Decorating your own garden plot is an activity that has become a favorite hobby for many. What kind of ideas are not embodied on six hundred square meters. After all, this is a great opportunity to show your creativity, sense of humor and surround yourself with objects that can bring joy and aesthetic pleasure. Despite the abundance of crafts made of plastic and other artificial materials, wood and stones have been and remain leaders for summer cottage creativity. These two materials look especially organic in any treatment. We have already talked about how stones can be used in garden design, so today we will turn Special attention for painting on stones with your own hands.

By choice suitable material It's better to do it in the summer. And those who have already tried their hand at painting on stone know well why. In the summer, many of us go to the sea, but choose not beautiful and alluring sandy beaches, but those places where there are pebbles. This is a real “Klondike” for artists. It is here that the material that we need is literally lying right under our feet.

The advantage of sea pebbles is that they are so smooth that when working with them you can do without preliminary priming with PVA glue

Stones suitable for our venture are round or oval shape. Most often they are light in color, have a smooth surface and a flat base. If you come across an interesting specimen whose shape is not so simple, you should not refuse it. It is enough to come up with an image that will match this shape and fit well on it.

The flat base of the stone allows it to take the most stable position on any surface. For a lawn, this quality is not so important, but if you need to decorate smooth surfaces, then the flat shape of the boulder will be in demand. With some creativity, you can use other stones, such as porous ones. Painted in yellow, they will resemble pieces of cheese.

What if you don't have the right stones?

If you have an idea, for example, to draw a lotus flower at different stages of its blossoming, using cobblestones different sizes, A suitable stones no, you can make them yourself.

To do this, you need to prepare a container (pan or basin) of the appropriate size, pour sand into it and wet it to keep its shape. Make a depression in the sand of the shape that you would like to give to the future boulder. The recess must be lined with transparent polyethylene.

This stone, made of cement, fits perfectly into the surrounding landscape. They did not decorate it additionally, although this is not difficult to do

Mix the cement. If you want a stone of a certain color, you can add the appropriate pigment to the cement. Then you can put the resulting solution in polyethylene, and then tie the film. To save money, the inside of the stone can be made hollow.

Perhaps it makes sense to select pebbles according to size in order to use them to form two wonderful snakes, but it is much easier to make them yourself

Until the future stone has dried, its outer surface should be covered with 10-15 cm of sand to avoid cracking. It is better to make a large boulder close to the place where it will be installed. After the cement has completely dried, begin painting it.

Choosing suitable paints

Brushes and paints are important element upcoming work. Undoubtedly, you have heard that acrylic paints are used to paint stones. Why acrylic? After all, there is also gouache, watercolor and oil paint.

Acrylic paints have many useful properties: they cover stones well, are not washed off with water, do not fade and tolerate changes in temperature very well

We prefer acrylic for the following reasons:

• these paints dry quickly and turn into an elastic coating that will not crack;
• acrylic fits well on the surface without rolling or being absorbed;
• the colors of these paints are unusually bright, they do not fade in the sun, do not become dull over time and are not washed off with water;
• acrylic coating is non-toxic and odorless.

The elastic film that acrylic paints form on the surface of the stone after drying is quite strong, resistant to mechanical stress, does not react to high humidity and temperature changes, and does not dissolve in water.

Acrylic paints are produced by both foreign and domestic manufacturers. It is necessary to choose those that would suit us not only high quality, but also at an affordable price.

Gamma paints are very well suited for beginners’ first jobs: they are inexpensive, but quite good quality, and their ability to darken after drying just needs to be taken into account

Let's consider several options:

