Today I am continuing to highlight some of the projects I have worked on over the past three years.

 A couple of years ago there was a movement going on to paint rocks and then leave them anonymously for people to find. Local groups sprang up on Facebook, including in England.

 As an artist this was right up my alley.  We even had some classes at the shop where I work to teach people how to paint the rocks. The participants did a great job.

 To paint the rocks I washed them with soap and water and scraped off anything that would make them rough. Then I painted them with acrylic matte medium to provide a base for the paint to adhere to. Some people use a paint primer or gesso. All will work. When I finished the painting I added another coat of the matte medium, or gloss medium to protect the paint.

 If the rock was to be left outside I used spray varnish that would stand up to the elements (spar varnish usually). A polymer acrylic varnish also works. Here in central Arizona nothing protects the rocks from the elements. Rocks that I painted and varnished began to peel after two years. The sun bakes the paint and it just cannot stand up to it. If you have extreme temperatures I would avoid leaving the painted pieces outside.

 These first two are designs we used in one of the classes. I found some fun art online and utilized them because they were fairly simple and quick to complete.

 

This next one is a dragonfly design I created. I saw examples online and then did my own thing.

Here is a rock with a desert landscape and one with a pair of cowboy boots. I live in Wickenburg, a very western town, and this is a perfect theme.

 

The next pictures below are one of the fairy houses I did. 

I used wood filler to create the little log ends and the texture on the side where I painted the bushes. 

Wood filler dries hard and adheres well to the rocks. I did some rocks with actual shaped roofs. 

To do the roofs on some of the other fairy houses I had to do them in layers. I let each layer dry for at least 24 hours before adding another. That way I could build up the roof until I got the shape and size I wanted.  

This house is a southwestern adobe style with your typical desert plants and cactus around it.

Below is one more design that we used in the classes.

 

The elephant was fairly easy because I created templates to make it easy for the participants to draw the design.

 Then they painted the rock in the colors they liked. They didn’t have to follow my color scheme. It turned out awesome.

 

I hope these photos might inspire you to try your hand at something new.

My next post will highlight some of the wire wrap jewelry I have been working on.

 Til next time. J

Terri

Stop by my Etsy shop for new arrivals. www.etsy.com/shop/magikalstoneemporium