How to Make Galaxy Painted Rocks

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If you If don’t already know I LOVE painting rocks. I post my painted rocks all the time on my Instagram page. I’ve been doodling and painting on stones for years, and I used to sell my rocks on Etsy. But now my favorite thing to do is share rock painting tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the years to others. I think you’re going to love this fun painted rock idea.

Lately, I’ve been obsessing over pretty galaxy art, and I thought it would be fun to take that same concept and apply it to painted stones. I have to say that although it may look complicated, this is one of the easier rock painting DIYs I’ve tried. You don’t have to be super artistic to achieve a beautiful painted rock. You can make your own galaxy painted rocks with just a few simple steps and supplies.

HOW TO PAINT A GALAXY ROCK SUPPLIES (affiliate links are provided for your convenience):

Rocks – I find my rocks outside but you can also find them at Home Depot or Lowe’s in the gardening section, at your local landscape store or you can even purchase rocks on Amazon here.
Acrylic Paint – Some of my favorite acrylic paint brands are Folk Art Multi-Purpose Acrylic Paint and the Martha Stewart acrylic paints. The paint consistency in both brands thick, and the colors are bright. The is easier to apply than other acrylic brands I’ve tried.
White Acrylic Ink (optional) – I LOVE this acrylic ink for creating stars. You can also create the stars using regular white acrylic paint but the ink is AMAZING…I promise!!
Round Foam Brush or sponge – I found that using round foam brushes worked better than a sponge. It’s nice to have foam brushes of varying sizes especially if you are working with different sized rocks.
Toothbrush
Toothpicks (optional)
Sealant – I seal most of my rocks using this spray sealant in matte or glossy. Another way to seal is to use a thin layer of mod podge in matte or glossy finish applied with a foam brush, however I don’t recommend mod podge if you are using paint pens or other markers or placing your rocks outside. Mod Podge works best only when using acrylic paint and keeping your rocks indoors.

HOW TO PAINT A GALAXY ROCK DIRECTIONS:

Cover your entire rock with black acrylic paint or if you prefer just paint a black silhouette design. Let dry completely before the next step to prevent muddy colors.
Using your foam brush, pick a color from your paint palette and lightly sponge it onto the rock. I chose a darker blue to begin with.
Next choose a lighter version of your first color and sponge next to the darker color.
Add a few other colors and keep sponging to help blend the colors but be sure to leave a few darker black areas. If you cover up to much of the black you can always go back and sponge more back in. Or maybe your galaxy is super colorful…there’s really no right or wrong way to paint your rock.
Add stars by applying a small amount of white acrylic ink or regular white acrylic paint to a tooth brush. Keep the bristles pointed away from you (you want them facing the rock), and run you finger up the bristles, gently flicking the paint onto your rock.
Once you have the amount of stars you like, you can add in large ones using a toothpick or small round paint brush. You can also add other fun details like a moon, planets or even constellations!
Once your rocks are painted to your liking, seal them with a sealant option listed above under supplies.

Hope you’re as excited about these galaxy stones as I am. I’d love to see what you come up with. Feel free to post a picture on my Facebook page or tag me on Instagram.

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Want more rock painting and decorating ideas? Pre-Order my latest book, The Rock Art Handbook on Amazon. It has over 30 different rock art tutorials featuring dot painting, marbling, embellishments, decoupaging and much more. In the book I go in-depth on different art supplies that you can use on rocks and provide a ton of tutorials to get your creativity flowing.