Rock Painting Lesson 1

Hey, ya'll!!!  As promised, I am going to post tutorials from beginning to end and everything in between on the topic of rock painting.

Of course, the first thing you must have for rock painting is.....ROCKS!!!!!  You may think it is silly to go and actually *purchase* rocks, but if you want to do the rock painting in detail, you probably want to go and buy a bag of rocks.  Seriously.  At least in the Nashville area, the best place to get rocks that are a medium, smooth surface (for a chain store) would be Home Depot.  Lowes does not have medium, smooth rocks.  At HD, you can get a bag (I think it's 20 pounds...) for $10.00.  As far as painting surfaces go, that's a LOT of individual pieces of art for a small amount of money.  This little birdie is an example of the HD rocks.

The other kind of rock that I use a lot of is just a good ole rock from the creek.  I know that I am really "Southernizing" myself, but it's what I have access to.  I'm not near a lake or a river to get nice, smooth rocks from, but I know how to put on my wading boots and pick 'em out of a creek bed.  The ones around here tend to be flat and smooth and make an awesome paint surface.  Problem is, I've used up my collection from years past, and it's been flooding here a lot, so I haven't been able to go rock hunting in the creek yet.  I'm itching to do so, though.  This rock is a poor example of "smooth and flat", but it'll give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

Last, you can always find good rocks at landscaping companies, and usually can hand-pick which you want/don't want.  These places sell by the pound or by the rock...at least typically.  With all the rocking that has been going on, some places will give you rocks to paint.  For example, if you go to Stonetree Mulch, Gravel and More (You can find them on facebook by looking them up with the name I just gave you...) you will find an open bag, with a note that says you may take up to 10 free rocks with you to paint.  Super nice people there, I hear....I'm hoping to go there this long weekend.  So, moral of that story is to go by your local landscaping place and see what they have to say about rock painting, or what they have in stock to purchase.  You won't be disappointed. Thanks to another rocker, I now have a photo to share with you.  She got all of these rocks at a landscaping place, I believe, and spent less than $2.00 on them.  The grey ones are an example of what you would get in the back at Home Depot that I shared with you last night.  I love having visuals...it's how I learn best!

Very last, lol, don't forget to keep your eye out for good rocks in common places, like your driveway, or the rocks that are piled up on the side of the road in some places, at least around here.  Pourous rocks don't lend the best surface, but they can challenge you in a different way....here's one Todd picked for me off the side of the road *yes, he is the best* and I like how it turned out...but they do tend to be a bit of a pain.  Just keepin' it real for ya.

Tomorrow, I'll talk about prepping your rocks, and get into the painting part....thanks for stopping by!  Be sure if you have questions or knowledge to share, comment!  Pretty please!