• Artistic acrylic brand "Gamma" (Russia). This is an inexpensive material that can be used by beginning artists. Its peculiarity is that the drawing becomes a couple of shades darker after drying.
• Glossy paints “Dekola” (Russia). Due to their saturation and brightness, they are perfect for depicting flowers and plants. The glossy surface allows the drawing to look more impressive, but creates unwanted glare that is not necessary for animal images.
• Russian products “Ladoga” and “Sonet” are an excellent example normal ratio quality and price. Thanks to increased adhesion, paints from the “Ladoga” series adhere well to stone and withstand changes temperature conditions. Acrylic of both series becomes darker after drying. To create additional effects, you can successfully combine the use of matte paints “Ladoga” and “Sonnet” and glossy “Dekola”.
• Pebeo paints, jointly produced in France and China, and Vivace creamy acrylic are higher-level materials used by real artists, which is why you should look for them in art salons. They are not only easy to work with, but also do not change their color after drying.
• Maimeri and Plaid paints are not so easy to find, and they are more expensive than the previous ones. It should be remembered that these brands also sell materials for working on glass, metal and plastic. We need those that say “for cement or stone work.” If the stone will subsequently be placed in the garden, then acrylic should be for outdoor use.
• American Plaid FolkArt products will most likely have to be ordered online. The drawings she creates will never darken. In addition to a large palette of colors, this series contains mediums - means with which you can create various special effects.
• The “Polycolor” series of paints “Maimeri” (Italy) have continuous advantages. If you find them and aren't put off by the price, you'll have every chance of using them to create something truly unique.

As you have already seen, there are paints, a lot of them. Every artist from beginner to professional has the opportunity to choose what he likes.

Italian Polycolor paints make up a large series, which includes many different colors of excellent quality, durability and brightness

Which brushes are best?

If it’s quite difficult to choose paints: you can simply get confused different names and end up buying something wrong, then there shouldn’t be any confusion with the brushes. They are usually sold in sets of eight.

For painting on stone, you need synthetic or nylon brushes. Products made from bristles will be too rough for this purpose, and natural materials such as kolinsky or squirrel will be too fragile and soft.

If the brush becomes temporarily unneeded during work, it should be placed in a glass of water to prevent it from drying out.

In the photo the brushes are shown by number. Each brush in the set has its own purpose.

• No. 8 – used for working on large boulders weighing over 4-5 kg;
• No. 7 – for large stones. If you are mastering the one stroke technique, then this brush will be useful for painting flowers and leaves;
• No. 6 – useful for working with large stones; they can also be used to paint leaves and flowers using the one-stroke technique;
• No. 5 is a very convenient and quite versatile brush; it can be used to paint both large and small stones;
• No. 4 is an ideal brush for working with small stones;
• No. 3 – used not only when working with small pebbles, but also for drawing details of patterns on large boulders;
• No. 2 - with its help they draw the smallest details of drawings - patterns, eyes, wool, hair, and so on;
• No. 1 – necessary for creating special effects, such as dot painting.

Now that we have stones, paints and brushes, and we know how to use them, it would seem that we can start doing the work. But, just a minute, there is one more point that needs to be clarified.

How to build a palette correctly

One of the properties of acrylic that helps us in our work is its ability to dry quickly. But for beginning artists this circumstance causes some difficulties. They have to draw faster than they can yet. In addition, you constantly have to add new paints, and this unnecessarily increases their consumption.

You can, of course, use by special means, slow down drying, but then the effect we need disappears, and creating drawings will be much more difficult.

As you can see, such a container is easy to find in any grocery store, so you shouldn’t have any problems constructing a palette

Meanwhile, if a jar of paint is opened and we dip a brush into it, acrylic will quickly become viscous, and then an elastic, dense substance. Simply put, the paint will dry out and you will have to throw out the entire jar. If you squeeze paint onto a regular palette, then its consumption will be simply enormous, and this is no good.

To work calmly, slowly and without wasting extra paint and nerves, you need to make a special palette with your own hands. To do this, let's take:

• a regular plastic container with a lid;
• toilet paper or napkin;
• baking paper.

Let's start with a container of any size. Subsequently, when you start painting regularly, you will decide for yourself what size palette you need. The wider the container, the greater the color palette you can use to color the rocks for your garden.

The small container we chose is perfect if you need to paint small sea pebbles. Let's put a piece at the bottom toilet paper or paper napkin. Lightly compact the paper and fill it with water so that it is well saturated. The napkin should be wet, but not floating in water.

This homemade palette contains several drops of paint in different colors, which indicates minimal material consumption

Now you need to take wax paper and cut a piece out of it that matches the size of the bottom of the container. We will place this paper on top of a wet napkin. The work is complete, we have made the ideal palette for acrylic paints. Baking paper retains moisture and prevents paints from drying out. IN closed This palette can even be placed in the refrigerator if the painting process has to be interrupted.

Now it's really time to start painting the stones.

Sequence of painting

The stones should be prepared for work - washed thoroughly with soap and dried. Then each stone needs to be primed with PVA glue and dried again. Now you can start applying the background. The color must be determined in advance, shake the paint well and apply it to the surface of the stone. After this, you should wait 15 minutes for the base coat to dry.

