Painted Rock Garden Art Display

Smooth, flat rocks — 4 to 8 of various sizes

Acrylic paint in various colors

Paintbrushes — wide for base coats and fine-tip for details

Paint pens for precise details (optional but wonderful)

Clear acrylic sealer or Mod Podge

Newspaper to protect the work surface

Collect smooth, flat rocks. River rocks are ideal — they have naturally smooth surfaces. Garden centers often sell smooth rocks too.

Wash the rocks with soap and water and let them dry completely. Paint sticks better to clean, dry surfaces.

Paint a solid base coat on each rock — white for bright designs, dark blue for night scenes, or any color that fits the planned design. Let it dry.

Now paint the designs. A ladybug is easy — red body, black spots. A cat face, a tiny landscape, a mandala pattern, a motivational word, a cactus — anything goes.

Add fine details with thin brushes or paint pens. Dots, outlines, eyes, tiny flowers. The details make each rock special.

Once completely dry, seal with clear acrylic spray or a coat of Mod Podge. This protects the paint from weather and handling.

Display your rocks in the garden, line them up on a windowsill, or participate in the kindness rocks movement — hide painted rocks around your neighborhood for strangers to find.

Acrylic paint works best on rocks. It is opaque, dries quickly, and is permanent once dry.

Paint pens are a game-changer for rock painting. They allow fine detail work that is hard to achieve with a brush on a bumpy surface.

Let each color dry before adding the next to prevent smearing. A hairdryer speeds this up.

A white base coat under bright designs makes colors pop dramatically.

Painted rocks make wonderful gifts. A set of five painted rocks in a small bag with a note is a thoughtful, handmade present.