120 Easy Rock Painting Ideas to Inspire You to Start Making Painted Rocks

Easy painted rocks

The rock painting movement is popular with experienced and beginning painters alike! 

Once you discover rock painting, the first thing you will start looking for is rock painting ideas.

Soon, painted rocks will take over your Pinterest feed and Google search history as you seek more and more rock painting pictures and rock painting ideas.

If you are not crafty or don't have experience painting, you might be overwhelmed with lots of beautiful rock painting ideas that you have no idea how to execute. 

You don't have to worry, though! Lots of great artists and craft bloggers have put together rock painting tutorials that are easy to follow -- even if you don't have a lot of experience painting!

Here are more than 100 of my favorite easy rock painting ideas. These easy rock designs are simple enough that a beginner can follow along and still have a beautiful rock when they're done! 

Don't forget to pin this post to use later as well!
More than 100 Rock Painting Ideas for people who want to get started making painted rocks.


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Throughout this post I link to different rock painting tutorials, books and rock painting supplies. Some of the links below are affiliate links and if you make a purchase after clicking, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

More than 100 Easy Rock Painting Ideas for Beginners

easy rock painting ideas for beginners
Getting started with simple rock painting designs like hearts are the perfect way to start painting rocks. 

This dead simple design is the epitome of easy painted rocks even for the most novice among us!

Ladybug painted rock
Who doesn't love ladybugs? This simple ladybug rock painting idea is easy to do and oh-so-cute!

Natalie Shaw walks you through how to paint a ladybug rock step-by-step. You'll end up with an adorable ladybug painted rock that you might just want to keep for yourself.

rainbow painted rock ideas
Rainbow Painted Rocks from I Love Painted Rocks
This simple rock painting idea is perfect for rocks that cracked in half or are arch shaped.

Natalie from I Love Painted Rocks shows you how to paint this easy rock painting idea for beginners or kids in the post.

how to paint rainbow ombre rocks with mandalas
These rainbow mandala rocks are super cool but they have a secret! 

Instead of needing extreme artistic talent to paint a fancy mandala, you just paint the rainbow ombre with acrylic paint and then apply the pre-painted mandala design.

It's like magic! Click over to the post to see the tutorial and even watch a video of it in action.

easy painting ideas - how to paint a simple rainbow love rock
Color Made Happy has all kinds of rock painting tutorials. She even has a rock painting book out!

She has lots of easy to follow rock painting tutorials and simple rock painting design ideas.

how to paint marbled rocks - how to marbelizing paint on rocks
These marbled rocks are so cool!  Making marbled rocks is a simple rock painting technique for beginners that looks really cool when you are done. 

This rock painting idea is hard to screw up and even kids will want to make these fancy rocks!

Rainbow paint poured rocks - easy rainbow rock painting ideas for beginners
I love the look of these two-tone paint poured rocks in rainbow colors! 

This rock painting idea is not a hard technique to master and grouping rocks together like this in a rainbow makes an extra big impact. 

robot dog stamped rock made with heffy doodle stamps. bleep boop. translation: i love you
How to Make a Robot Dog Painted Rock with Stamps
I'm a sucker for novel rock painting techniques. When I met the stamp company, Heffy Doodle, at an industry trade show in January of 2019 I was able to take home some sample stamps with me.

I used those sample stamps to make this cool robot dog painted rock. You can see the full-length tutorial video for how to create this rock on the I Love Painted Rocks YouTube channel.
This rock stamping technique is easy to do and perfect if you don't feel like you know how to draw.

how to paint a hedgehog rock - easy rock painting design for kids
It feels empowering for people who aren't normally crafty to make rocks that actually look like something. These adorable hedgehogs are the perfect simple rock art idea for newbies.

stamped painted stone
I love this dead-simple approach to painted rocks that looks so cool! Even if you worry you don't have hand lettering, drawing or painting skills, you can still make cool painted stones with the help of stamps! Check out Michelle's tutorial at the link above.

If you love the idea of stamped stones, I also have my own stamping tutorial that will teach you how to use clear sheet word stamps of rocks. 

This is a different look and a slightly different technique but still lets you use stamps to make up for any lack of hand-lettering or painting talent you might otherwise wish you had.

simple baby bird rock painting idea
Technically these bluebirds are candies but they would make great simple rocks! 

Just base coat a rock with blue paint and add eyes and a beak with a Posca pen or FolkArt 3D paint. Easy and cute!

easy rock painting ideas - simple rocks with glitter paint
My good friend and doodle artist, Jen Goode made this cute stone with my favorite glitter paint for rocks called Glitterific.

If you made a rock like Jen's, just make sure you seal it so the glitter doesn't become litter! I have detailed instructions on how to seal glitter painted rocks here!

Unicorn painted rock
This adorable and magical unicorn rock painting idea is easy to pull off with the step-by-step video tutorial. Click the link to check it out

can you paint rocks with sharpies
This particular blog post on Club Chica Circle talks about using sharpies on rocks. Check it out here.