If it now seems to you that you will spend too much time while the stone dries, then this is not so: you can prepare several more blanks at the same time

Before making a drawing on stone, make a sketch on paper, imagine how it will look in finished form. Use a pencil to reproduce the design on the stone. Check again that all the details are well drawn. Subsequent coloring will be done in layers. Each element must be dried for 15 minutes. The outlines of your painting are done with liquid paint.

It is best to dry the product on a radiator. Ready product need to be coated with a layer of protective varnish. It should dry out too. After completing the painting, you can place the finished stone in its place in the garden.

And also look at the video - as they say, it’s better to see once:

What can you draw on a stone?

The short answer to this question is that you can draw anything! Whatever you want and whatever your imagination tells you. But we will still give some advice.

In addition to the popular frogs, ladybugs, flowers, foliage and fish, you can draw a collection of emoticons. You can always see what they should be on the Internet.

You can draw on stone not only representatives of wildlife or a fictional character, but also such a beautiful abstraction

A great idea is to create a whole collection of fairy tale or popular cartoon characters. These can be the heroes of "Turnip", located on boulders of different sizes from the largest, which will be the Turnip, to the smallest - the Mouse. Everyone's favorite Smeshariki will look good on the playground.

Watch this video and we are sure you will get a lot of positive emotions and ideas:

Where is the best place to use painted pebbles?

Now that we have figured out how to paint the stones that will be in the garden, we can begin to use them for their intended purpose. A variety of designs can be applied to stone. The scope of application of such a stone depends on their content.

These wonderful animals, painted on smooth stones, look so natural and alive that they will become a real decoration for your lawn.

By playing with pebbles on which numbers are drawn, a child can easily and without much pressure from adults learn to count.

But such a simple and, at the same time, very original sign will unobtrusively invite your guests to stroll through the garden

To awaken your own imagination, we are ready to offer you some examples:

• By the pond. You can place large boulders near the pond, drawing on them beautiful Japanese carps, frogs, lilies or water lilies against a background of green leaves and other living creatures living in the water.
• Paths. Narrow paths or paths can be paved not with simple medium-sized cobblestones, but with pebbles with paintings applied to them.
• Area. If there is a need to divide the paved area into different zones, you can use stones painted in different colors. They can form colorful spirals, be arranged in zigzags, or depict an ornament. The same is done with borders and lawns: they are simply covered with colored pebbles.
• Pointers. The idea is to put it at a crossroads big boulder with inscriptions indicating the direction was born a long time ago. Ilya Muromets also encountered such a pebble. Why not revive this tradition on your site?
• Game Zone. On the smooth surface of the pebbles you can apply not only a pattern or design, but also letters, syllables, numbers or simply crosses and toes. If you place such toys on the playground, the child will always have something to do.
• Sculptures and sculptural groups. Colored or painted pebbles look great in the form of pyramids. They can be glued together with special glue. You can make a real “gingerbread house” from flat specimens.
• Decorating vertical surfaces. Gazebos and fences, utility rooms and barbecues can be decorated with beautiful painted pebbles.

It is difficult to describe all the possible uses of such crafts. Your own imagination will undoubtedly suggest them to you.

Many of those who were on vacation near the sea once brought with them fascinating smooth pebbles, carved over many years by sea waves. To be honest, it is not entirely clear why we are attracted by the shapes and smoothness of the surface of pebbles, and only a few people think of making crafts out of stone. What kind of crafts can you make and how can they be useful? In this article we will look at ways of painting on stones; a master class on their creation may perhaps inspire you to create new works.

Paints for painting

Artistic painting of stones can be done with gouache and acrylic paints. Moreover, acrylic paints are very good for stone, as they are bright and durable. For beginning artists, it is worth noting that acrylic paints require some care. Firstly, they are more expensive, dry quickly, and secondly, synthetic brushes must be used, since the substance in the paint corrodes the natural bristles, do not leave them on outdoors with paint, otherwise the brushes will be difficult to clean.

Note! The work surface and clothing should be protected with some kind of oilcloth or, in extreme cases, newspapers and paper.

