You don’t need to be Picasso to paint these adorable woodland animals! We’ve broken down the process to paint a box, owl and bear onto rocks in just 3 steps using simple shapes: it’s the perfect craft for beginners and kid rock artists.

Three rocks each painted with a fox, bear or owl placed on a bed of moss in a brown square basket.

👍Not sure where to get rocks for painting? Head here for our top recommendations!

Fun Ways to Use Your Forest Animal Painted Rocks

I was inspired to craft a variety of simple painted rock animals that still to this day put a smile on my face whenever I see them. Aren’t they adorable?

The fox, owl and bear can be used in so many fun ways:

leave them outdoors in your garden or place them in you potted plants indoors;
scatter them throughout your home for decorating;
use them as paper weights or napkin weights;
create story rocks to delight the kids when telling stories or reading their favorite books;
they also make a great gift for a loved one (see our owl family portrait craft) or an unsuspecting neighbour (kindness rocks)!

Easy Animal Rock Painting Tips for Beginners

Since we’re not fine artistist ourselves, we like to paint rocks with simple designs that are fun for the whole family, including beginners. They don’t take a lot of time and here are some tips before getting started:

choose smooth, light colored stones; the paint will glide on nicely and colors will stand out;
have extra stones on hand for practice. Alternatively, practice painting the animals on a piece of paper first!
the right paint makes all the difference: lower quality paints tend to be diluted and are more likely to streak (or need multiple coats). We have a whole guide on the best paint for rock painting if you’re not sure where to start.

Best Supplies for Painting Woodland Animal Rocks

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Smooth rocks, medium sized, flat on one side (we sell these in our Etsy shop)
Acrylic paint brushes, assorted sizes and tips
Decoart Americana Multi-Surface Satin paint (our favorite for rocks)
- For fox – orange, black, white
- For owl – gray, white, black, orange
- For bear – brown, white, black
Paint pens/markers (optional, for fine details)

Step-by-Step Woodland Animal Rock Painting Tutorial

Simple Painted Fox Rock Tutorial

Note: Be sure the paint dries fully between each step of the painting process. Use either a blow dryer to speed up the process or let the paint air-dry.

To start, paint a triangular shape for the fox face in the middle of the smooth surface of your rock using orange paint.

Using a fine tip brush, paint the sides of the fox face starting part way from the top to the bottom tip of the orange using the white paint.

With a fine tip brush, paint the ears, eyes and nose using the black paint. Add one small white dot to each eye for a highlight (this step not shown here).

How to Paint a Cute Owl Rock in 3 Steps

To start your cute owl, paint the face shape in the middle of the rock using the gray paint. Start with two circles side-by-side and then add little ears to the top.

Paint two larger sized circles as shown for the owl’s eyes using white paint then add a little diamond shape underneath with orange paint for the beak.

Finally, paint the small circle shaped pupils using black paint. Add white dots for accents.

Easy 3-Step Painted Bear Rock for Beginners

Using brown paint create the bear’s face in the middle of the rock by first painting a large circle and then two small circles at the top for ears. Extend the large circle to form the top of the head.

Mix a bit of the brown and white paints together to create a light brown and use that to paint on a snout and inner ears with simple circle shapes.

To finish, paint the eyes and nose using black paint with a fine tip paint brush (or a paint pen). Add a small dot in the centre of each eye with white paint for a highlight.

That’s it! Your adorable animal rocks are all done!

Additional Animal Rocks to Explore

If you haven’t guessed by now, we think rock painting is a great way to spend a bit of craft time! If you’re looking for more rock animals to paint, here are some fun ideas:

Even More Rocks to Paint

If you still don’t have enough rock painting inspiration, we have over 60 of the best painted rocks to craft including step by step tutorials for:

Which other painted rock animals would you like to make?

How to Paint Woodland Animal Rocks (Owl, Fox, and Bear)

Jane & Sonja

Learn how to paint an adorable owl, fox, and bear on rocks! This easy woodland animal rock painting tutorial breaks down each cute design into just 3 simple steps.

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Print Instructions Pin Craft

Servings rocks

Equipment

paint brushes assorted sizes and tips
paint pens optional

Materials

3 smooth river stones or rocks medium sized, flat on one side
multi-surface craft paint white, black, orange, brown, gray

Instructions

Be sure the paint dries fully between each step of the painting process. Use either a blow dryer to speed up the process or let the paint air-dry.

How to Paint the Fox Rock

Paint a triangular shape for the fox face in the middle of the smooth surface of your rock using orange paint.
Using a fine tip brush, paint the sides of the fox face starting part way from the top to the bottom tip of the orange using the white paint.
With a fine tip brush, paint the ears, eyes and nose using the black paint. Add one small white dot to each eye for a highlight (this step not shown here).

How to Paint Owl Rocks

Paint the face shape in the middle of the rock using the gray paint. Start with two circles side-by-side and then add little ears to the top.
Paint two larger sized circles as shown for the owl’s eyes using white paint then add a little diamond shape underneath with orange paint for the beak.
Finally, paint the small circle shaped pupils using black paint. Add white dots for accents.

How to Paint the Bear Rock

Using brown paint create the bear’s face in the middle of the rock by first painting a large circle and then two small circles at the top for ears. Extend the large circle to form the top of the head.
Mix a bit of the brown and white paints together to create a light brown and use that to paint on a snout and inner ears with simple circle shapes.
To finish, paint the eyes and nose using black paint with a fine tip paint brush (or a paint pen). Add a small dot in the centre of each eye with white paint for a highlight.