"Fairies in Love"
Hi and welcome to my rock painting blog! Thank you for joining me for this rock painting tutorial, it is my hope that you will find it fun and informative.
If you follow the directions outlined below, you will be able to create a rock just like the one pictured here...
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| Fairies in Love Hand-Painted Rock by nancymaggielee |
Before you begin
with the detailed STEP #’s below, you should do the following…
1. Find a rock you
want to paint, making sure it's the right size and shape for your
image. Wash and dry your rock. If you need help finding a rock, read this article.
2. Paint the rock with two coats of white acrylic paint using a foam paint brush.
3. Select a picture you would like on your rock and print it out onto wax paper.
You may want to watch the videos and read the articles in the section below for more information about these pre-steps...
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To learn how to find and download any image into a word processing document, resize it and print it out refer to the following article:
“Learn How to Find and Print Pictures after Downloading into Word Processing Documents” https://www.craftygirlsrock.net/2020/07/learn-how-to-find-and-print-pictures.html
Learn how to make your own wax paper sheets (from a roll of ordinary kitchen wax paper) to print on, watch this video:
“How to Make Wax or Freezer Paper Sheets for your Inkjet Printer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EYCIbkP9lo
Learn how to transfer an image using freezer paper:
"Making Freezer Paper Sheets" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD2YLpSrsaY
“How to Transfer an Image to a Rock Using White Acrylic Paint and Mod Podge” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkw4RLWs_sk
*Please note the following:
- The video links above may also be linked below in the STEPS, however, I just wanted to group them together in the beginning of this post so that you can get a general idea of what the procedure is.
- Also noteworthy, the video links above in this section will most likely be from different rock painting tutorials, so while the image may be different, the procedure will be the same. This is just pre-information linked together for your convenience and to reference throughout the tutorial.
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So, now that you have a general idea of what is involved and you have watched some of the above videos, you are ready to begin!
Are you ready to paint a beautiful rock??? Let’s go…
STEP #1:
Deciding on an image and designing the rock in your mind
There are so many fairy images available on the Internet that this may very well be the hardest part of your rock painting!
I love painting flowers and fairies on my rocks, you may like to paint birds and butterflies. There is no right or wrong way because there are no mistakes in crafts!
For this rock painting tutorial, I will be using fairies as the subject of my rock painting.
Whatever you want to paint on your rock, using the method outlined in this blog post will require finding an image to transfer first and in order to do that, I have linked an article below this paragraph for your reference on this process...
“Learn How to Find and Print Pictures after Downloading into Word Processing Documents” https://www.craftygirlsrock.net/2020/07/learn-how-to-find-and-print-pictures.html (you may have already read this because it is included in the pre-steps section)
After you have found the image, you are going to transfer, you will print it out onto wax paper (see STEP #2 below).
This is the image I chose for the rock painting "Fairies in Love" featured in this blog post...
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| You can find many pictures of fairies on Pinterest. I have a collection of fairy pictures linked here if you would like to view them. |
You will notice from the picture of the finished rock at the top of this page that I flipped the image horizontally before I printed my image of these fairies onto wax paper.
It is not necessary to flip the image, but just keep it in mind that the image is going to be transferred face down onto the rock's surface and will be opposite of the image on the screen when you print it out onto the wax paper.
You can flip an image in two different ways.
The first way is to use the 'Format Picture' commands at the top of the word processing page. After copying and pasting the image into the word processing document, 'right click' on the picture with your mouse and a black line will appear around the image.
At the top of the page, you will see 'Format Picture' in the choices. Go to 'Rotate' and then select 'Flip Horizontal'. You can also use these 'Format Picture' commands to resize your image by moving the mouse back and forth on the black line around the picture.
The second way to flip the picture is in your computer's print commands. Use the 'Advanced Features' in your print command and select 'mirror image' before sending it to the printer.
STEP #2:
Print your image onto wax paper and transfer picture to your rock
Paint your rock’s surface with two coats of white acrylic paint, allowing each coat to dry in between.
Using your word processing program, print your image onto wax paper. Allow it to dry for about 30 seconds before placing it face down onto the dry white paint surface of your rock.
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Wax paper sheet in the rear tray before printing image. |
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This is a picture of my print commands screen in my word processing program. Yours could be the same, but if not, it will be similar. This is the screen where you can change the direction of the image before printing. Look for something in your 'Print' menu like 'Printer Properties' |
STEP #3:
Place the Freezer Paper Image onto Rock’s Surface to Dry
Turn your wax paper image upside down onto your rock's surface.
Try not to move the paper at all because this will smudge the ink. Once it is in place, secure the paper to the rock using Scotch tape to hold it steady so that it won’t slip.
Rub the back side of the paper gently with your fingertips and smooth out the paper and try to make sure every part of the inked surface of the picture is touching the rock’s surface. Push out all bubbles that might have formed.
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| This is my rock with the wax paper image placed face down before I burnished it with my flat edge. |
As you may know, wax paper is thin, so adding an extra layer of wax paper provides extra protection for your printed image by allowing you to push the paint onto the rock's surface with a little extra pressure using your flat edge or credit card.
Now use your flat edge to go over the wax paper sheets that are on your rocks surface; this is called burnishing. Make sure you go over it several times for best results.
STEP #4:
Reveal the Image by Peeling off the Paper
Once you have burnished your image, gently peel the wax paper back to reveal the transferred image! What fun!
I hope it turned out great, but if you have any questions or problems, please leave them in the 'Comments' section on this post and I will be happy to get back to you.
Use your paint pens to add color to your painting. You can add definition to the image by using extra fine black Sharpies.
You might also want to stencil some flowers onto blank spaces onto the rock to add more color and decoration. Trace the flowers with the stencil and color them to your liking!
Apply at least three coats of Mod Podge with a foam brush to finish your rock.
Your rock is now ready to enjoy for yourself, give away as a gift, or sell at a craft fair.
I hope you had fun, enjoy!
SOME SUPPLIES:
Rocks for Painting https://amzn.to/2YmClyT
Inkjet Printer https://amzn.to/391bXx7
Computer Paper https://amzn.to/3ir89L1
Mod Podge Matte Gel Medium https://amzn.to/2Xh1idD
Painting Flowers on Rocks https://amzn.to/2Zwl87g
White acrylic paint https://amzn.to/3b4d00G
Paintbrushes https://amzn.to/3d6uScL
Arteza Paint Pens https://amzn.to/3cqpEYt
Sharpie Permanent Markers https://amzn.to/3eStQ4a
Sharpie Ultra Fine Black Marker (for outlines) https://amzn.to/2DOIkot
Art Markers https://amzn.to/30waJIX
Shuttle Art Markers https://amzn.to/31p8SoI
Peel and Stick Flower Stencil https://amzn.to/2C83JZo
Leaf and Ivy Stencil https://amzn.to/3km2vv7
Deco Art White Paint Pen https://amzn.to/2DzQX6D
Paint Markers https://amzn.to/2XGYzep
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Supplies
Sidenote: Not all of the above products will be needed for this
particular tutorial. I have linked to some supplies that I use in my
rock paintings so that you can have access to some of my favorite
products, but you can find most of these in your local craft store.
Here are the links to other rock painting tutorials on this blog:
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #1 - A Basket of Pansies
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #2 - Gardening Animals
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #3 - Red & Orange Poppy Flowers
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #4 - Little Boy in a Bunny Costume
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #5 - Mama Bird & Chicks
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #6 - Fairies & Bunny Spring Rock
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #7 - Beach Bunnies Family Rock
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #8 - The Candy Corn Family
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #9 - Daffodils Rock
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #10 - Fairies & Daisies (Coming soon)
ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #11 - Strawberry Fairy Rock
Some of my PINTEREST boards that may interest my crafty friends:
Hand Painted Rocks by nancymaggielee
Stained Glass Painting & Glass Crafts
Looking for a fun gift for someone in your life? Check out my Zazzle store... I have t-shirts, coffee mugs, Christmas ornaments, phone cases, office accessories, just to name a few!
Please visit my WEBSITES for more information about ROCK PAINTING:
Hand-Painted Flower & Fairy Rocks
Thanks again for visiting! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and hope to see you again soon. And remember...
Be creative and be happy!