Sometimes a primer is used to make the paint go on smoother. Usually this is a solution of PVA glue with water; before starting to apply the main colors, it is recommended to apply white paint, this will add brightness to the next layer of paint. But to make thin contours and lines, you can use special acrylic or permanent markers, as well as thick paints that are used for outline in stained glass painting.

Particular attention is paid to contour paints in dot contour painting, which attracts with its easy creation process and funny final works. Although when creating, it is still advisable to apply a background and primer. Brightly painted stones can be used in interior decoration. Rich acrylic paints will create the impression of sweets in flowerpots that do not melt, or as an addition to flower pots.

Excellent pictures are obtained from pebbles. Small stones can be glued to construction glue, and it will hold firmly in a vertical position. Decorated stones are assembled like a puzzle into a beautiful panel. Photos below for examples:

If you don't have the skills of experienced artists, you can use stencils or regular masking tape and combinations of your favorite colors. The layers must be applied in the order they dry.

ladybugs

Use this type crafts in classes for children. The technique of painting stones can be used at exhibitions children's creativity, or as a fun home game to create decorative pictures for the interior of a room.

Pebbles can be used both large and small pebbles. Let's look at a small step-by-step tutorial on how to create “ladybugs” from stone with your own hands.

Step 1. Prepare materials.

You will need stones, preferably smooth and round, like real bugs, PVA glue, pen, pencil, acrylic paints, synthetic and natural brushes, and a palette.

To protect your clothes, use an apron, make workplace, laying with oilcloth or paper. Wash the stones with soap and dry.

Step 2. Using a solution of PVA glue and water in a ratio of 1:1, apply the primer with a natural brush and let it dry. Then paint with diluted water and acrylic paint white, this is done so that the applied background is brighter.

Step 3. Outline the lines of the wings and head. Using synthetic brushes, paint the main details of the ladybug, wings and head. Let it dry.

Step 4. Using a thin brush or markers, create circles on the back and eyes. At the end of the work, give your product glossy shine furniture or decoupage varnish.

For summer cottages

On plots of land you can also find large ordinary stones, which can also be turned into fancy animal figures using acrylic paint and several layers of good furniture varnish.

Working on such a decorative product requires professional skills if you want to achieve a detailed picture. The stones must first be thoroughly washed and after complete drying, primer must be applied. And then the background color, you can apply paints intended for external work.

If it is difficult to draw animals, then you can resort to simple schematic painting of funny houses. Any size stone will do. Now we need more paints and varnish. It's better to take good ones. Example in the photo below:

(20 ratings, average: 4,20 out of 5)

Smooth pebbles brought from a sunny sea coast or a mountain river can become a unique decor. Painted pebbles can be used to decorate flower pots, flower beds in the garden, shelves with books, a nursery, etc. A person who does not paint with paints will find the idea of ​​painting difficult. But in fact, even small children can decorate pebbles with acrylic patterns. You just have to start with simple ideas, practice and try new design options. And over time it will definitely be possible to create on stone a real masterpiece.

Stages of work

To creative process was enjoyable, it should be divided into several main stages.

• selection of stones that are suitable for painting and applying the desired pattern or design;
• preparing the necessary materials (brushes, paints, napkins, etc.);
• drawing up an initial sketch of a drawing on paper (you can draw the same drawing several times to get better at it);
• selection and preparation of the desired shades of paint and brush sizes, testing the material on a draft;
• transferring the drawing to the “finish copy”;
• fixing an illustration or pattern with a special means.

If you follow the sequence of steps, the likelihood of painting the material with crooked patterns is reduced, and you will have many beautiful, bright stones ready to decorate your garden or flowerbed.

Selection of stones

Ideal for creativity large sea stones. They are smooth and flat, the colors lie on them evenly. If you wish, you can draw on any stone, even on a piece of granite. The main thing is to combine the roughness and curves of the stone with an artistic idea.

Perhaps one stone is shaped like an owl and is missing a nose and feathers. Another pebble is very similar to a purring kitten, the third is like a ladybug. It is important to give free rein to your imagination, not to turn off the voice of your inner child and to come up with your own, unique drawings and patterns.

Selection of colors

The most suitable for this type of decor paints - acrylic. Firstly, they do not have a sharp, unpleasant odor and suitable for joint activities with kids. Secondly, acrylic paints dry quickly. And thirdly, they are quite durable.

Additionally, pebbles can be painted with gouache, watercolors, compositions for painting ceramics and dishes, acrylic blanks, wax crayons, paints for glass and stained glass, etc.

