Wednesday, October 26, 2022

BUTTERFLY FAIRY ROCK - "How to Transfer a Fairy Image to a Rock"


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...





 

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.

2.  Paint the rock with two coats of white acrylic paint with a foam paint brush.

3.  Select a picture you would like on your rock and print it out onto computer paper.

You may want to watch the videos and read the articles in the section below for more information about these pre-steps 1, 2, and 3 above.

____________________________________________________________


REFERENCE ARTICLES & VIDEOS for more detailed information

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 (click on underlined link):

Learn How to Find and Print Pictures after Downloading into Word Processing Documents” 

How to Transfer an Image to a Rock Using White Acrylic Paint and Mod Podge” 

"How to Transfer an Image with White Paint and Mod Podge"

"Revealing the Image" "Using Paint Markers to Apply Color"

"Adding Stenciled Flowers to Outer Edges of your Rock Painting

"Adding Color to Your Rock Using Paint Pens & Sharpies"

*Please note the following:

- The video links above may also be linked below in the STEPS outlined below 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 or article links above in this section could possibly be from different rock painting tutorials so the image may be different, but the procedure will be the same. 

- Check below for SUPPLY list and links to my other rock painting tutorials.

- If you have any questions, please leave them in the 'Comments' section below this post. 

- Thank you so much for being here!  I hope you find this fun and informative.

____________________________________________________________


So, now that you have a general idea of what is involved and you have watched some of the above videos above or read the articles, you are ready to begin!

Are you ready to paint a beautiful fairy rock???  Let’s go…

 


STEP #1:

   Deciding on a fairy image


There are so many fairy pictures available on the Internet that this may very well be the hardest part of your 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.  In order to do that, I have linked an article below in this section for you to read more details on this process.

- To make a fairy rock design like the one in this tutorial, use your favorite search engine (I like PINTEREST) and in the search bar type words or phrases such as 'fairy illustrations', 'butterfly fairy', 'stained glass fairy' or 'flower and fairy coloring book pages.'

Here, once again, is a link to the article that will provide more detail about this...

“Learn How to Find and Print Pictures after Downloading into Word Processing Documents” https://www.craftygirlrocks.art/2021/08/learn-how-to-find-pictures-on-your.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 from your word processing document and then move on to STEP 2.




STEP #2:

   Print your image and transfer picture to your rock


Remember to print the image in reverse because it will be dried into the white paint face down.  You could reverse the image in the print commands on your computer before printing if you would like to do it that way too, either way works.

Here is a picture of the image I printed out for this rock painting before I transferred it.  Notice how it is facing the opposite way from the actual painting (pictured at the top of this page).

'Butterfly Fairy' Image
used for this tutorial
found on PINTEREST


 

Another way to get a fairy image is to purchase a book of images.  When you receive the physical book, you can take a picture of any of the pages with your phone or camera.

If you then upload the picture to your computer, you can download the image to a word processing document by saving it using copy and paste commands.

Then resize it in word processing (watch the video linked in STEP 1 above) and print it out.  This way you can print the image more than once to transfer them and make many rocks! 



Fairy Coloring Books
like this one
are available online
(Click link to learn more)




STEP #3:

   Place the image onto rock’s surface to dry


Paint another coat of white acrylic paint onto your rock surface.  Do NOT let this coat dry before moving on.

Now it may sound a little crazy, but...  put a coat of the white acrylic paint on the inked side (yes, the inked side) of the image.

While both the rock’s surface and the picture are wet with their respective coats of white paint, turn the image upside down onto the 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.  Make sure every part of the inked surface of the picture is touching the rock’s surface.

Let it dry overnight.

After the image is thoroughly dried onto the rock’s surface you are ready to reveal your image (see STEP #4 below...)


 

STEP #4:

Reveal the image by peeling off the paper


As I stated above in the last paragraph of STEP #3, you should now be at the point where the ink from your image has dried into the paint on the rock's surface.

Now we have to get the paper off which can be a bit time consuming.  However, if this step is done correctly, you will have a great image to work on so take your time and be patient with this step.

Interestingly, one sheet of computer paper has seven layers!  So, we will have to take it off layer by layer.  

To start this process, you will need a paint brush and some clean water.  Dip the paint brush in the clean water and then apply the water to the back side of the image (which is facing up). 

You will see the image start to appear once it is wet.  Isn't that fun??  I think it is anyway, lol! This wetting/drying process is loosening the top layers of paper at the same time leaving the ink on the rock's surface for you to use as a base image for your painting. 

Repeat the process above at least five more times.  Make sure you let the water dry in between applying it.  Around the sixth time you coat the back with water you should start to see little pills of the paper come off.

Let it dry once this 'pilling' starts.  Continue to rub the paper off gently with your index finger until most of it comes off and you have a good base image.

Once the image is easy to see and most of the paper is off, you are ready to color it in with your art markers or acrylic paints!

 

 

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

____________________________________________________________

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 

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

Rock Art 

ImageTransfer

Watercolor Clip Art 

SharpieCrafts




Saturday, October 22, 2022

WILDFLOWERS ROCK - "Using Transfer Paper to Trace Flowers onto a Rock"

In this tutorial I will be teaching you how to use a picture of a page from a flower coloring book to create a beautiful floral rock painting like the one pictured here...





Coloring book pages work great for this project because the lines are very defined and can be easily traced with transfer paper.

You can find coloring book pages on PINTEREST by going into the search bar on that site and typing in terms such as 'flower coloring book pages', 'floral coloring book', 'wildflowers coloring book page' or any other term you would like to look for along those lines.

You can use any search engine of your choice and type in the phrases in the above paragraph to find pictures of flowers to trace.  Be sure to select 'Images' from the choices under the search bar if using a search engine other than PINTEREST.

Since PINTEREST is a visual search engine, that's what I used to find the image below...

The coloring book page
I used for this painted rock
found on PINTEREST





There is also a wide variety of coloring books online.  Instead of searching online for pictures, just take a picture of a page that you want to use for a rock painting and print it out onto paper so that it can be traced over and over again...

 



You can use any 
flower picture that you have, but if you would like to find free flower images that can be traced onto a rock surface, then follow the numbered steps in the DIRECTIONS below.

In addition, you may want to read the articles or watch the videos I have linked directly below this picture before you start your project.  This may be very helpful to give you a general overview of this process before you begin...

"Where Can I Find Rocks to Paint/Gathering Supplies"

"Learn How to Find and Print Pictures after Downloading into Word Processing Documents


You can also watch this video which is a general overview of the DIRECTIONS below...



Are you ready???  Let's go paint a beautiful rock!...


DIRECTIONS:



Before you begin:   Paint your rock's surface with white acrylic paint.  Dry thoroughly.

1.  Log into PINTEREST or use whatever your favorite search engine may be.

2.  In the search bar at the top of the page type in 'floral coloring book page" and hit 'Enter'.  Your search results should look something like the image here...

3.  Scroll down and try to decide which image to use.  Try to match the shape of your image to the shape of your rock so that the whole surface will be covered.

4.  Use your mouse and 'left click' as you hover over the picture you would like to use for your flower rock painting.

5.  It will appear larger at the top of the page (always save your image from a larger picture so that you get the best definition).

6.  While hovering over the larger picture of your flowers at the top of the page, use your mouse to 'right click' over the image.  Select 'Copy image' from the choices.

7.  In another window open a word processing document (or preferably have one already open and waiting).  Once in the blank word processing document select 'Paste'.  The image you selected will appear.

8.  'Left click' on the image in the word processing document.  A black line will appear around the border of the image.

9.  Hold your rock up to the screen if possible.   In the word processing document your image will be true to life.  Resize your flower image by moving the mouse up and down after clicking on a corner of the black line border.

10. Print your image onto regular computer paper.

11.  Take a piece of graphite transfer paper and place it on top of your rock surface that has been dried with white acrylic paint. 

12.  Position your printed flower image on top of the transfer paper and use a pen to go over the lines and trace the flower image onto the rock's surface.

13.  Color your image in with paint pens, art markers, or Sharpies.  You can also use acrylic paints and a brush if you want to paint the color onto the rock.  I personally like the precision of art markers and pens for this step.  Have fun!!!

14.  Seal your rock with a weather resistant sealer.  Give it at least three coats, letting it dry between each coat.

15.  Remember to always...

Be creative and be happy!



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

ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #11 - Strawberry Fairy Rock

 





Friday, October 21, 2022

ROCK PAINTING TUTORIAL #13 - "Daisy Fairy Rock"

 Daisy Fairy Rock

Thank you for joining me for this rock painting tutorial which I call my "Daisy Fairy Rock"!  I hope that you will find it fun and informative.  I hope it inspires you to create a rock of your own.

Even if you are someone who thinks "But I can't paint" don't worry, you can!  I promise that if you follow the DIRECTIONS outlined below, you will be able to create a rock just like the one pictured here...



 Daisy Fairy Rock
by nancymaggielee




      

 Pre-Steps

(Do these steps before you begin the DIRECTIONS below)


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 on where to find rocks to paint, click this link.

2.  Once you select a rock, paint the surface with two coats of white acrylic paint with a foam paint brush.

3.  Select a picture you would like on your rock, download it to a word processing document and resize it in WP to fit your rock.  Read the blog post below to get more detailed instructions for doing this...

"Learn How to Find and Print Pictures after Downloading into Word Processing Documents

or if you prefer, you can watch the video below...


"How to Find an Image, Resize and Download it to Print"

Please note:  The picture being downloaded (in the above video) for transfer to another surface is not specifically for this tutorial, "Daisy Fairy Rock", however, the process will be the same and you will search for a term in PINTEREST like "daisy flower fairy" in the search box to make a rock like the one in this tutorial.  


4.  After your image has been copy and pasted into the WP document (refer to STEP 3 above), place your mouse over the image and click on the image to get the black outline around the image.  Using the 'Format Picture' keys at the top of the WP page, flip your image horizontally as you will be drying your image face down onto your rock's surface.  

5.  Once it's flipped horizontally, print your image out onto a regular piece of computer paper using your print commands.  Also, please make sure to select 'Best' for the quality of the print because you want the most ink on the paper.

6.  Throughout this tutorial you will see underlined terms.  By clicking on any of these links, it will bring you to further information about the item, video or article.  As a disclaimer, if you click through to an affiliate link, yes, I will earn a small commission at no cost to you so thank you in advance if you do this.  

____________________________________________________________


You may want to read the articles or watch the videos I have linked directly below this picture before you start your project.  This may be very helpful to give you a general overview of this process before you begin...

REFERENCE VIDEOS & ARTICLES

The following videos and articles in this section may be helpful to watch or read before you begin also.

You may find some of the same videos and articles linked throughout in the STEPS, but I just wanted to group them together as a reference point for you...

"Where Can I Find Rocks to Paint/Gathering Supplies"

"Learn How to Find and Print Pictures after Downloading into Word Processing Documents

How to Transfer an Image to a Rock Using White Acrylic Paint and Mod Podge

"How to Transfer an Image"


_______________________________________________________________

Now that you have your picture printed on computer paper, you are ready to begin the DIRECTIONS below.  So, if you have completed some or all of the steps above you are ready to begin!

Are you ready to paint a beautiful fairy rock???  Let’s go! …



DIRECTIONS

 

STEP #1:

   Transfer the image you are going to use


Transferring the image to your rock is a very easy process.  It does require a few steps within this step, but once the image is on the rock, you will be able to embellish itdesign it and color it anyway you like to make it your own unique rock painting.


"How to Use White Acrylic Paint to Prepare the Rock for Transfer"


Please note:  The picture being used in the video above for transfer to another surface is not the one used for this tutorial, "Daisy Fairy Rock", however, the process is the same.  The steps that you need to follow (Parts 2, 3 and 4) after this video (Part 1) will be linked in the Description Box of the above video and they will also be linked in the STEPS below.
  

First, you will need to find an image you want to transfer See the article linked directly below this paragraph for instruction on how to find a picture and download it to a word processing document.  (This is also mentioned in the preliminary steps above, but I just wanted to place it here too since someone might have skipped those steps).

Learn How to Find and Print Pictures after Downloading into Word Processing Documents” (click this link to be taken to the article).

 After you have found the image, you are going to transfer, you will print it out onto computer paper (see Preliminary Steps 4 and 5 above).

Here is the picture (from Pinterest) that I used for this project...


"Daisy Flower Fairy"

(The Scentless Mayweed Fairy)



I found this image in PINTEREST by typing "flower fairies" in the Search bar.
The image shown above has already been flipped horizontally in my WP document
 as you can see the letters are reversed at the bottom of the image.
Remember to flip your image horizontally before printing.





For great gifts, please visit my ZAZZLE store...




