Bookend Bears
from Painting
On Rocks For Kids by Lin Wellford and Maryjo McGraw
Materials:
--Large rock
--Pencil
--Palette or paper plate
--Paint of your choice
--Paintbrushes
--Cotton swab (optional)
--Marker (optional)
Directions:
1. Find a bear-shaped rock
Look for tall rocks with flat bottoms. They can have a slight tilt to them.
Medium sized-ones are easiest to paint. Scrub the rock clean. If your rock won't
stand up, you can add air-dry clay (found at local crafts stores) to the bottom.
Let the clay dry overnight before painting your rock.
2. Paint your rock
Use your large brush to paint the entire rock the color you've chosen for your
bear. If your rock is dark, you may need to add a second coat. Let the paint
dry.
3. Sketch the bear
Use a pencil to draw the bear on your rock, following the drawings you see here.
4. Paint dark outlines
Use dark paint and a small brush or marker to paint over the pencil lines. Use
brown paint if your bear is yellow or tan. If your bear is a different color,
use a darker shade of the body color.
5. Paint fuzzy shadows
Dabbing in shadows with a brush or cotton swab will make your bear look fuzzy.
Dip your small brush or swab in the dark paint from step 4 and dab it on
newspaper first. Then dab the paint in the middle of the tummy and around the
arms, legs and the head.
6. Paint the back
Turn the rock over and dab soft shadows at the bottom. Dab wing-shaped shoulder
blades just above the center. Also add some shadows behind the ears.
7. Add fuzzy highlights
Mix a tiny dot of your bear's main color with a drop of white paint. Use a
clean, damp cotton swab or paintbrush to dot this color around the ears, the top
of the head, the tops of the arms and the tops of the legs.
8. Paint the muzzle and feet
Use a small or medium brush and plain white paint to paint the muzzle and the
bottoms of the feet.
9. Add black touches
Use your small brush and black paint to darken the shadows around the bottom
edge of the head, the bottom edges of the front feet and between the legs. Then
paint two small eyes, a small round nose and two curved mouth lines below the
nose.