Please note that paint is not the only material used to cover cobblestones. After the pattern or illustration is applied, the design must be fixed. Especially if these stones will later be used as garden decoration. For greater effect, it is recommended to cover the stones with a special primer. If you don't have a primer, you can mix white acrylic paint and PVA glue. Only after the material has been absorbed and completely dried can acrylic paints be applied. You need to finish the job with varnish.

Gallery: painting on stones (25 photos)

If a person has artistic experience, then he can create a real masterpiece on a small stone. It’s a little more difficult if you don’t have such skills, but you want to get a complex drawing right away. For beginners, it’s still better to start with simple patterns and design options.

Popular painting options

Some of the most popular ideas paintings on stones for beginners, which are easy to depict, but they always look beautiful and stylish:

• Berries. The brightest and easiest to draw is strawberry. You can arrange a small wicker basket in the flowerbed and decorate it with non-perishable juicy berries from pebbles.
• Ornaments, folk and geometric patterns. Since ancient times, our ancestors decorated household items various patterns. Some images were symbolic, others were flights of fancy. And such drawings always looked advantageous. Today, ethnic style is very popular, and even a child can depict a geometric pattern on stone. These cobblestones can not only decorate flower beds, but also decorate a dining table, use for photo shoots or interior decoration.
• Bitmap. It could be a geometric pattern, a flower or a plant.
• Mandalas. Another option is to turn a small pebble into an object of “cult” and decoration. Modern man increasingly gravitates toward unidentified objects filled with meanings and hidden symbols. In addition, drawing mandalas is a kind of therapy that helps a person relax and unwind.
• Coloring and turning stones into insects, animals, fish. Drawing animals, birds and fish is more difficult than patterns. But some beetles and mammals can be depicted even without artistic practice. For example, paint stones to look like “ladybugs”, turtles, fish or a worm.
• Houses for elves, gnomes and other fairy-tale creatures: cobblestones that turned into fairytale house, will look advantageous not only in children's corner garden, but also in a flowerbed, in the garden itself or near the gate. Drawing a fairytale house is not at all difficult. First you need to find a sample on the Internet or in a book, make a sketch, practice on paper if necessary, then transfer the drawing to the stone.
• For children's play. Here you can get creative both with your child and prepare such surprises for your kids yourself.

Use in landscape design

Painted stones- actually a universal decor. Much depends on the type and size of the stones, the design that was depicted, and the place where decoration or decoration is planned. For example, in a serious office made in a classic style, an island on a table with stones decorated with children's drawings or gnomes will look ridiculous. At the same time, if in such a room you make decor with stones, on which some symbols, ornaments or mandalas are drawn, that is, there is a possibility that the element will fit into the overall interior.

When designing a garden, it should be taken into account that compositions of painted stones look more elegant in small grass. To avoid it getting too tacky, you can use painted and clean elements in one composition. Fairytale houses, pebbles with images of plants or animals look best on a flowerbed, terrace or in the house.

How else can you paint pebbles with acrylic? Drawing on the stones:

• For blogging in in social networks. Nowadays there are a lot of blogs that you can read on the Internet. These are people who write about the latest in cosmetics, clothing, raising children, psychology and food. Often, in order to please their subscribers and attract new ones, bloggers need beautiful, stylish photos. And painted stones with unusual designs are a good option. They can be used both for subject photography and for conducting an online or offline master class.
• Pebbles with painted houses or patterns will fit into the decoration of the holiday table.
• Using painted stones for advertising subject photography.
• To decorate a children's playground;
• For correctional and educational activities with children.

Painted stones for the development and education of children

Small painted pebbles can be turned into a real manual on early development child. For example, for the little ones You can make pebbles with images of scary bugs, cars or fish. Your baby will use these painted pebbles to play in the sandbox or grass. It is important that the stones are not too small so that the child does not put them in his mouth.

You can make a mosaic or construction set from pebbles of equal size. For example, on one draw a bunny's face, on another - a tummy, on a third - a left paw, etc. And show that if you put these pebbles in the correct sequence next to each other, a drawing of a bunny comes out.

Another option is toys for story game. For example, paint the pebbles with houses, cars, etc. And make your own city in the sandbox, with its own rules and laws. In this case, the child will breathe fresh air, develop imagination, fine motor skills, speech.

