Jewel beetle in metallic green with a gold lineMetallic green, gold, black. Green all over an oval, a gold line down the middle, a black head at the narrow end.
Penguin march in single fileBlack, white, orange. Five upright stones; white fronts, orange beaks all turned toward the leader.
Lion pebble: brush strokes pulled outward for the maneGold, orange, brown. A gold face in the middle; orange and brown brush strokes pulled from it to the edge.
Dog asleep in a spiral that fills a round pebbleTan, brown, black. The round stone is the whole dog: a spiral from the tail tip in to a closed eye and a nose.
Hamster pebble, white cheeks bulging at the widest partGold, white, pink, black. White cheeks bulge at the widest part, small pink ears on top, two dot eyes close in.
Lion pebble: brush strokes pulled outward for the maneGold, orange, brown. A gold face in the middle; orange and brown brush strokes pulled from it to the edge.
Pufferfish with spikes running over the edgeYellow, white, brown. A pale belly on the lower half, brown pen spikes all over, a tiny mouth and side fins.
Roly-poly bug: curved armor bands around a gray pebbleGray, darker gray, black. Curved bands across a small round pebble, each one overlapping the next like armor.
Seal pup, white with two big dark eyesWhite, black, gray. Leave most of the stone white: two large eyes, a nose, whisker dots, a gray shadow under.
Seven-spot ladybug with the spots in their real placesRed, black, white. Black head with two white marks; three spots on each wing cover, the seventh on the join.
Shark head-on with a row of pen teethGray, white, black, red. Snout in the middle of a round stone, a wide open mouth below it, teeth along both lips.
Turtle with head and feet under the dome's rimGreen, olive, yellow. Shell pattern over the dome; a head, four feet and a tail painted low, around the edge.
Two-bump stone as a cat's head, whiskers to the rimGray, white, pink, black. Pick a round stone with two bumps on top: they become the ears; whiskers run to the rim.
White owl pebble: yellow eyes and gray pen flecksWhite, gray, yellow, black. Two yellow eyes high up, a small dark beak, short gray pen flecks over the lower half.
Yellow 22-spot ladybug on a small round pebbleLemon yellow, black. Eleven small black swab dots on each wing cover, a pen line down the middle, a spotted head.
Ovals 12
Barn owl on an upright oval, tan wings down the sidesWhite, tan, gray, black. The heart sits in the top half of an upright oval; tan wings fold down the sides.
Dog face with one ear flopped over the edgeWhite, brown, black, pink. One brown ear stands; the other is painted down over the side of the stone.
Duck asleep on an oval, head turned back into its feathersWhite, tan, orange, black. The oval is the body; the head turns back so only an eye curve and bill tip show.
Field mouse with its tail around the stone's edgeBrown, cream, pink, black. Nose at the narrow end, round ears mid-stone, a pink tail following the rim.
Firefly oval: dark covers, the last quarter lit yellowBlack, red, yellow, white. Dark wing covers on most of the stone; the last quarter yellow, blended to white.
Guinea pig in three color patchesWhite, ginger, black, pink. Patches meet in wavy lines across an oval; a pink nose and feet at the front end.
Jewel beetle in metallic green with a gold lineMetallic green, gold, black. Green all over an oval, a gold line down the middle, a black head at the narrow end.
Ladybug about to fly, one red cover tilted off the ovalRed, black, gray, white. One red cover in place, the other tilted out past the side, a thin gray wing under it.
Raccoon oval: the mask across the stone's widest partGray, black, white. The mask crosses the widest part; white brows and muzzle, a black nose at the narrow end.
Reef fish oval in orange, banded white and edged blackOrange, white, black. White bands edged in thin black: behind the eye, at the middle, before the tail fin.
Sitting cat seen from behind on a tall ovalBlack or ginger, white. The oval is the cat's back; two ear points at the top, a tail curling around the base.
Stag beetle oval, branched jaws at the pointed tipDark brown, black, tan. Wing covers on the wide end, a tan sheen line on each, two branched jaws at the tip.
Long stones 12
Crocodile stone: square back scales and a zigzag grinGreen, yellow, white. Snout at the narrow end, a zigzag of white teeth, square scales down the back.
Dolphin leaping along a curved stoneGray, white, blue. The curve of the stone is the leap: nose down at one end, flukes up at the other.
Dragonfly with four wings across a thin stoneTeal, blue, white, black. The body runs the length of the stone; pale wings spread to both long edges.
Gecko with its tail curling toward the tipLime green, orange, black. Seen from above: four splayed feet with dot toes, orange spots down the back.
Giraffe neck and head up a tall thin stoneYellow, brown, cream. Brown patches fitted together up the neck, the head and two short horns at the top.
Grasshopper with back legs folded highGreen, yellow, brown. Body along the stone, the big back legs in a tall V above it, feelers swept back.
Great white shark in side view, belly paleGray, white, black. Gray above a wavy line and white below it; gill slits in pen, the tail at the narrow end.
Otter afloat the length of a stone, cream face upBrown, cream, black. Head at one end with a cream face, paws folded mid-stone, tail trailing to the far end.
Sausage dog stretched along a long stoneBrown, tan, black. Ear and eye at one end, a thin tail at the other, four short legs along the bottom edge.
Seahorse standing on end, tail spiral at the stone's footOrange, yellow, white. Snout near the top, a ridged belly, the tail spiraling at the bottom end.
Stick insect on a long brown pebbleBrown, tan, black. A thin body line end to end, six bent pen legs, two feelers pointing past the tip.
Stretching cat along a stone, back dipped in the middleGray, white, pink. Paws reach the left end, the back dips in the middle, the tail rises at the right end.
Flat skipping stones 12
Blue butterfly filling a flat face, black wing bordersBlue, black, white. Body down the middle; four wings fill the flat face, black borders, white swab dots.
Brown moth flat on a skipper, ringed spots on its hindwingsBrown, cream, orange, black. Wings spread flat; a ringed eye spot on each lower wing, feathery feelers.
Butterfly at rest in side view, wings shutOrange, brown, cream. One tall wing shape filling the stone, a thin body along the bottom edge.
Fingertip paw print: one pad and four toes on a skipperBare stone, black or white. One large pad low down and four oval toes above it, pressed on with a fingertip.
Flounder hiding on a speckled stoneSand, brown, white. Speckle the whole stone; a pen outline and two eyes on one side show the fish.
Green shield bug on a shield-shaped stoneGreen, darker green, black. Green all over, broad shoulders at the top, a point at the bottom, two pen feelers.
Owl in flight, wings out to both edgesBrown, cream, yellow, black. Head-on: a round face in the middle, barred wings reaching the left and right rims.
Sea turtle on a flat oval, shell centered, head to one endGreen, cream, brown. Shell in the middle of a flat oval, four flippers out to the rim, head toward one end.
Splayed tree frog from above with toe pads on the rimLime green, orange, black. Seen from above: four legs out, round toe pads on the rim, big side eyes.
Starfish with five arms to the rimOrange, yellow, white. Arms spread across a flat round stone, a line of white swab dots along each arm.
Stingray on a flat diamond-shaped stoneGray-blue, white, black. Wings to the side corners, two eyes near the front, a pen tail off the back corner.
Whale shark on a flat stone, swab dots and thin stripesDark blue-gray, white. A wide flat head at one end; lines of swab dots and thin stripes along the back.
Rows of several stones 12
Ant trail carrying crumbs along a pathBlack, white. Eight tiny black pebbles in a wavy line; pen legs on each, a white crumb dot on every other one.
Banded caterpillar of five pebbles along a leaf-green stoneOrange, black, green. Five round pebbles banded orange and black, a face on the first, in a line on a long green stone.
Centipede with legs on every stoneRust, orange, black. Ten small stones; a pair of pen legs on each, long feelers on the first.
Earthworm in three humps out of the soilPink, darker pink. Three half-buried round stones with ring lines; a face on the first, a point on the last.
Elephant parade on four stones, big to smallGray, white, pink. Four stones from big to small; each elephant in side view, its trunk reaching the one ahead.
Five-stone butterfly: four wings and a bodyTwo bright colors, black. Two large and two small flat stones as wings around one long thin body stone.
Geese flying in a V of seven stonesGray, white, black. Seven long pebbles laid in a V; a goose with stretched neck on each, pointing forward.
Inchworm humped over a tall middle stoneLime green, black. Five stones: two low, one tall, two low; a face at one end, pen feet at both ends.
Mother duck leading five duckling pebblesWhite, yellow, orange. One oval duck and five small round ducklings in a line, all bills facing the same way.
Penguin march in single fileBlack, white, orange. Five upright stones; white fronts, orange beaks all turned toward the leader.
Six hatchling turtle pebbles in a line toward the waterDark gray, green, cream. Six small flat pebbles; each a tiny turtle with flippers out, pointed the same way.
Snake of twelve ovals in an S, a brown diamond on eachTan, brown, black. Twelve oval stones; a brown diamond on each, the head stone flatter, the last one pointed.
How it works
The stone decides the animal: these 60 animal rock painting ideas are sorted by stone, 12 each for round stones, ovals, long stones, flat skipping stones and rows. Each line gives the colors, then how the stone becomes the animal.
Read the full guide
Rock art ideas: caterpillars and other rows
Rows holds 12 animals built from several stones: Banded caterpillar of five pebbles along a leaf-green stone, Inchworm humped over a tall middle stone, Centipede with legs on every stone, Mother duck leading five duckling pebbles.
Turtles, ladybugs, sharks and owls
Turtle rock painting ideas number three: a dome, a flat oval and a row of hatchlings. The three ladybug rock painting ideas sit among 15 beetles, bugs and crawlers. There are three shark rock painting ideas and three owls as well.
Questions and answers
What animals are easy to paint on rocks?
The Easy group marks 24, such as Seven-spot ladybug with the spots in their real places, Sausage dog stretched along a long stone and Stingray on a flat diamond-shaped stone.
Which stone makes which animal?
A round stone is a curled-up or head-on animal, an oval is a beetle or a sitting cat, a long stone is a dog, a shark or a crocodile, and a flat skipping stone is an animal seen from above.
Are there cats and dogs?
Yes, three cats, three dogs and a paw print, among them Sitting cat seen from behind on a tall oval, Dog asleep in a spiral that fills a round pebble and Fingertip paw print: one pad and four toes on a skipper.