How to Paint Novelty Open Book Quote Rocks

Written in Stone Project

By Ernestina Gallina

Imagine your favorite saying on a rock, a meaningful message for a friend, an expression of love or devotion written on the pages of an old book...

This project will show you how to paint an old open book that you can personalize with your own text, for a very special gift that will last forever because it's "written in stone!"

What you'll need for this project:

• rocks
• acrylic paints
• brushes

Step 1

Choose squared, rectangular or oval rocks, preferably smooth. Flat rocks that cannot stand on their own may work too, in that case the finished piece will look best when displayed on an easel.

Wash your rock and let dry.

Step 2

Start base coating your rock with white acrylic paint.

Step 3

Use a pencil or the tip of your round brush dipped in brown paint to divide in half the rock's front.

Sketch in two pages, make them a little smaller than the rock's contour.

Draw two rounded triangular shapes on top and bottom.

Step 4

Give depth to your book by tracing a second line for the book block.The line runs from one triangular shape to the other.

Draw a inner page with some movement to make it more interesting.

Step 5

Use a medium flat brush and mix white with a drop of ochre paint to get a yellowish tone.

Paint the two pages, giving a darker ochre shade sideways the midline.

Continue to project page 2 »

© Ernestina Gallina, 2008. All rights reserved.

About the Author | More by Ernestina Gallina
Ernestina Gallina is a self-taught artist living in Italy. She started rock painting as a hobby in 1998. Since then she has become more and more involved with this art form. Ernestina’s artwork has been exhibited within Italy and is currently in various private collections. She is a rock-painting teacher, her website www.pietrevive.it features an art gallery and several how-to rock painting tutorials.

02/20/08