STEP #2:

   Printing your image and transferring the picture to your rock


From word processing, print the image out onto the computer paper, let it dry for at least about two or three minutes.  

Paint your rock’s surface with two coats of white acrylic paint, allowing each coat to dry in between.

Next, paint another coat of white acrylic paint onto your rock surface.  However, do NOT let this coat dry before the next step (more about this in Step #3 below).



STEP #3:

   Place the printed paper image onto rock’s surface to dry


Place another coat of white acrylic paint directly onto your picture's surface (inked side).   I know this may seem wrong, as if you were covering up the picture, but trust me.

Now as in Step #2 above, the rock's surface is pre-painted and dried with two coats of white acrylic paint and now a third coat of white paint has been applied and left wet. 

While both the rock’s surface and the picture's surface are wet with their respective coats of white paint, turn the image upside down to position the inked side (which is currently wet with the white paint) onto the rock’s surface (which is currently wet with white paint).

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.  Make sure every part of the inked surface of the picture is touching the rock’s surface.

Watch the two videos below if you would like more details and to see it visually...  (please note the pictures in the videos below are different from the one being used in this tutorial but the process is the same).


"Applying the Paint to the Image and to the Rock to Dry"



"Placing the Image to Dry into the Paint"



Please note:  The picture being used in the above videos, are not the one being
 used for this tutorial, "Daisy Fairy Rock", however, the process is the same.

Let your image dry overnight into the white paint.

After it is dry, take a spray bottle of water and spray the back of the image while it is on the rock.  Let it dry.

Do this step of wetting the image and letting it dry over and over again at least 7 times, but preferrably 10.

(The reason the above is in large print is because this is a very important step to this process, and it does require some patience.  However, I must stress that you need to do this step thoroughly to get the best possible transfer of ink to the surface).

After about seven times of wetting and drying, you should start to see the paper start to pill up, or roll up, into little wet paper balls.

You can now VERY GENTLY roll the wet balls off with your finger tip.  You will see more about this in the video in STEP #4 below.

Now you are ready to move on to STEP #4... 




STEP #4:

Rolling off the paper and revealing the image


Watch the following video to learn how to do this... 


"How to Remove the Paper from the Image Transferred to the Rock"






STEP #5:

The fun part is finishing your rock with color


To embellish, design and color your rock use your Sharpiesart pens, or paints to add color and when it is dry, seal it with a weather resistant sealant.

You can also use flower stencils to add flowers to the background of your rock painting.  Sometimes there are empty spaces on the surface after the transfer is complete, and a simple stencil like this butterfly is a great way to add other elements to your rock to give it depth and color.

The great part about using a stencil is that you can just use a black pen or a pencil to trace the outline of the stencil image onto the rock. 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that you have fun painting rocks using the methods here.  You can sell these rocks on eBay or Etsy, give it away to someone special, or keep it for your own enjoyment.  These rocks look so pretty in a garden setting but make sure you seal it well if you use it outside.

And just remember that it's always great to...

“Be creative & Be happy”



SUPPLIES: (not all will be needed for this project)

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

Mod Podge Gloss Lustre Medium https://amzn.to/3npb6NB

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

Weather Resistant Sealer https://amzn.to/3FsQj5H

Peel and Stick Flower Stencil https://amzn.to/2C83JZo

Deco Art White Paint Pen https://amzn.to/2DzQX6D

Paint Markers https://amzn.to/2XGYzep

Pansy Stencil https://amzn.to/3KtoPiN

Poppy Stencil https://amzn.to/3KK5xGl

Scotch Tape https://amzn.to/3O02sUi

Stencil Brushes https://amzn.to/3xcbyYi

Sunflower Stencil https://amzn.to/3JqZ01t

Tracing Paper https://amzn.to/3pypaWL


 ____________________________________________________

Supplies Side note:   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.



Some of my PINTEREST boards that may interest my crafty friends:

Hand Painted Rocks by nancymaggielee

Stained Glass Painting & Glass Crafts

Rock Art 

Illustrations & Drawings  

Image Transfer 

Watercolor Clip Ar

Sharpie Crafts


Please visit my WEBSITES for more information about ROCK PAINTING:

Crafty Girls Rock

Hand-Painted Flower & Fairy Rocks

Hand-Painted Rocks

Painting Rocks!




Please visit my other rock painting tutorial pages: