50 Easy Rock Painting Ideas for Beginners

Rock Art Ideas and Inspiration

There’s something special about rock painting. Instead of having a big canvas or a blank piece of paper to work with, rock art forces you to come up with a creative idea that will fit one particular shape and size.

While this can be extremely fun, sometimes coming up with rock painting designs and ideas can be pretty difficult. If you’re having a creative block and you need some rock painting inspiration to get your juices flowing, you came to the right place!

We’ve gathered a ton of awesome and easy rock painting ideas that you can try out by yourself, or with your family, and we think they’ll get you inspired to come up with some of your own unique ideas too.

My own kids have especially loved going outside, hunting for rocks in a dried up canal, and painting them while basking in the sun. It’s been a fun family project! And we kept it pretty simple and just used some acrylic paint we had in our craft closet.

How to Paint On Rocks

If you’re a rock painting beginner, you should know that there’s a bit more to painting rocks than just grabbing one from outside and putting paint on it. In fact, some paint won’t work very well on rocks, so you have to be careful with what you use. If you want your painted rocks to last longer, you should also make sure to apply a sealer after painting to protect your piece of art! Krylon Clear Coating Spray is a great and trusted varnish that you can use to seal your painted rocks.

To learn more before you get started, I recommend reading this helpful article which will give you more information on where to find good rocks, what kind of paint to use, and more.

Now let’s get into the ideas!

50 Easy Things to Paint on Rocks

1. M&M Painted Rocks

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I absolutely LOVE these M&M painted rocks. The fact that the rocks have small “bites” taken out of them as well is an amazing touch.

2. Minion Rocks

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You know we love our minion crafts so we just had to include these Minion rocks on this list of stone painting ideas! These should be super easy to make and the kids will have a blast with this craft.

3. Fish Holding Shark Fin

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This is a simple and cute rock art idea that I think would go great in a beach-themed room or house. For example, you could fill a centerpiece with different sea themed painted rocks.

4. Groot Painted Rock

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If you’ve seen the Guardians Of The Galaxy movie you already know who Groot is, but basically, he’s a living tree. This project looks a bit more intricate than some of the others on this list but the end result is amazing.

5. Pet Cactus Rocks

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Ok, we’ve reached a whole new level of cuteness here guys. Not only are these cactus rocks going to be really easy to paint, but you can also customize them in all sorts of different ways. The tiny terracotta pots really add a nice touch too.

6. Dinosaur Rock

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Painting dinosaurs on rocks just makes sense. It’s sort of like creating your own fun and colorful fossil! You could even paint multiple rocks to build one big dinosaur.

7. Vintage Camper Painted Rocks

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If you’re an avid RV camper, a simple vintage camper rock may be the perfect decoration to put somewhere around your home (or even in your RV).

8. Toy Story Alien Rocks

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The little aliens in Toy Story are super cute and funny, plus they’re easy to paint, so why not put them on a rock (or multiple)? These painted rocks would make a great kids room decoration.

9. Magic 8-Ball Rock

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Everyone needs a little bit of magic in their life! And, while you won’t be able to receive any magical answers from your 8-ball rock, it still looks pretty cool.

10. Rock Sharks

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These would go great with the fish rock from #3! You could also hide them around a beach just for fun.

11. Rock Ghosts

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This is probably one of the easiest rock painting ideas on this list and also the spookiest! Ok, well not that spooky, but still a great Halloween DIY idea.

12. Strawberry Rocks

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We’ve already written a post on how to make strawberries last longer, but we’re pretty sure these rock strawberries will last forever! Just make sure no one tries to eat one or they might lose some teeth…

In all seriousness though, these strawberry painted rocks are great! You could decorate your garden with them and make other plant painted rocks as well to mark different areas of your garden.

13. Sports Rocks

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You’ll have to find some pretty particularly shaped rocks if you want to try and make these, but that’s part of the fun! Use them afterward to decorate a sports-themed room. 🙂

14. Chick Rock

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This would be a great Easter craft for kids! If you’re looking for more Easter content, make sure to check out our Easter recipes, DIYs and deals!

15. Candy Corn Rock

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This is another rock design that you’ll need a pretty particularly shaped rock for, so get hunting! Try to find multiple rocks to make a bowl of candy corn for a great DIY Halloween decoration!

16. Taco ‘Bout Awesome Rock

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I know there are a lot of taco lovers out there so I just had to include this taco rock idea.

17. Fairy Door Rocks

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This is one of the harder rock painting designs on this list and it’s more geared towards adults, but the end result is amazing. The rocks will fit right in with your garden and add a slight fantasy feel!

18. Ladybug Rocks

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Ok, these rocks are ones the kids can help with AND you can use them as additional decor in your garden. They say ladybugs are good luck too so maybe these rocks will bring you some good fortune!

19. Flower Rocks

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I love how colorful and fun these flower rocks are! This is another easy one for kids too.

20. Christmas Rocks

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Christmas is a great time to do some indoor rock painting! You could paint a picture of snowmen, a wreath, a stocking, or any of these other Christmas rock ideas.

