Ladybug Rock Crossing

The theme for my porch this summer is . . . ladybugs!  Have you gotten into the 'painted rock' craze yet?  This was my first time and let me tell you . . . it's FUN!

Here's what you'll need:

Rocks (of course)

Acrylic paint (Red, black and white)

A fine tipped brush (I use a #4 round)

Toothpicks

Pencil w/soft eraser

Clear acrylic sealer

I had a bunch of these smooth, river rocks but you can find these just about anywhere.  I'd suggest looking at discount stores like Big Lots (that's where I got mine) rather than landscaping stores where they are more expensive.  

Begin by painting the black part then fill in with the red once the first color is dry.  (Hint:  The next time, I will spray each rock with a coat of white, flat primer.  I had to paint several coats of each color on some rocks that were darker.  I think if you prime them first with white, it will be easier.)

To create the spots, I tried different methods to get a nice, round dot.  If you have a SOFT pencil eraser, that would work.  Most of mine were too hard (Guess I don't use pencils that often anymore!).  I had this pen with 'stylus' end for a touchscreen laptop etc, that I don't use and it worked nicely. It left a round 'hole' in the center but I just filled it in with my brush and some paint.  You can experiment with other 'tools' to get the spots.

I just painted the white eyes freehand, then added the black center and a dot of white.  For the small and large dots I used a toothpick.  I made the 'antenna' dots just a bit larger to make them stand out from the outline 'wing dots'.  They all got a final spray of clear, matte acrylic sealer.

For the Ladybug Crossing sign, I just used scrap wood that I white washed and sanded.  I printed my words on computer paper and placed a piece of graphite paper underneath.  Trace the letters using a pen and then fill in with a fine-tipped brush.  (Hint:  Choose a relatively clean, simple font.  The more detailed it is, the harder it will be to paint.)

This sweet little ladybug family greets anyone who comes to my front porch.

I'm not sure what my next "rock" family will be but I know I will be doing more of these! A super simple, cheap and fun craft!