Materials Needed

Large, round or dome-shaped rock
Gray acrylic paint (medium and dark)
White acrylic paint
Black acrylic paint
Pink acrylic paint (for ear interior)
Medium flat brush
Fine detail brush
Clear sealant spray
Pencil

Step-by-Step Instructions

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Step 1: Base coat and sketch

Wash and dry your large rock. Paint the entire surface with medium gray paint. While it dries, plan your design: for a front-facing elephant, sketch the round head, two large fan-shaped ears, a curved trunk hanging down, and two small tusks.

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Step 2: Paint the ears and trunk

Paint the two large fan-shaped ears using slightly darker gray than the face. Fill the inside of each ear with a pink wash for the inner ear. Paint the hanging trunk below the face — make it wide at the top and curling slightly at the tip. Use textured brushstrokes for a wrinkled skin effect.

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Step 3: Add wrinkle texture

Using dark gray paint and a fine brush, paint subtle curved lines on the trunk, forehead, and around the eyes to suggest elephant skin wrinkles. These short, slightly wavy lines add enormous realism. Add curved lines along the ears too for the ear veins.

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Step 4: Paint the eyes and tusks

Paint two small, deep-set dark eyes with tiny white highlights. Elephant eyes are small relative to their head — keep them proportionally small. Paint two curved white or cream-colored tusk shapes extending downward from either side of the trunk base.

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Step 5: Shade and seal

Add darker gray shading around the edges of the face and on the underside of the trunk for dimension. Lighten the center of the forehead with a touch of lighter gray or white. Once completely dry, apply clear sealant to protect your majestic elephant rock.

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

Large dome-shaped rocks naturally suit the elephant's massive round head.
Curved brushstrokes in the trunk area automatically suggest wrinkled skin.
The ears are as important as the trunk — make them large and fan-shaped.
Pink ear interiors are a small detail that makes a big impact on realism.
Paint the trunk curling upward for a good-luck elephant, or downward for a drinking pose.
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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