How to Paint a Love Bug

You will need

·        Patio Paints:  I used Red, Black, White

·        Colorado River Stone Rock, or a smooth rock that looks like a ladybug

·        Chalk

·        Small Paint Brush, Med Paint Brush or black paint pen

·        Patio paint clear coat or water based polyurethane

·        Foam plate or paint pallet

·        Newspaper

·        Water

·        Paper towels

Step 1

·        Wash your Rock off make sure it is clean and dry before you begin painting.

Step 2

·        Take your chalk and outline a curve for the head.  The other end of the rock will be the wings.

Step 3

·        Shake your bottle of red paint to make sure it is mixed.  Then pour some out on a foam plate or a painting palette and begin painting the wings, back half of rock red with your larger paint brush.  Do not paint bottom of rock, only to the edges for wings.  And let dry completely before next step.

Step 4

·        Pour a small amount of white paint onto your foam plate.  Begin painting the head.  You do not have to paint up to the chalk line; you can leave a space that we will fill in with black paint.  Let it completely dry.

Step 5

·        Very gently take a damp paper towel and remove chalk line.  Pour a small amount of black paint onto your foam plate.  Using your smaller paint brush, paint a small line around the head.   Make a V shape and smooth the edges so it looks like the top of a heart.  It is okay to paint over the white and red to uniform your lines.

·        Using your black paint, paint a line down the middle of the rock to mark the separation of the wings.

·        Let dry completely.

Step 6

Taking you smallest paint brush begins painting the face.  I put long eyelashes on mine and heart cheeks. 

·        While using your black paint make hearts on the wings.  Let dry.

Step 7

Flip the rock upside down and paint the bottom white.  If you accidentally paint on the black out lines quickly wipe off with a damp paper towel or finger.  After it dries you can always go back and fix the outlines with black.

Step 8

When you have your rock the way you want it, coat it with Patio paint clear coat or water based polyurethane.  If you coat it 3 times you will have an extremely smooth polished rock.  Remember to paint the top first let dry then the bottom and not to paint the edges to close because it will stick.  When you paint your polyurethane it will have a bluish tint, don’t worry it will dry clear.