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How to Paint Strawberry Rocks (Beginner Tutorial)

Published on February 7, 2021Last updated October 4, 2021 ♛ By Melissa J. Will

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Learn how to paint strawberries on rocks using this beginner tutorial. It’s a good project to do with children and includes recommended supplies for long-lasting results.

If you are new to stone painting, also see our starter guide: Stone Painting for Beginners.

Stones hand-painted to look like strawberries.

DIY Strawberry Rocks for the Garden

Stone hand-painted to look like a strawberry.

These little strawberries are a good beginner craft paint project.

The tutorial shows you everything you need to turn small rocks or stones into charming, hand painted strawberries.

While they can be decorative, this is also a popular project to make with children. I’ve seen them used for homeschoolers for counting and math games as well as play food. I have mine as a colorful decoration in my little greenhouse.

Orange oriole bird on branch.

Do Strawberry Rocks Deter Birds?
You may have seen tips suggesting painted strawberries act as a good deterrent for keeping birds away from strawberry crops. The idea is that the bird pecks the stone and determines that the crop is not edible (or something like that), taking its efforts elsewhere.

Personally, I’m skeptical. I’m not sure how you could ensure they peck the rocks and not the real fruit, or if this would actually be a deterrent, and that every bird would get the memo. Strawberries ripen at different rates so the birds are accustomed to hit and miss luck when dining. So, it’s an anecdotal tip at best. Plus, there are lots of other animals that eat berries. But, if you find it works, enjoy your strawberries—both real and painted!

Tips for Making Strawberry Stones

Supplies

  • Stones | Use plain rocks and stones-not polished stones because the paint won’t adhere nicely.
    Choose similar sizes and shapes. Wash and dry thoroughly before painting.
  • Patio Paints (acrylic craft paints) | I used colors red, orange, black, light green, and dark green.
  • Paint Brushes | Artist brushes for acrylics in various sizes
  • Pencil
  • White Latex primer or Acrylic Gesso | I use the type of primer made for wall painting. A base coat like this helps the strawberry paint colors (red and green) look crisp and bright.
  • Paint pens or Fineliner pens for outlining details
  • Acrylic varnish with UV protection (glossy or matte, liquid or spray form), polyurethane, or varathane.

Steps

Stones washed and dried ready for painting.
Strawberry fruit with green leaves.

Use a photo of strawberries for reference. Beginners can paint following the steps shown here. More advanced painters may want to try more realistic depictions.

Each strawberry has green leaves at the top, red fruit, black dots to represent the seeds (which are technically actually fruits), and black to outline the leaves.

Stones with red and white paint in the process of painting strawberries.

More Stone Painting Projects

  • How to Paint Owl
  • How to Paint Birds on Stones
  • Garden Stone Craft Projects
  • Hand-Painting Garden Stones (Animals and Flowers)

Primer

First apply primer to clean, dry stones. If you have an old baking cooling rack (dedicated to crafting), you can paint one side, allow a few minutes for it to dry, then turn the stone over on the rack and paint the other side. Allow everything to dry the amount of time listed on your primer product label.

For best results, allow each layer of paint to dry thoroughly before applying additional layers. You can use a hair blow dryer to speed up the drying process.

Pencil

Sketch leaf shapes on your primed stones.

Stones painted to look like strawberries with green leaves and red berries.

Paint

Fill in the berry area with red paint. I used a combination of red, with dabs of orange and black to get richer colors.

Paint the leaf sections using two colors of green. You can paint an entire leaf with one shade of green and use the other for highlights in select sections.

If the primer still shows through, apply another layer of paint after the first layers have dried.

Bowl of stones painted to look like strawberries.

Details

Use paint pens to draw seeds (black dots) on red areas of strawberries.

Also, outline leaves with black pen (if desired).

Protection

Allow everything to cure (dry thoroughly), then protect with polyurethane or other protective product that is bird safe. Many thin layers, with adequate drying time between each layer, works best.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛

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Stones handpainted to look like strawberries.
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How to Paint Strawberry Rocks

Everything you need to hand paint rocks or stones to look like strawberries. Good beginner craft project.
Total Time2 hrs
Author: Melissa J. Will
Cost: 10.00

Equipment

  • Patio Paints
  • Artist Paint Brushes
  • Primer
  • Paint marker
  • Pencil
  • Polyurethane

Supplies & Materials

  • 10 Rocks similar shapes and sizes

Instructions

  • Wash and dry rocks.
  • Apply 1-2 coats of primer or gesso. Allow to dry thoroughly between coats.
  • With pencil, draw outline of leaves.
  • Paint berry area using mixture of red and small amounts of orange, and black paint. Allow paint to dry thoroughly between coats.
  • Paint leaves with medium dark green paint. Allow to dry and highlight with lighter green paint.
  • When paint is dry, outline leaves with black or dark green paint pen.
  • Draw series of dots all over red berry for seeds.
  • Coat everything with a few layers of varathane or polyurethane, allowing to dry thoroughly between coats.

Notes

To help dry paint faster, use a hair blow dryer.
Always work in a well-ventilated area and follow precautions on any products you use.
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Stones hand-painted to look like strawberries.
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Comments

  1. judy says

    April 11, 2022 at 5:53 pm

    Adorable!

    Reply

Melissa J. Will - Empress of DirtWelcome!
I’m Melissa J. Will a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt (Ontario, Canada).
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