Materials Needed

Flat, leaf-shaped or oval rock
Red acrylic paint
Orange acrylic paint
Yellow acrylic paint
Brown acrylic paint
Dark green acrylic paint (optional)
Medium flat brush
Fine detail brush
Pencil (for sketching)
Clear sealant spray

Step-by-Step Instructions

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Step 1: Prepare and sketch the leaf

Wash and dry your rock. Using a pencil, draw a leaf shape on the rock with a pointed tip and a stem. A maple leaf shape or simple oval leaf both work beautifully.

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Step 2: Paint the base color

Fill the leaf shape with orange paint as the base color. Apply evenly and let it dry. If painting the entire rock as a leaf, cover the whole top surface.

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Step 3: Add fall color variations

While the base is still slightly tacky, or once dry, add patches of red at the tips and edges of the leaf, and yellow toward the center. Blend the colors gently where they meet for a natural gradient.

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Step 4: Paint the veins

Using brown or dark red paint and your fine detail brush, paint a central vein line from the stem to the tip. Add smaller veins branching out from the center line diagonally.

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Step 5: Add the stem and seal

Paint a small brown stem at the base of the leaf. You can add a tiny curled tendril for charm. Once everything is completely dry, spray with clear sealant to preserve the autumn colors.

Step 6: Add RoxGeo Code

On the bottom or back of your rock, write ROXGEO.COM followed by a slash and your rock’s unique code (e.g. ROXGEO.COM/ABC123). This lets the finder go directly to your rock’s profile page and log their discovery. If the rock is too small for the full address, write #ROX followed by the code without spaces (e.g. #ROXABC123) — it’s short, easy to search on Google, and leads straight to your rock’s journey page. Use a fine-tip permanent marker or acrylic paint pen, and seal it with clear varnish so the code stays readable through rain, sun, and adventure.

Helpful Tips

Leaf-shaped rocks are ideal, but any flat rock works — just paint the leaf shape on it.
Collect real autumn leaves for color reference while painting.
Blend red, orange, and yellow while wet for the most natural look.
Paint a collection of different leaf shapes for an autumn display.
Add a tiny touch of green near the stem for a leaf that is just beginning to change.
For the RoxGeo code on the bottom, use a waterproof permanent marker (like Sharpie) or an acrylic paint pen. Apply 2–3 coats of clear sealant over the code — this keeps it readable through rain, sun, and handling for months.
Writing #ROXCODE (e.g. #ROXABC123) on your rock makes it easy to find via Google search. We actively optimize for this hashtag, so anyone who searches for it will find your rock’s profile page quickly.
The full address ROXGEO.COM/CODE takes the finder directly to your rock’s card, where they can see its full travel history, previous finders, and photos from every stop on its journey.

Paint this rock and track its journey with RoxGeo!

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