To decorate your own garden – this activity has become for many a favorite hobby. Some of the ideas are not reflected on six acres. It’s a great opportunity to show your creativity, sense of humor and surround yourself with things which can bring joy and aesthetic pleasure. Despite the abundance of articles made from plastic and other artificial materials, wood and stones have been and remain leaders for a country of creativity. These two materials in any treatment look especially organically. About how rocks can be used in garden design, we’ve already told you today, therefore, pay special attention to the painting on the stones with their hands.
The contents
How to find the right rocks?
Choosing the suitable material is better to do in the summer. Those who have already tried your hand at drawing on the stone, will know why. In the summer many of us go to the sea, but choose not a beautiful and alluring sandy beaches, and the places where there are pebbles. This is a real «Klondike» for artists. It is here right under your feet literally it lies the material that we need.
The advantage of sea pebbles is that it is so smooth that when you work with it you can do without priming with PVA glue
Suitable for our undertaking the stones have a rounded or oval shape. Most often they are light, have a smooth surface and a flat base. If you met an interesting specimen, the form of which is not so simple, it is not necessary to abandon it. Enough to come up with a way that will fit this form, and well lie on it.
The flat base of the stone allows him to take the maximum sustainable position on any surface. Lawn quality is not so important, but if you need to decorate the smooth surface, then there will be required just flat shape of the boulder. Armed with a creative approach, you will be able to use other stones, for example, porous. Painted yellow, they resemble pieces of cheese.
What if no stones?
If you have the idea, for example, to draw a Lotus flower in different stages of blossoming, using stones of different sizes, and appropriate stones, you can make them yourself.
For this you need to prepare a container (a basin) of the appropriate size, fill it sand and wet it to keep in shape. Make in the sand, deepening the form, which you would like to give the future a boulder. The deepening need to pave a transparent polyethylene.
This stone is made of cement, perfectly blended in the surrounding landscape. It did not embellish further, although it is easy to do
Mix the cement. If you want to get stones of a specific color in the cement, you can add the appropriate pigment. You can then upload the resulting solution in plastic, then tie wrap. In as much as savings inside the stone can be done hollow.
It might make sense to pick up the pebbles by size, in order to put two great snakes, but it is much easier to do them with your hands
While the future stone has dried, its outer surface should be asleep 10-15 cm in the sand to avoid cracking. A large boulder is better to do close to its place of installation. After the final drying of cement to start the painting.
Select the appropriate paint
Brushes and paint is an important element of future work. No doubt you’ve heard that for painting on stones using acrylic paint. But why acrylic? Then there is the gouache, watercolor and oil paint.
Acrylic paints have many useful properties: they are well-covered stones, not water proof, do not fade and are resistant to a change in temperature
We prefer the acrylic for the following reasons:
- these paints dry quickly and turn into a elastic coating that will not crack;
- acrylic is placed on the surface, not slipping and not being absorbed;
- the colors of these paints are of extraordinary brightness, in the sun they do not fade, do not become dull and does not wash off with water;
- acrylic coating non-toxic and has no odor.
Elastic tape acrylic paint to form on the surface of the stone after drying, quite durable, resistant to mechanical stress, does not react to humidity and temperature changes, does not dissolve in water.
Acrylic paints produce both foreign and domestic manufacturers. You must choose the ones that would have made us not only high quality but also affordable price.
Paint «Gamma» very good for first works beginners: they are inexpensive, but quite good, and their ability to darken after drying, just need to take into account
Consider a few options:
- Art acrylic stamps «Gamma» (Russia). It is an inexpensive material that you can use to budding artists. Its peculiarity is that the pattern after drying becomes darker on a pair of shades.
- Glossy paint «Decola» (Russia). Due to its saturation, and brightness, they are perfectly suited for pictures of flowers and plants. The glossy surface allows the pattern to look spectacular, but creates unwanted glare that did not need pictures of animals.
- Russian products «Ladoga» and «Sonnet» — a great example of the normal ratio of quality and price. Due to the increased adhesion of the film series «Ladoga» well fixed on the stone, to endure the changing temperature regimes. Acrylic both series becomes darker after drying. To create additional effects, you can combine the use of matte paints «Ladoga» and «Sonnet» and glossy «Decola».
- Paint «Pebeo» a joint production of France and China and creamy acrylic «Vivace» are materials of a higher level, which are real artists, so look for them in art shops. They are not only easy to work with, but they do not change their color after drying.
- Paint «Maimeri» and «Plaid» not so easy to find, and they are more expensive than the previous. It should be remembered that under these trademarks also sell materials for glass, metal and plastic. We need those that say «for cement or stone». If the stone will later be placed in the garden, the acrylic needs to be for exterior use.
- American products «Plaid FolkArt», likely have to order online. She created drawings never darken. In addition to the large palette of colors in this series are mediums – the means by which you can create various special effects.
- Series «Polycolor» paint «Maimeri» (Italy) have a solid advantage. If you find them, and you do not scare the price, you will get all chances to create something truly unique.
As you can see, the paint has a lot of them. Every artist from beginner to professional has the opportunity to choose what he likes.
Italian paint Polycolor is a great series which includes many different colors excellent quality, durability and brightness
Which brushes best fit?
If paint to choose is difficult: you can simply get confused in different names and buy in the result that something is not right, then brushes any confusion should not be. Usually sell them in sets of eight pieces.
For painting on the stone requires a synthetic or nylon brush. Products bristles for this purpose are too rough and natural materials such as speakers or protein — too fragile and soft.
If the brush in the process, is temporarily not needed, it can be to dried up, should be dipped in a glass of water
For pictures of the brush are represented by numbers. Each brush set has a purpose.
