Drawing on Rocks

My word for this year is expand – expand as in being open to other art and other substrates besides fabric. You know how I love to draw mandalas. I also love rocks and petroglyphs. I’ve been wanting to put those two loves together.

After some research I decided to draw on my rocks with white ink. I don’t remember ever using a dip pen, so this was a new experience. I started drawing in the center of the rock and working outward.

I see a lot of painted rocks that stop here, but I wanted some color. I used the dip pen and colored the mandala with Dr. Ph Martin’s Bombay India Ink. I bought this small set on Amazon to test them out.

And here is my rock painted.

I liked the look of the ink on the rock, and the ease of painting, but the colors weren’t true. The magenta, green, and even the yellow were fine, but the blue didn’t show up as blue. However, I still like the inks, but I wanted stronger colors.

I decided I’d paint the rock with acrylic paints using the dip pen. I tried painting with a small brush, but I had trouble controlling the paint. This was much brighter.

Then Sherry suggested I use color pencils. Here is my rock painted with colored pencils. The colored pencils give a chalk-like effect. I liked that too.

If you are interested in painting on rocks, you don’t have to draw mandalas. Draw whatever you like. However, I would definitely practice on paper before moving to drawing on the rock. You could also draw in pencil, and then cover with ink or pen. Here are a few rocks I started on.

I plan to seal the rocks with a varnish that contains UV filters. That way it will protect the design from handling, and also the elements if put outdoors.

I really love drawing on rocks. Using the dip pen was so much fun and really easy. I was disappointed that the inks weren’t brighter, but they would be fine if I painted the rock white. But that said, I still liked the way they looked on the rocks. My acrylic paints are old and I didn’t have much of a color selection, so before I draw another set I want to pick up a few more colors. Lastly, the colored pencils worked too.

I really love those rocks with mandalas made of dots. I tried my hand at that art last year, but not on rocks. That will be my next adventure with these rocks.

Meanwhile, one of my Lenten Roses has opened. This is my first time for them to bloom since I planted them last year. They are so beautiful.

Been working on a couple more ice dyeing techniques to add to my Icy Delights online class. I have been updating it with new material since it opened last May. On this last experiment I got an unexpected result – a kitty face on the fabric. Can you see it?

Thanks for dropping by.