What the How-to Books May Not Tell You About Garden Rock Painting

You can add more color to your garden by including a few hand-painted stones, especially during those colorless winter months. It is also a great way to show-off your talent as a painter. There are many how-to books, web articles and videos about how to paint rocks for your garden, but very few will tell you how to care for the stones before and after painting; or where the best placement might be for your finished creations. The paint the authors suggest may be excellent for painting on stones, but is it good for you garden? Will it harm your plants? Here are a few tips you may not find in how-to books regarding rock painting.

Choosing and preparing the right stone

Choose a sturdy smooth stone. You do not want a stone that may crumble or one with an irregular shape, making it difficult to paint. Make sure it is of adequate size for the picture or animal you want to paint.

Scrub the stone with a stiff brush and hardy cleaner. I use bathroom cleaner as this removes any algae and bacteria. Leaving algae on a stone can cause discoloration in the paint.

After approximately 2 days, when the stone has completely dried, coat it with an exterior acrylic sealer.

Choosing the right paint

These stones will be placed in your garden so use exterior paints, the same paints you would use to paint a house. You do not have to purchase gallon container as many exterior paints can be purchased by the pint. If you can find it, buy non-toxic exterior paint or add an extra coating or two of an exterior acrylic sealer. The sealer will help keep any toxin from seeping out. If you still have qualms about putting the stone next to your plants, put it so that if it rains the water that hits the stone will drain away from your plants.

Some stones will be different shades of gray, tan, brown, or black. Try painting a base color of dark or medium green on the stone before painting the actual picture. This will help the stone blend in well with the surrounding area, making the picture stand out and appear life-like.

Do not be afraid to use stamps or stencils on your stones. These can provide an accuracy your freehand may lack.

Placing your painted stone

Unless your stones are large and very heavy, do not be afraid to move them around in your garden. You may want to consider using several stones to make a painted picture or animal. For example, use one large stone for a turtle's body and five smaller ones for its legs and head. You can easily move these six stones around as opposed to one large one.

Consider the traffic where you want to place the stones. For a public are you may want to be more conservative in your pictures, while in a private area you may want to be more whimsical, using stones painted as butterflies or caterpillars.

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Source: Garden Workshop