Create bright and inspiring hand-painted Kindness Rocks surprises for Mother's Day!
To create these super fun painted rocks we will be using a few different materials.
You will need:
- a few flat smooth rocks (try looking around near a beach or in the woods or in your own backyard!)
- paint (I used acrylic)
- paintbrushes
- cup of water for painting
- sharpies for writing or adding details
- OPTIONAL: clear nail polish or another clear sealing paint. IF you have any clear nail polish, if works great to seal the paint on the rock, especially if you're planning on leaving your rocks outside in a garden.
I've been planning on doing a Kindness Rock art project for a while back when we were actually in the art room but now seems like a great time to create some colorful, inspiring rocks for mom, grandma, or someone else that you may be celebrating this Mothers Day.
Last weekend I went for a walk at Farm River State Park in East Haven. There were hand-painted Kindness Rocks scattered throughout different locations on the trail. Their bright colors and cute patterns really popped out against the natural surroundings.
Below are a few of the Kindness Rocks that I took pictures of as I was passing by:
It made me think about how these little hand-painted rocks can bring so much joy, especially to someone you love, like your mom, grandma, or aunt for Mother's Day! You can hide them in their garden and bring them out to see this Sunday as a surprise or simply display them around the house so that when she finds them it brings a smile to her face!
The goal of the message of each rock is to create a smile on the viewers face! So when you're thinking about what you'd like to paint on the rocks, try to imagine something positive with words or something colorful and eye-catching with an image. For example, I made a simple, but bright, rainbow and moon rock. Also, use my rock examples as inspiration but feel free to use your creativity to make some unique rocks! Maybe paint your mom's favorite type of flower on the rock or write a message that's special just for her.
To get started, wash your rocks off to make sure there's no sand or dirt on them. Let them dry. Once they're dry get ready to start painting your solid base coat! If you know you're going to paint a rock a solid bright color, first paint that rock completely white and let that dry. If some of your rocks are going to be black, paint them completely black and let them dry.
After my base coat had dried I began to paint the second coat, the colored layer on my white rocks. You may need to paint two coats of the colored layer depending on the thickness of your paint.
Let those dry and get ready to paint any larger details on your rocks. Smaller details can be added later with sharpies.
You will most likely need to let each coat of the paint dry and add a second when painting on these details. This will ensure that the colors come out bright and bold. If your acrylic paint is too thick when smoothing the edges of your designs, try experimenting with added a tiny brushoff of water to your paint. Don't add too much or it will dilute the color.
Once your rocks are painted with the larger details its time to add some more designs! I choose to paint on all of my words and designs but you can try using sharpies to decorate as long as the paint is completely dry!
After you finish creating your designs and they are all totally dry you can add the optional clear protective coat to the rocks with the nail polish. Try to paint completely over the top and the sides to create a waterproof barrier from the elements.
Look how beautiful and glossy the rocks look after!
When they're completely dry, think about how you'd like to gift these to your mom! They would make a nice surprise in the garden or the walkway of your house. Maybe display them on a counter in the house as a surprise on Mother's Day as well!
St. Lawrence students, please send a picture of your finished artwork to stlawrenceartclass@gmail.com so I can display it on the school’s website!
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