To practice counting or study letters, you can depict numbers or the alphabet of any language on stones. You can write down whole words and eventually start making sentences out of them. You can draw vegetables or fruits to study and solve simple math problems.

It can also be made from painted pebbles Board games for the street. For example, a kind of crosses and toes.

Even herself painting stones with environmentally friendly paints outdoors is a wonderful educational activity.

Pebbles with drawings is an amazing guide for preschoolers that both children and adults will enjoy. Especially if parents make this beauty together with their baby.

Master class on creating a pebble house

Step-by-step instructions on how to easily turn a gray cobblestone into a bright house:

• We choose a stone that is visually similar to a house. It is important that this image is seen by the person who is going to draw. So the vision of images is very individual, and someone sees the desired shape in a circle, someone in a triangle, and someone in a stone with uneven edges.
• We prime the painted stones with a special primer or a mixture of white paint and PVA glue.
• We make a sketch with a simple pencil.
• We select the necessary materials: brushes and paints.
• We carefully paint each element of the house: separately the windows, roof, walls. First we write out large areas, then we draw contours and details.
• Let the paint dry.
• Fixing the drawing special varnish. For example, hairspray or for outdoor surfaces.

Master class on making artificial stones

If it is not possible to bring beautiful preparations from the sea or a mountain river, there is no need to be upset. You can make pebbles for garden decoration yourself with your own hands.

• Pour into container a large number of water. You can take an unnecessary garden basin, bowl or bucket;
• Ordinary quarry or river sand is poured into the container up to the water level.
• The sand should absorb moisture as much as possible so that excess water does not stand on top.
• A depression is made in the mass of sand with your hands and this mass is collected, forming the future cobblestone.
• The prepared form must be covered with polyethylene;
• Fresh cement mortar is poured into the mold;
• The sand blank is dipped into cement, then sprinkled with sand and given artificial stone freeze. When the cobblestone dries, it can be painted like an ordinary sea stone.

Stylish painting on stones and master classes on painting stones for every taste can be found online. But you should remember that a complex drawing will not come out the first time. And to make a real masterpiece, you should practice a little.

Good afternoon, our beloved readers! Today we will talk to you about how to draw on stones. This is not a very ordinary way of drawing. More precisely, you can choose different methods for such drawing, but the surface for creating a drawing in this case is not quite typical.

What stones should you choose for drawings? What colors to paint with? How to choose required material? We are with you today and will find answers to all your questions. So let's get started!

From childhood, parents, educators and teachers teach us that we need to draw on paper. And you will remember yourself as little! After all, I really wanted to draw on an unusual surface - on the walls, on the floor and even on furniture. And for this we often got it from our parents. Today there are many types unusual creature“masterpieces”, and drawing on stones is a great alternative for our children to drawing on an unusual surface. In addition, this type of creating drawings is a wonderful activity not only for children, but also for those adults who love to draw and admire how inanimate pebbles turn into living images: into animals, into plants, all kinds of edible vegetables, fruits, and other compositions.

This can be done all year round, Anytime. In the summer at the dacha and on the coast, in the winter in the apartment. And then this is an excellent solution for those parents who do not know what to do with their children during the hottest time of the day. Try to master this type of creativity with your children, and you will see with what pleasure they will draw.

So, you decided to paint a few pebbles, but don’t know where to start? Now we will tell you in detail what these unusual crafts are and how to make them?

Which stones to choose?

The best designs are obtained on ordinary small sea pebbles. They are quite flat, so the drawings turn out very beautiful. So, when returning from a holiday at the sea, do not forget to grab souvenirs in the form of beautiful sea pebbles.

But don't limit yourself to choosing only the perfect flat stones. The stones that lie in your garden are also good for such creativity; you just need to take a closer look. If you look carefully at garden stones and dream a little, you can see how some stones resemble the outlines of animals or some object. From such cobblestones with unusual geometric shapes you can create a unique masterpiece.

It is most convenient to work with light-colored stones with a non-porous structure, then the paint applies fairly evenly, and the design turns out neat and clear.

How to make artificial stones?

If you don’t have a stone, but you want to learn how to draw, then in art stores you can buy pebbles specially prepared for drawing different shapes. The choice is very wide. But it is much cheaper to make a stone of the size and shape you need yourself. What is needed for this?

