rock being painted a bright blue.

Rocks are an approachable canvas even to the non-artistic person. Whether you are a crafty hobbyist, adult, child, teacher, or even grandparent, enjoying rock painting can be a shared activity to bring family and friends together.

How to create rock paintings

Supplies and Resources for Rock Painting:

Let me start by saying my supply suggestions are very general because there are so many techniques and ways to paint rocks. Seriously, the possibilities might be infinite. So here are some of the bare necessities you might need.

Rocks

Obviously you will need rocks to rock paint! Finding rocks doesn’t have to be hard. Some places to look for rocks include:

  • Outdoors (parks, beaches etc)
  • Your local craft store
  • Online
  • Sometimes even outdoor garden stores will carry some!
A group of white rocks for rock painting sitting on a white table.

Picking the right rocks

I don’t personally think there is a right or wrong rock to pick but if you are visualizing a certain project then keep that shape in mind when choosing your rocks. For example, with my cactus rock project below I tried to find oblong shaped rocks and nothing too symmetrical so my end result would resemble a cactus shape.

Paint for Rocks

There are a lot of different paints and mediums you can use. If you are going for convenience and cost effectiveness I recommend some  basic acrylic craft paints in a wide array of colors.

A group of rock painting supplies on a wooden table including paints, white rocks, and paintbrushes.

Brushes and Tools

There are many types of tools to use to paint your rocks. The three I suggest having on hand are a mix of different sized brushes, both foam and bristle, brush markers or pens for detailing and some dotting tools if you want to add dots to your rocks, which is kind of popular.

A hand holding a group of paintbrushes. There is paint and rocks in the background.

It is also a good idea to consider a sealant for your rocks, especially if you are using glitter or pens so that your end result stays preserved. Good old mod podge can work just fine. Or you can explore some other spray sealants

Easy Rock Painting Ideas: Cactus Rock Garden Tutorial

Now for the fun part! I am going to show off my cactus painted rocks that I decided to make after receiving one of my new favorite craft books, the Rock Art Handbook.

My supplies included only the basics that I mentioned above.

Rocks, paints, paintbrushes and markers on a table.

I use a few different shades of green paint for variation when creating my cactus painted rocks. I choose some irregular and longer shaped rocks for this project.

A rock being painted light green.

Painting my rocks

I started by rinsing off any extra dust my rocks might have under the sink. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Since my rocks were naturally lighter in colors I skipped straight to painting the base coat of green on my rocks. If you have darker rocks you may want to spray paint them white first for a lighter base coat to work from.

I wasn’t fancy and forgot to buy a palette for the paint so I just used a bamboo recycled plate I had on hand left over from my Ombre Leaf Table Runner photo shoot. It did the job! But if you are serious about painted rocks get yourself a palette. 😉

Green dots and dashes added to a light green rock.

Once my rock was fully dried I decided to use my markers to add some detail. With a cactus there are lots of looks to try. Strips, dots, dashes and lines, asterisk and V swashes all can resemble cacti pricks! Don’t be afraid to experiment, remember the focus is easy rock painting ideas – keep it simple when getting started with these.

A group of painted Cactus Rocks.

When it came to the dots I used the dotting tool. You will see me use it in my video clip below too!

Pink paint and a green paintbrush laying on a white table.

I then added some additional detail by using mini pebble-like rocks and pink paint to add a cactus “top hat” as I like to call it.

Related Posts

8 Ways to Hang Paper Flowers

DIY Rainbow Ombre Floral Leaf Table Runner

Free Large Paper Rose Template

A small rock being painted pink.

I just painted my mini pebbles pink and glued them on with a hot melt glue gun.

Three rocks painted as cacti arranged in a white planter.

Display your Cacti

To display the cacti I like to use shallow ceramic vases, fill them with tiny pebbles or vase bead fillers and seat my cacti inside! After all, the display here is what makes these cactus plants come to life!

Side note: I just bought some fun pots too because I love the colors!

Cactus painted rocks arranged in white planters set atop colorful books.
Cactus Rock Painting

Cactus Rock Painting

Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

Bring some fun and color into your home with this easy DIY Cactus Rock Painting Tutorial!

Instructions

Painting the rocks

  1. Rinse off any extra dust the rocks might have. Pat dry with a paper towel.
  2. Paint the base coat of green on the rocks. If you have darker rocks you may want to spray paint them white first for a lighter base coat to work from.

Add details

  1. Once the rocks are fully dried, you can use markers to add some detail. Use the dotting tool for the dots.
  2. Add some additional detail by using mini pebble-like rocks and pink paint to add a cactus "top hat". Glue them on with a hot melt glue gun.

Display your Cacti!

Use shallow ceramic vases, fill them with tiny pebbles or vase bead fillers and seat the cacti inside.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Love the face vase?!

Reasons I loved this project and you will to:

  1. Easy to do, even though I generally stink at painting.
  2. It’s colorful!
  3. I have new pieces of decor for my home.
  4. I can’t kill these plants no matter what!
  5. You can add adorable doe eyes and make them extra cutesy! Or add some little paper flower punches! If your new here I kinda have an obsession with paper crafts and flowers!
A painted cactus rock with a cute face painted on it.

The Rock Art Handbook

I may have a few craft bones in my body but I needed a little help with this project (painting is not my forte usually), so I turned to the Rock Art Handbook by Samantha Sarles! Sam is definitely talented when it comes to color and crafts – two of my most favorite things, and she gives you dozens of ideas in her book for endless easy rock painting ideas!

Here is the low down on what you will find inside!

  • Over 30 step-by-step tutorials make Rock Art Handbook your comprehensive rock art resource
  • Covers various craft techniques for decorating rocks like dot painting, marbling, embellishments, and much more
  • Use your favorite craft supplies from nail polish, puff paint, and gelly roll pens to chalk, washi tape, glitter glue and more
  • Perfect family craft for parents & kids to do together
  • Make your own “kindness rock,” a growing trend seen on Facebook and reported on the TODAY show

If you haven’t guessed already I am a huge fan and will continue to explore new easy rock painting ideas with the help of the Rock Art Handbook!

So whatcha think? Did you enjoy this action beginners guide to easy rock painting ideas? Tell me in the comments and be sure to tag Samantha and I on Instagram with your rock projects!

Rock Painting Video Tutorials

Check out the different techniques I used to make my cacti plants in my video tutorial!

Also watch this short clip on adding faces to the cactus rocks!

A collage of seven images showing the steps to creating cactus painted rocks.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *