Christmas rock painting

Christmas painted rocks: colors that do the work

Christmas designs read instantly from color alone. Red and green bases, white for snow and highlights, and a gold or silver accent cover almost every design here. Two things help:

• White needs two coats over red, green or navy. Let the first dry fully.
• Metallics shine on dark bases. Gold stars and silver snowflakes look best on navy, deep green or black. See gold paint pens.

Easy Christmas rock painting ideas

Simple Christmas rock painting ideas that need three or four colors and no fine detail.

1. No. 01Easy

   Christmas tree

   Level

   Easy

   Tips

   Medium, extra fine

   Colors

   Blue or white, green, brown, yellow, red

   Rock

   Upright, taller than wide

   1. Base coat blue, white or navy.
   2. Paint a green tree in two or three stacked triangles, with a brown trunk.
   3. Add a yellow or gold star at the top.
   4. Dot ornaments in red, yellow, pink and white.

   Markers for this design: a medium and an extra fine marker from the paint pens for rock painting list.

2. No. 02Easy

   Candy cane

   Level

   Easy

   Tips

   Medium

   Colors

   White, red, green

   Rock

   Long or round

   1. Base coat white; two coats on dark stone.
   2. Draw a cane hook shape in pencil.
   3. Paint diagonal red stripes along the cane.
   4. Add a small green bow at the bend.

   Markers for this design: a medium and an extra fine marker from the paint pens for rock painting list.

3. No. 03Easy

   Red ornament

   Level

   Easy

   Tips

   Medium, fine

   Colors

   Green, red, gold, white

   Rock

   Round

   1. Base coat green.
   2. Paint a big red circle.
   3. Add a gold cap and a small hanging loop.
   4. Draw white stripes or dots across the bauble.

   Markers for this design: a medium and an extra fine marker from the paint pens for rock painting list. Add a gold paint pen for the cap.

4. No. 04Easy

   Snowman

   Level

   Easy

   Tips

   Medium, extra fine

   Colors

   Sky blue, white, orange, red, black

   Rock

   Upright oval

   1. Base coat sky blue.
   2. Paint two stacked white circles; two coats.
   3. Add coal eyes, buttons and an orange carrot nose.
   4. Paint a red scarf with a hanging end.

   Markers for this design: rock painting markers in color, plus a white paint marker for highlights.

5. No. 05Easy

   Gold star on navy

   A Christmas twist on the moon and stars sketch: swap the moon for one big star.

   Level

   Easy

   Tips

   Medium, extra fine

   Colors

   Navy, gold, white

   Rock

   Smooth, palm size

   1. Base coat navy.
   2. Paint one large gold or yellow star.
   3. Scatter small white stars and dots around it.

   Markers for this design: a gold paint pen and a white paint marker.

Christmas painted rocks with a little more detail

These take an extra step or a steadier hand.

1. No. 06Medium

   Joy or noel lettering

   The sketch shows the lettering layout; swap in a holiday word.

   Level

   Medium

   Tips

   Fine, medium

   Colors

   Red or green, white, gold

   Rock

   Flat, wide

   1. Base coat red or green.
   2. Pencil one word: joy, noel, peace or merry.
   3. Letter in white with a fine tip, twice for opacity.
   4. Add a small holly sprig or gold dots.

   Markers for this design: white paint markers in a fine tip.

2. No. 07Medium

   Snowflake

   Level

   Medium

   Tips

   Extra fine

   Colors

   Sky blue or navy, white, silver

   Rock

   Round, smooth

   1. Base coat sky blue or navy.
   2. Draw three crossing white lines through the center.
   3. Add small V shapes along each arm.
   4. Dot the tips and add silver accents.

   Markers for this design: an extra fine 0.7 mm tip from our fine tip paint markers page, plus a medium tip for the base.

3. No. 08Medium

   Tree with string lights

   Level

   Medium

   Tips

   Medium, extra fine

   Colors

   Navy, green, yellow, red, blue, white

   Rock

   Smooth, palm size

   1. Paint the Christmas tree on a navy base.
   2. Draw a thin wavy black or dark line across the tree for the wire.
   3. Dot bulbs along the wire in alternating colors.
   4. Add a white glow dot on each bulb.

   Markers for this design: an extra fine 0.7 mm tip from our fine tip paint markers page, plus a medium tip for the base.

4. No. 09Medium

   Name ornament place card

   Level

   Medium

   Tips

   Medium, fine

   Colors

   Any base, red, gold, white

   Rock

   Flat

   1. Paint the ornament design.
   2. Letter a guest’s name across the bauble in white or gold.
   3. Seal lightly so it survives handling at the table.

   Markers for this design: white and gold fine tips.

5. No. 10Easy

   Snowman face close-up

   Level

   Easy

   Tips

   Medium, extra fine

   Colors

   White, black, orange, pink, red

   Rock

   Round

   1. Base coat the whole rock white.
   2. Paint two coal eyes and a curved coal smile in dots.
   3. Add a long orange carrot nose and pink cheeks.
   4. Paint a red hat across the top edge.

   Markers for this design: black paint markers for the outlines, and medium rock painting markers for color.

Gifts, decorations and place cards

• Place cards: letter each guest’s name on a flat rock; seal so it can be handled.
• Paperweights and gifts: a sealed rock with a name and the year makes a small keepsake.
• Table scatter: a bowl of small ornament and candy cane rocks on a mantel or table.
• Kindness rocks: leave a cheerful rock for a neighbor, only where you have permission. The Kindness Rocks Project asks painters to write #TheKindnessRocksProject on the back and to skip stickers and googly eyes (project guidelines).

Sealing Christmas rocks

Rocks that stay indoors can go unsealed, but a clear coat keeps gold and white from scuffing when they are handled. Mist on a light spray coat first, let it dry, then add one or two more. Rocks that sit outside on a step through winter need several coats. Full details, including Mod Podge and spray sealers, are in how to seal painted rocks.

For other seasons, see Halloween painted rocks, or browse every theme on the rock painting ideas hub.

Last reviewed 2026-10-12. Specs and availability change; check the listing before you buy.