21. Zombie Rocks

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Ok, this is the last of the Halloween ideas! To go along with your ghosts and candy, these zombie rocks really add a nice touch of spooky/goofy to the Halloween theme.

22. Flag Rocks

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This is such an amazing idea! You can either choose to paint just your own countries flag on a rock or you can try doing other countries too. With kids, this would be pretty educational!

23. Owl Rocks

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Ok, these owl rocks look a bit harder to make than some of the other rock art ideas on this list, but they are so adorable! There are so many different color combos and designs you could do for your owls too. Plus, these would make great home decor.

24. Donut Rocks

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Here’s an easy rock painting idea that I think kids will love (I mean, who doesn’t love donuts?).

25. Watermelon Painted Rocks

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Last but not least we have some happy looking watermelon rocks! These are easy for kids to make and you can pair them with the strawberry rocks from #12!

26. Bunny in a Field

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This is another great one for Easter. I love how it takes advantage of the entire rock, and you can really do it on any shape!

27. Turtle

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This one is really neat because it uses multiple rocks to bring the entire vision together. That means you’ll have to hunt for some pretty specific shapes and sizes, which adds to the fun!

28. Fish Rock

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Painting fish on rocks is a great way to get started as a beginner. There are SO many different looks you could do, and you can make fun backgrounds too!

29. Alien Face

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This one is really simple and there are a lot of different ways you could do it. To come up with something unique of your own, be sure to use the shape of your rock to influence the type of alien face you make.

And remember, not all aliens have to be green! Get creative with your colors 🙂

30. Tic Tac Toe

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I love this idea. It starts as a rock hunting activity, then turns into a crafting session, and then a game! So many hours of entertainment in one simple rock painting idea.

31. Pumpkins

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Perfect for Halloween, these would make a great decoration for around the house or in the garden. You could make a whole slew of them (with help from the kids) for a big rock pumpkin patch!

32. Easter Egg Rocks

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There are a lot of different ways to color Easter eggs, but why not make some rock Easter eggs too? These will last for years and you can bring them out every Easter!

33. Panda

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Pandas are absolutely adorable and they make for great rock paintings! Just look at how funny and cute they look.

34. Sunny-Side Up

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This one would be a great addition to any kitchen. It’s even got a nice little uplifting quote that will put a smile on your face in the morning 🙂

35. Eyeballs

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These are a tiny bit creepy, but also really cool looking. And they’re perfect for Halloween.

36. Rock Faces

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Taking it back to a classic idea: rock faces. You can get elaborate here or keep it simple, it’s up to you. Make the pet rock of your dreams!

37. Emojis

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These are just so fun. I could see these being a great desk decoration too. Start with your favorite emoji and keep going until you have an entire collection!

38. Pokemon

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If your kids love Pokemon, they could probably paint rocks of their favorite characters for hours. The image above is just scratching the surface of what’s possible here!

39. Sugar Skulls

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These are super cool and day of the dead-esque. Put on some Coco (great Disney movie) and get inspired!

40. Snake

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Here’s another rock painting idea that involves multiple rocks instead of just one, and this one is really cool! It basically allows you to mix and match different rocks as well. Come up with different patterns and ideas!

41. Gnomes

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Perfect for the garden, these gnome rocks look great and they should be pretty easy to paint too!

42. Snail

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Rocks are pretty much perfect for snail paintings, as long as you can find one with a nice round shape. Be sure to get creative with how you paint the shell!

43. Bees

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Bee’s are another one of those rock painting ideas that might just automatically pop into your mind. Most rocks are perfect for making little bee bodies! This is another great garden rock idea too.

44. Superhero Rocks

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Just as with the Pokemon rocks, if you have superhero fans in your house, this is another idea that will inspire tons more ideas. There are many different superhero logos and characters to paint!

I’ve even seen some people use two rocks to create a superhero head + body. Try that out if you want an extra challenge!

45. Star Wars

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Ok, I had to include these as well. I know there are a lot of Star Wars fans out there! Think of other ideas too: you could paint lightsabers, Star Wars vehicles, and more.

46. Peanuts Characters

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I don’t know about you, but I love Snoopy and Charlie Brown. These characters are also quite easy to draw so you shouldn’t have any trouble even as a beginner!

47. Sesame Street

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How can you not love the sesame street characters? Such a great show! I think these were actually painted on buttons, but who says you couldn’t put them on rocks?

48. Harry Potter

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Ok, last TV show/movie idea. I just know a lot of Harry Potter fans out there will appreciate these rocks!

49. Nintendo Rocks

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If you’re a Nintendo fan, these will definitely need to be added to your collection! Would make a great addition to a gaming room 🙂

50. Painters Palette

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To end things off, this idea seems pretty perfect. A painters palette painted on a rock. It’s like rock painting inception or something. Ha!

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you’re now feeling inspired to go out and hunt some new rocks for painting! These rock art ideas should all be pretty easy to make (even for kids) so get together and do some family rock painting!

What do you like to do with your painted rocks? Do you keep them for yourself or do you go out and hide them around outside? Let me know!

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