Hello Loves!! Today I want to share with you my process for creating a Rainbow Dot Word rock!
Supplies needed: Rock, pencil, eraser, paint brush, dot makers (bobby pins, the end of paint brushes, or a fancy dot painting set,) acrylic paints (black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, gold and silver glitter,) and sealer (the non-toxic, quick dry sealer I use is linked below!)
Step 1: Select a rock.
The rock shape I prefer for the a word rock is an elongated oval and I like the rock to have a smooth surface.
Step 2: Outline the word in pencil
Using a pencil, sketch out the letters to spell your word of choice. Do not get upset or discouraged if you have to redraw it a few times! That’s why we use pencil first! It’s ok to make mistakes! I use a large eraser instead of wearing down the eraser on the pencil. I get my pencils and erasers from the Dollar Tree.
Step 3: Fill in outline with background color
Using a dark background color, (black in my case,) paint in the outlined letters. Note, it is better to use a matte acrylic paint for this step as we will be outlining the next steps on top of the background with pencil.
Step 4: Outline the gold trim line in pencil
Staying a consistent distance away from the edge of the background outline, (a few centimeters in my case,) use a pencil to draw the gold trim detailing. The rainbow dots will be outlined with an inner gold trim and an outer background trim. Note: if your letters overlap each other, decide which one is on top and outline the letter underneath around the border of the letter on top, maintaining the distance between them.
***NOTE: If fine details are not your forte, it is best to add the gold trim line (Step 11) now. If you make a mistake you can simply use your dark background color to go over it. Switching between gold and your background color as many times as needed to create the gold trim. I wait to add the gold trim until after I’ve added the dots (Steps 7-10) so that I do not end up with dots over my line, however, mistakes are very difficult to correct at that stage.
Step 5: Determine your rainbow colors
Decide how many different colors you will be using for your rainbow and if you want to use the first color again at the end. In my example I used eight colors with the red repeated. My colors were; red, orange, yellow, light green, light blue, dark blue, purple and pink.
Step 6: In pencil, draw out rainbow sections with diagonal lines
Staying within the gold trim outline, use a pencil to sketch out the sections for each rainbow color, (in my case I drew 9 sections, 8 colors with the red repeated.) It helps to indicate which parts are which colors by adding the color initials to the section. This is especially useful when the diagonal line crosses multiple letters. Keep the sections as consistently sized as possible, erasing as needed until your rainbow colors have been sectioned out equally.
Step 7: Add big dots in the first color section
Starting with your biggest dot maker, (the end of a large paint brush in my case,) dip into the first color you want. Randomly place dots inside the gold trim line and the section diagonal, keeping them from touching each other. Once you feel you’ve run out of space, switch to a smaller sized dot maker. Note: Since I wrapped my rainbow color with the red repeating, I added big red dots to the last section at this time too.
Step 8: Add the middle and smallest dots in the first color section
Using your middle sized dot maker, (the end of a thin paintbrush in my case,) dip into the first color and continue spreading dots. Once again make sure to stay within the gold trim line, staying within the diagonal section line as well with a few dots over the line to help “blend” the colors. When you notice there are not many more spaces for your middle sized dots, switch to your smallest dot maker, (the end of a straightened bobby pin in my case,) and continue to fill in the open spaces, remembering to leave a few spaces unfilled inside the line for the next color to “blend“ over.
Step 9: Add three dot sizes in each colored section
Repeat steps 7 and 8 with each color section until you’ve filled them all in.
Step 10: Review and add dots as needed
Looking at your rock, notice any spaces that still look empty and fill in with the proper color. Step 11: Add gold trim line
Using your smallest paint brush, carefully trace the pencil line with gold trim. To get my brush smaller, I cut off all but a few strands from an already fine tipped brush. I find it is easiest to keep the paint on just the tip of the brush to better control the line, however, this does take a while because you have to keep going back for more paint.
Step 12: Paint background with silver sparkle paint
Using silver glitter paint, cover the exposed and unpainted rock sections.
Step 13: Seal the rock
After all the paint is dry, it’s time to seal the rock! You can use any method to seal your rock, however, I highly recommend this amazing quick drying non-toxic sealer that my devoted found for me after I complained of the lack of eco friendly sealing options! This is a concrete sealer from a green buildings supply company. I use their sample size, which is only $10 and still have not run out after sealing at least 20 rocks. The screenshot below shows how to order the sample size and the link below will take you directly to the product! To use this sealer, I place my rock on top of a piece of wax paper. Using a medium sized brush, I lightly brush on the sealer, starting in the center and spreading from the center to the outer edge of the rock. The product is very watery, so a little goes a long way. I am very careful not to let the sealer drip off the sides and under the rock as that happened on my first couple of rocks and made a mess! After the first coat, I let it dry, which usually takes less than 5 minutes. Then I apply a second coat, waiting an additional five minutes before applying the third and final coat. Non-toxic gloss rock sealer: https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/Green-Building-Supply-Penetrating-Gloss-Sealer
Thanks for reading! Feel free to share pictures of your Rainbow Dot Word rocks!
Namaste ~ the divine light in me salutes and honors the divine light in you!
With Love,
The Vulnerable