1. Prepare a container (basin or bucket).
2. Pour in a small amount of water.
3. Pour sand into the container up to the water level (extra water should not stand above the sand).
4. Make a depression of the required shape in the sand.
5. Cover the recess with transparent polyethylene.
6. Mix regular cement mortar and pour it into your mold (you can add a pigment to the cement that will give a background to your future stone).
7. Cover the mold with polyethylene and fill it with sand on top (to prevent the stone from cracking).
8. After the cement has dried, you can start painting.

What paints should I use?

The most popular paints for painting stones are:

• acrylic;
• gouache;
• watercolor;
• special compositions for painting ceramics.

You can use all these paints when creating your own crafts, but it is best to use acrylic ones, as they have a number of significant advantages over others:

– do not fade in the sun (unlike watercolors and gouache);
– dry quickly (about 15 minutes);
– odorless, non-toxic (good for drawing both outdoors and indoors);
– do not crack;
– withstands low and low temperatures very well high temperatures;
– cannot be washed off with water;
– affordable (unlike special formulations).

We have figured out which paints are best to use, but that’s not all. In order for your masterpieces to last as long as possible, it is necessary to use a primer and varnish to fix the work before painting.

What can you draw on a stone?

The short answer to this question is yes, anything! As far as your imagination goes! But we will still give you a couple of tips.

Best for beginner artists and children simple patterns and flowers, simple insects. Start with daisies or ladybugs, for example.

Here are examples of more complex drawings:

• ornaments and patterns;
• berries;
• animals;
• insects;
• all kinds of flowers;
• fish;
• vegetables and fruits;
• houses;
• elements for the game.

You can create a series of characters from your favorite cartoons and fairy tales, and then play with the kids. It will turn out very unusual and fun! Sketches can be found on the Internet or drawn yourself. And remember that you don’t have to be an artist to paint on rocks. The drawings can be anything. The main thing is that you have time and desire.

Painting technique

Well, we selected stone, paints and found a suitable design. How to start drawing? Let's see what processes need to be performed:

1. Wash the stone in soapy water and dry thoroughly.
2. Apply a coat of primer (you can use a mixture of PVA and white paint) and wait until it dries.
3. Draw the outline of the drawing using a special felt-tip pen or pencil.
4. Paint the background with a wide brush, and then draw small details with a thin one.
5. Leave your masterpiece to dry for 15-20 minutes.
6. For reliability, cover the pebble with a layer of acrylic varnish.

That's it, your work is ready! Now you can decorate your garden or home with it.

We have selected for you several master classes on painting stones, because it is better to see once on video than to hear a hundred times:

Where can painted stones be used?

Now that we have already learned how to paint on stones, let's see how to play with painted stones and where they can be used.

1. In the garden. This can be a decor for a rock garden and other rocky garden compositions. On the stones for the dacha and garden, images of animals will look organic: various insects (ladybugs and other bugs, butterflies), animals, etc., as well as flowers.
   You can also lay out the paths in the garden not with simple cobblestones, but with painted ones.
   If your garden is located on a fairly large area, you can make a large signpost, for example, to show where your pond is or how to get to the playground.
2. By the pond. Near your pond you can place large boulders and depict frogs, lilies and water lilies and other living creatures on them. It will be very original!
3. Playground. Decorate the pebbles in the shape of cartoon characters or fairy-tale houses and place them in the play area. Your kids will be delighted! You can also draw the alphabet and numbers on the stones - and combine business with pleasure. If you place such toys on the playground, the kids will always have something to do.
4. Home decor. Stones depicting plant patterns feel great in the house. For example, if you don’t have time to care for indoor flowers, but want to decorate the window sills with something, draw a cactus that will replace a living flower for you.
5. Sculptures. Create an extraordinary sculpture from painted pebbles in your garden. They can be glued together with special glue. It could be a fairy-tale house, a pyramid or some kind of animal.

Well then original ideas We have given you instructions on how to create painted stones, all you have to do is try it. Use your imagination and create your own unique stones!

The stone was probably the first object that a person consciously picked up. People also began to use it as a basis for creativity a very long time ago. Painting on stones is still very popular today, for example, in eastern countries.

It is considered good manners to give to a close friend for a birthday, a stone decorated with an original design. In addition, stones, like everything that surrounds a person, have their own energy. It’s not for nothing that each zodiac sign has its own stone that protects against troubles.

