Stone Painting: Frog Lily Pad

Although I have decorated stones/pebbles with mosaics, I have only painted them as a fun activity with the grandkids on a rainy day so I was delighted when my sister gave me a pebble painting book and paint pens for my birthday in December. Who knew there were such things as paint pens?

When the grandkids painted stones we used acrylic paint from tubes applied with brushes and lots of newspaper to cover the table plus aprons to protect their clothes.

After studying the book for several hours over a glass of wine or three (it was my Birthday) I selected the design as per the pebbles I already had in my garden

. Tips from a novice:

• Choose smooth stones as it is nigh on impossible to paint fine detail over imperfections.
• Do not use stones with mixed rock elements unless they will form part of the design. Unlike mosaic substrates, paint is not so forgiving

You can see the white lines grinning through the leaves.

I marked out the desing outline using pencil. Fortunately the raised line on the frog rock was in exactly the right place.!

I coloured the design using a combination of acrylic paint and paint pens. Then outlined in black using a fine nib Bic marker pen. Note to self: Order fine line permanent markers.

I then sealed the design with clear UV varnish so the rock can be displayed anywhere in the garden. I only noticed the varnish was gloss once it had dried. Note to self: Buy matt or silk finish varnish next time I visit a D.I.Y store.

I love the idea of the more interactive design.

The small ladybird is now in France with our grandkids as they have also started stone painting.

That’s it. My next stone project is another mosaic sunflower.

Check my mosaic projects