- No. 8 used to work on large boulders weighing more than 4-5 kg;
- No. 7 – for large stones. If you master the technique of one stroke, this brush will help you to draw flowers and leaves;
- No. 6 – useful for working with large stones, they also possible to draw the leaves and flowers in the technique of one stroke;
- No. 5 is very comfortable and very versatile brush, it is possible to paint both the large and small stones;
- No. 4 – a perfect brush for working with smaller stones;
- No. 3 is used not only in working with small stones, but for the rendering of parts of drawings on large boulders;
- Number 2 – it can help to draw the smallest details of figures, patterns, eyes, fur, hair and so on;
- No. 1 is necessary to create special effects such as spot painting.
Now that we have gems, paint and brushes, and we know how to use them, it would seem that you can start doing the work. But listen, there is another thing that you need to clarify.
How to build a palette
One of the properties of acrylic, which helps us in the work is its ability to dry quickly. But for the beginners this is a matter of some difficulty. They have to draw faster than they can while they can. In addition, constantly having to add new colors, and this unnecessarily increases their expenses.
You can, of course, to use special means, slow-drying, but then it lost the desired effect, and to create drawings will be much harder.
As you can see, this container is easy to find in any grocery store, so that problems with the construction of the palette you shouldn’t be
Meanwhile, if a can of paint is opened, we begin to dip in her brush, the acrylic will quickly become tough, and then elastic, dense substance. Simply put, paint will dry up and have to throw out the whole jar. If you squeeze paint on the palette normal, then its consumption will be just huge and it is no good.
To work calmly, slowly and not wasting too much paint and nerves, you need to make a special palette of their hands. To do this, take:
- normal lid plastic container;
- toilet paper or tissue;
- paper for baking.
Take to start a container of any size. Subsequently, when you begin to draw regularly, you will find what size palette you need. The wider the container, the greater color palette, which you can use to paint rocks for your garden.
The small container, which we chose, is perfect if you need to paint pebbles of small size. On the bottom put the piece of toilet paper or paper towel. Lightly stamped paper and fill it with water so that it is well soaked. The cloth should be wet but not floating in water.
In this homemade palette is a few drops of paint of different colors, which means minimal material consumption
Now you need to take the waxed paper and cut out a piece the same size as the bottom of the container. This paper we put over the wet wipes. The work has been completed, we make the perfect palette for acrylic paints. Paper for baking retains moisture and will not allow the paint to dry. Closed this palette can even be put in the refrigerator, if the process of painting will have to interrupt.
Now it’s time to really get down to painting stones.
The sequence of the painting
The stones should be prepared to work – a good wash with soap and water and dry. Then each stone must be primed with white glue and dried again. You can now start drawing the background. The color must be defined in advance, shake well the paint and apply it on the surface of the stone. After that you should wait 15 minutes to base coat has dried.
If you now thought that you have too much time to spend, until the stone is dry, it is not so: you can simultaneously prepare several blanks
Before doing the pattern on the stone, draw a rough sketch on paper, imagine how it will look in finished form. Pencil reproduce the pattern on the stone. Again, check that all the details are well drawn. The subsequent coloring is done in layers. Each element should dry within 15 minutes. The contours of your paintings are executed liquid paint.
It is best to dry the product on the battery. The finished product needs to be covered by a protective layer of lacquer. He also needs to dry out. After execution of the painting, you can put the finished stone in its place in the garden.
And look at the video — as they say, better to see once:
What can you draw on the stone?
If the answer to this question is short, you can draw everything! All you want and all will tell you that imagination. But some advice we will give.
Apart from popular frogs, ladybugs, flowers, foliage and fish, you can draw a collection of emoticons. What they should be, you will always be able to spy on the Internet.
To draw on the stone can not only representatives of living nature, or a fictional character, but that’s such a beautiful abstraction
Great idea – creating an entire collection of fairy tale characters or popular cartoon. It can be heroes «Turnips», located in the boulders of different size from the largest, which is the Turnip, to the little Mouse. Will look nice on the Playground favorite of all Smeshariki.
Watch this video and we are sure that you will get a lot of positive emotions and ideas:
Where to use painted pebbles?
Now that we’ve figured out how to paint the stones that will be in the garden, you can begin using them as intended. On the stone can cause a variety of designs. Their content depends on the scope of such a stone.
These wonderful animals painted on smooth stones look so natural and alive, that will be a real decoration of your lawn
Playing with pebbles, on which the painted figures, the child can easily and without much pressure from adults to learn account
But such a simple and yet highly original pointer gently invite your guests to stroll through the garden
To awaken your own imagination, we are ready to offer you some examples:
- The pond. Around the pond can be placed large boulders by drawing a beautiful Japanese carp, frogs, lilies or lilies on a background of green leaves and other animals that live in water.
- Paths. Narrow tracks or paths can be tiled not simple stones of medium size, and pebbles are coated with painting.
- Playground. If there is a need to separate the paved area into different zones, you can use stones, painted in different colors. They can form a colorful spiral, placed in a zigzag or picture ornament. They do the same with curbs and lawns: they are just overlaid with colored stones.
- Pointers. The idea is to put at the crossroads of a large boulder with pointing the direction the label was born a long time ago. Even Ilya Muromets with so stone faced. Why not revive this tradition on the site?
- Play area. On the smooth surface of pebbles can be applied not only the pattern but also letters, syllables, numbers, or just the x’s and o’s. If you place these toys on the Playground, the child will always be something to do.
- Sculptures and sculptural groups. Colored or painted stones look great in the form of pyramids. Between them can be glued with special glue. From flat copies, you can make a real «gingerbread house».
- The decoration of vertical surfaces. Arbors and fences, outbuildings and BBQ facilities can be decorated with beautiful painted pebbles.
All possible areas of use such articles is difficult to describe. Them you will surely prompt your own imagination.