If you decide you want to use Sharpies on painted rocks, there are some tips and tricks you need to learn to make sure you don't ruin your project. Read my article: Can You Use Sharpies on Painted Rocks? for more info!

Painted rock house - perfect for fairy door or a little town made out of rocks
Painted rocks that resemble houses being painted to look like tiny houses are so cool! These would be perfect for using to set up a painted rock fairy door in your area.


how to paint galaxy rocks

Galaxy painting is all the rage. Turn some rocks into pretty cosmic pieces of art! This is an easy rock art idea that kids and beginners alike will enjoy. The easy rock painting tutorial shows you how to make them.

saying for painted rocks - what to paint on kindness rocks
This simple rock painting idea is easy to pull off. After a base coat, you paint a heart shape and use some stamps to add works. 

simple but cool rock painting idea - mermaid scales painted rocks
Christine Brand (@NaturePlusPigment on Instagram) created these simple but really cool mermaid scale rocks to giveaway to customers who purchased things from her Etsy shop.

(please note this photo and promotion are from 2016 - I have not idea if she is still giving away mermaid stone to customers!)

Easy Star Wars rock painting idea - how to make jawa painted rocks
One of the things I love about these cool jawa painted rocks from Crafts by Amanda is that they are 3D and paint the rocks so that they become mini jawas instead of just painted designs onto rocks in 2D.
Love Star Wars? I have lots more Star Wars Painted Rock Ideas!

how to paint rainbow ladybug rocks
These ladybug rocks are the perfect addition to any fairy garden. They are a simple and easy rock painting idea perfect for beginners - even if you have zero painting experience.

Easy rock painting ideas - how to paint donut rocks
If donuts are your obsession, you will love these sweet rock painting ideas that resemble an assortment of tasty desserts. Uploaded to Pinterest by Ana Vega.

Galaxy inspired painted rock with silver butterfly
This purple and sparkly painted rock is a fun twist on the galaxy painting technique. The stars, in this case, are created by a special glitter paint called Glitterific

Just make sure if you use glitter paint on rocks, that you use the right technique for sealing glitter to rocks so that your glitter doesn't become litter.

The best part about this rock design is that you don't even need to know how to draw or paint designs - the metallic silver butterfly is actually a temporary tattoo!


how to make painted rock tic-tac-toe with a paver stone
Don't just paint your rocks - use them, too! Painting X's and O's on stones is as easy as is gets. Use a garden paver to make a board to play on.

Even though this idea looks simple enough, be sure to pop over to the Color Made Happy website anyway. Sam has lots of great rock painting pictures and tutorials.

She has even more rock painting designs and easy rock painting ideas in her book: Rock Art Handbook
Rock Art Handbook by Samantha Sarles

Easy rock painting idea - how to make dominoes with painted rocks
Not very crafty? Anyone can draw lines and dots with a paint pen! 

This easy rock painting idea lets you turn rocks into a functional game of Dominoes. This may be the simplest of all rock painting ideas.

Succulent inspired dot mandala prayer stone
Succulent Inspired Dot Mandala Prayer Stone by hisOpal on Etsy
This beautiful dot mandala from hisOpal on Etsy is an inspirational way to approach dot art. If you love this beautiful painted stone.

brush stroke flowers painted on a rock with a black background
How to Paint Flowers on Rocks
These rose-inspired flowers remind me of a cool tapestry. They look fancy but are actually simple to paint with the tutorial video! Check out the flower painted rock tutorial here.


Graphic Sunset Beginner Rock Painting Idea from Rock Painting 101
As their name implies, Rock Painting 101 has lots of simple rock painting ideas for beginning rock painters. 

They'll take you through their easy sunset rock painting tutorial step by step.

pet cactus rocks with adorable faces
I love how unique each little face is! I'm especially a fan of the ones with flowers for eyes and adorable little mustaches.

These simple cactus rocks would be easy for beginner to make - just paint a base coat or green and add the face and details you love.

Tropical vibe rock painting ideas with ferns and palm leaves made with stencils
Even though these rocks look fancy, they have a secret - they were made with stencils! Isn't that cool? Check out the rock painting tutorial on DoodleCraft to learn how Natalie made them.

If you love unicorns, you will love this magical rock painting tutorial. Like the rock painting idea above, this unicorn rock painting idea uses a a stencil - which means that anyone can get an awesome painted rock like this one!

Easy tutorial how to paint a pumpkin rock
This adorable pumpkin painted rock is perfect for both fall and Thanksgiving. The step by step instructions makes this rock painting craft easy and fun to make for both adults and kids.

puffy paint ideas with painted rocks
Using puffy paint on rocks is a fun technique to make you feel like you leveled up in rock painting
(get the puffy paints used to make these rocks on Amazon here)


color blocked geometric painted rocks - easy rock painting ideas
Worried that whatever you try to paint won't look quite right? Then the easiest solution is the paint nothing at all! 

These easy rock painting patterns are just abstract color block, stripes and shapes. They look cool and are simple enough for the perfect beginner to pull off.

easy rock painting idea with a simple turkey
This simple and adorable turkey craft is an easy rock painting craft kids or adults can both make. I think these would be adorable with names written underneath them and used as place markers on a Thanksgiving table!
Want more great Thanksgiving rock painting ideas? Check out 22 Thanksgiving Rock Painting Ideas You Will Love!

unicorn painted rocks
Kara from Happy Go Lucky has a secret to getting perfect unicorns on her painted rocks - even if you have absolutely zero drawing skills! Click the link to check it out and then come back to read my list of the best tattoos to use on painted rocks.

Rock painting ideas for beginners - easy painted rock ideas
When you are new to painting rocks doing a detailed flower like this can feel overwhelming. Lucky for you, expert rock painter Adrianne breaks it down step-by-step to make it super easy.

Like her tutorial? She's also the author of Rock Painting for Beginners which is one of my all-time favorite rock painting books. Check it out on Amazon:


Live your best like kindness rock painting idea
Want encouraging kindness rock ideas? Check out Mod Podge Rocks and her great collection of simple sayings for rocks.

She has lots of easy rock painting designs and ideas for what to paint on kindness rocks to get you started with easy rock art ideas.

imagine, believe, inspire, dream kindness rocks
This rock painting idea is perfect for people who are already crafty (maybe you own a Cricut or Silhouette) but are new to rock painting.

To make these painted stones, Angie cut inspirational messages out of vinyl on her craft cutter and used them to create different looks. Click the link above to see how she did it!

easy ideas for painted rocks for kids - how to paint glow in the dark rocks
These easy rock painting ideas from Dukes and Duchesses are easy for anyone to paint. The simple rock painting patterns have the added bonus of glowing in the dark. 

Even if your rocks don't look like a painting masterpiece, that's ok! Glow-in-the-dark paint makes any rock painting idea a cool rock painting idea!

unique rock painting techniques using dollar store supplies
Jessica from Mad in Crafts went a little crazy at the Dollar Store and came up with some really cool ways that you can use Dollar Store materials to paint rocks in different ways!

The rock above is painted using a tool I bet has never occurred to you but once you know about it, I can bet you'll be dying to try it yourself! Check out the post on her website for all the details

easy tutorials for cute painted rocks
Looking for some easy animals designs to paint on rocks? Deco Art will show you how to paint three different woodland creatures: a bear, a fox, and an owl in their easy step-by-step tutorial.

monster rocks - simple rock painting ideas
These adorable monsters are a super cute and simple rock painting idea!

Build a monster face with easy designs to draw like circles, triangles, and squiggles. Even if they turn out silly, goofy or mean, just say that's how it was meant to look!

pokemon go painted rocks
Pokemon might seem like an adventurous undertaking for any beginning rock painter but these pokemon faces are simple enough that even a beginner can pull them off. 

Pop over to the tutorial and follow along with the rock painting pictures to paint your own Pokemon rock at home.

easy rock painting ideas for newbies - Mexican inspired flower rock painting design
Mark Montano pulls off some pretty impressive DIY projects! 

This one is easy to follow along with so you can see exactly how he makes these pretty, Mexican pottery inspired flowers. He shows you simple rock painting designs that together make an impressive painted rock project!

easy dot rock painting ideas
Using a variety of dotting tools from around your house, Twitchetts shows you how to make simple dot art patterns even beginning rock painters can do.

easy painted rocks from Mark Montano
Mark Montano is back with another easy rock painting idea for beginners. 

Follow along with him step-by-step as he shows you how to paint this simple plant-inspired design on a rock. Make a whole collection to give away as gifts or keep in a bowl.

best rock painting ideas that are easy to paint
Simple letters and dots make for an easy rock painting idea that anyone can do! 

With simple patterns and shapes like hearts and dots, this easy rock painting project is perfect for kids and novice adults alike.


Thanks for stopping by! For more information how to play the hide and seek rocks game, check out our post on how to get started!

how to play the kindness rocks game for beginners

About the Author:

Carissa is a lifelong crafter and mom of two creative boys. 

The owner and lead writer of both I Love Painted Rocks and Creative Green Living, she has won multiple awards for her craft writing including the Craftys Award for the "Best Craft Blogger" category in 2016 and the ShiftCon award for "Best DIY blogger" in 2018. 

Her projects have been featured in magazines like Kids Crafts 1-2-3, Country Sampler Farmhouse Style and more.

8 comments:

  1. What a fantastic collection of tutorials and examples of painted rocks! So much inspiration!

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  2. Thank you for including me! I love all of them. It's just a matter of which other ones I want to try first.

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  3. After painting what do you seal them with?

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    1. Either Dishwasher Safe Mod Podge (and then wait 30 days to cute before hiding outside) or a clear spray sealer like from Rustoleum.

      You can the see the paints and sealers I recommend here: http://www.creativegreenliving.com/2017/10/how-to-get-started-painting-rocks-best-paint-supplies.html

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  4. Awesome ideas! Someone shared this page with the Making Danville Smile rock painting group on Facebook, and I love it! ❤️

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