But here we are talking about ordinary pebbles lying on the ground. Not every stone can become the basis for a painting. There are stones that are too porous, absorbing all the paint, and there are stones that are poorly worn in and have sharp edges. Therefore, for creativity you need to select smooth stones with a dense texture.

1. Since the material for work was literally lying underfoot, the selected stones should be thoroughly washed and dried before starting the process.
2. The field for creativity is quite miniature, so paint should be poured onto the palette just a little at a time.
3. Acrylic paints dry very quickly, turning the brush into a hard scraper, so while painting the brush must be constantly returned to the glass of water. For the same reason, when changing color, the brush should be thoroughly washed and dried with napkins or a paper towel.
4. Drawing on stone is a rather specific process. To avoid unpleasant surprises associated with paint getting on clothes, it is better to paint stones with your own hands in old T-shirt and jeans, or wear a large apron that covers everything. Even a small drop of paint that has dried on pants will immediately ruin the item. You can, of course, try to scrub it off fresh, armed with an old toothbrush, but it is better to exclude the appearance itself.
5. The same goes for the entire workplace. A faithful assistant in protecting the table surface from contact with paint and water is an old newspaper.
6. But it’s easy to correct the mistake - the paint can be easily wiped off the surface of the stone if necessary, or painted over with a different color after drying.

Materials required for painting

Paints

This could be a watercolor set, jars of gouache or tubes of acrylic paint.

Each artist works in the manner that he likes, although painting on stones for beginners gives the opportunity to try their hand at all types. Experienced craftsmen They still prefer to work with acrylic paints. The whole palette bright colors fits perfectly even on unprimed surfaces. And if you use metallic acrylic paints, the pictures will acquire a pleasant soft shine.

Pebbles can also become brighter and shinier after painting with paints intended for porcelain or ceramics. You can secure them by placing the painted stones in an ordinary oven for firing. But even without this procedure, the pictures take on a beautiful appearance.

Outlines, markers, pencils

In addition to paints, today there are a large number of tools in the form of outlines and felt-tip pens that provide additional touches and details to decorate the painting.

Flowers are applied in a three-dimensional outline

Few people can depict their ideas without preparation. Even experienced artists first draw a sketch of the image. For this purpose, special sketch pencils have been developed for dark and light stones, respectively white and black.

Brushes

Painting on stone is impossible without the presence various types brushes - from the largest, for painting the background, to miniature, capable of leaving the finest strokes on the surface. A set of brushes can be purchased at the appropriate store.

Varnish

The created miniature must be protected so that it can be admired for many years. To do this, the stone is coated with varnish. As a clear example, there is a painting on stones called “Master of the Forest” by Leonard Popov:

Stone coated with varnish has a characteristic beautiful shine

The process of painting stones

First, the issue with the primer is decided - to apply it or not.

Then the plot of the drawing is determined. It will be suggested to the author not only by imagination, but also by the shape, color, and texture of the pebbles used.

Before work, the stones are thoroughly washed and dried.

The background of the picture is applied to the primed surface (if such a decision has been made).

The future contours of the plot are drawn with a sketch pencil.

When filling fragments with paint, the following options are possible: first draw the outline with a brush, and then fill the drawing with paint. Or draw the entire picture in color, and then use a thin brush to highlight the outline.

Even a professional artist’s hand may tremble. Any solvent will help correct an uneven line or erase an excess stain.

The last step in creating a stone masterpiece is varnishing the entire surface of the painted stone. Only in this case will the image be preserved in all its glory, even if the painting of stones was intended for the garden, and not as a gift.

True, if the pattern occupies only part of the pebbles, then you can preserve its natural appearance, varnishing only the painted area inside the outline.

After finishing the work, the scope of application of painted pebbles is varied. It can be a wonderful gift for close friends. A glass jug filled with colorful pebbles will decorate your interior design. Magnets glued to pebbles will allow you to create a unique composition on the refrigerator door. In general, there are no restrictions on the flight of creative thought.

Master class on painting stones for beginners

To reinforce creative lessons, original stone painting is offered; the master class will help you cope with it without much difficulty.

To create a cheerful family, you will need stones of a certain shape and size. The basis of the composition will be a large flat pebble. Elongated thin pebbles will act as big-eyed chicks.

All stone “sticks” are carefully glued vertically onto a flat base using any moisture-resistant glue.