Painted rocks cacti are not only an universal gift idea for almost every occasion, but also an option to have a “plant” that does not require watering.

This is my first adventure with painting rocks and I have to admit that it’s a great experience. Looking for inspiration I even found an article explaining that painting rocks is a good way to de-stress. With this statement I could argue, because the lack of a proper brush made me feel frustrated, but with the right tools you can try this rock painting therapy.

For the brave ones there is the option of “group therapy” with children. It works well while painting entire surfaces, it’s a bit more painful when it comes to details. There is a bit of despair when the lines are not perfect lines, and the dots more like large blots.

Supplies

• Stones – it is best to choose those that reminds cacti in shape. In addition, it is worth taking a few small ones to later attach them as branches or flowers.
• Acrylic paints
• Brushes – it’s worth getting a thin brush to paint details. Possibly a suitable white marker. I think that it can simplify painting details a lot.
• Multipurpose glue
• Pot or stand – something you can plant cacti in
• Plasticine or Play-Dough – to plant cacti in the right place
• Sand or gravel – to finish work
• Making painted rocks cacti

Making of painted rocks cacti

Paint stones with selected colors. It is worth using different shades of green, then the composition of cacti will be more interesting. Paint the smallest stone in red, it will imitate flower. It is a good idea to plan which stones will form a cactus so that they are in the same shade of green and have the same pattern of spikes. Set aside to dry.

Paint spines in form of dots, strings of dots, lines, stars, etc. Leave again to dry.

Glue the stones together to make cactus base and branch/flower. I used multipurpose glue that gets transparent when dry. Before applying the glue, find the largest contact area between ​​the stones so that glue will have a better chance of permanently joining the cactus parts. Set aside till glue binds properly.

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Now the most difficult part which is planting cacti in a pot. For a long time I wondered how to fix them so that they would be stable. I decided to use play-dough.

First, you need to think about the composition. It all depends on the size and shape of the pot and the size of the cacti. It is worth doing a few fittings.

Then, you should “plant” the cacti in plasticine. After molding the shape I added some glue to make the connection last longer.

At the end, the element crowning the work, i.e. sand or gravel, which will hide the plasticine fixing. I additionally smeared the plasticine with glue to accurately hide the fixing.

Painted rocks cacti are ready! Congratulations!