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Little stones, big personalities

A relaxed rock-painting workshop idea: smooth stones, acrylic paints and a few small creatures waiting to be brought to life. Dates are announced to waitlist members first.

  • Dates announced to waitlist members
  • Adults 18+ (planned)
  • No drawing skill assumed
Join the waitlistSee the stones come alive
Illustrative AI image: two friends painting small stones at a sunlit wooden table, with stones painted as little birds resting in twig nests
Illustrative AI image: hands painting white dots onto a smooth grey stone with a tiny brush
Illustrative AI image: a smooth stone painted as a little coral and teal bird

Illustrative imagery

What you could paint

Six little worlds on a stone

These are ideas to spark yours, not a fixed menu. Pick a favourite, mix a few, or invent a creature of your own.

  • Illustrative AI image: three painted bird stones resting in a woven twig nest
    Critters

    Bird rocks in nests

    Plump little birds with their own twig nests, each one with a bit of attitude.

  • Illustrative AI image: stones painted as small green cacti with pink flowers, planted in a little terracotta pot
    Desert

    Cactus patch

    Green stones with tiny spines and one blossom, gathered together in a small pot.

  • Illustrative AI image: a glass bowl of wet pebbles with stones painted as orange and white clownfish
    Under the sea

    Clownfish bowl

    Orange-and-white fish swimming on wet pebbles in a glass bowl.

  • Illustrative AI image: six marbled swirl stones drying on a tray
    Swirls

    Swirl and marbled stones

    Stones dipped through floating colour for one-of-a-kind swirls.

  • Illustrative AI image: five little painted bird stones lined up on a driftwood shelf
    Display

    Driftwood shelf birds

    A row of little birds perched on a driftwood shelf, ready for a window sill.

  • Illustrative AI image: a garden path of pebbles with painted white pebbles arranged like a small dinosaur skeleton
    Garden

    Pebble dinosaur path

    A garden path with a pebble "dinosaur skeleton" wandering through the plants.

Ideas only. The designs on offer, and how detailed they are, are confirmed to waitlist members.

Roll, settle, repaint

Plain stones, tiny personalities

Watch four plain stones roll onto a driftwood shelf while an egg drops into its nest. Then tap a theme to repaint them.

Tap to repaint the stones

Four plain stones, one patient afternoon.

A playful illustration, not a photo of the workshop stones. Tap a stone to make it hop.

Why stones?

A pebble, a brush and an unhurried hour

There is something quietly funny about giving a plain stone a face. A few strokes and it becomes a bird with opinions, a cactus with a blossom, a fish that has never seen water.

Rock Painting is planned as a relaxed hang: small things to make, good company and no rush to finish. Think less masterpiece, more mood.

The session format is still being shaped, so we are collecting names first. Join the waitlist and you will hear about dates, venue and details before anyone else.

Less masterpiece, more mood.
Illustrative AI image: friends laughing at a craft table while holding up their painted stones
Illustrative imagery
Illustrative AI image: a cozy craft table with tea, a small lamp, half-painted stones and a jar of brushes
Illustrative imagery

How a session might flow

Five easy steps, your pace

Indicative The format is still being finalised. Think of this as the spirit of the session, not a fixed timetable.

  1. 1Choose your stones
  2. 2Plan a creature
  3. 3Block in colour
  4. 4Add the character
  5. 5Dry and display

Choose your stones

Wander through a bowl of smooth stones and pick the ones that feel right: round for birds, tall for cacti, oval for fish.

Illustrative AI image: overhead view of smooth grey stones, paint pots, fine brushes, a linen towel and driftwood, with hands painting a leaf design on a stone

Plan a creature

Sketch it lightly or just start with colour. A bird, a cactus or a clownfish is mostly a handful of simple shapes.

Illustrative AI image: three smooth round stones painted with colourful dot-mandala patterns

Block in the colour

Start with big base colours and let them settle before the next layer. Mistakes are easy to paint over.

Illustrative AI image: hands painting white dots onto a smooth grey stone with a tiny brush

Add the character

Eyes, beaks, spines, stripes and tiny dots: this is where a stone turns into someone.

Illustrative AI image: three painted bird stones resting in a woven twig nest

Dry and find it a home

Let your stones dry, then settle them on a shelf, in a nest, in a bowl or along a garden path. Ideas for sealing and for outdoor display are shared with members.

Illustrative AI image: five little painted bird stones lined up on a driftwood shelf

Times, durations and what is included are shared with waitlist members.

On the table

What we typically have

This is a typical set-up, not a promise. Materials details, including the confirmed list, are shared with waitlist members once dates are announced.

  • Smooth stonesNumber and size to be confirmed
  • Acrylic paintsA range of colours
  • Fine brushesFine and flat
  • Water jars and clothsFor quick clean-ups
  • ApronsTo be confirmed
  • Display bitsTwigs, pebbles or driftwood: to be confirmed

Plain to painted

One stone, two moods

Same stone, before and after. Tap the picture to roll the colour back in.

Illustrative AI image: the same stone painted as a little bird
Illustrative AI image: a plain unpainted smooth stone
PlainPainted
Illustrative imagery

Moments we imagine

A quiet, colourful afternoon

Illustrative imagery AI-generated pictures of the kind of session we have in mind. They are not photos of real attendees.

Illustrative AI image: friends laughing at a craft table while holding up their painted stones
Laughing over brushes
Illustrative AI image: a cozy craft table with tea, a small lamp, half-painted stones and a jar of brushes
Tea and tiny stones
Illustrative AI image: hands dipping a smooth stone into water topped with floating swirls of colour
Into the swirl
Illustrative AI image: hands painting white dots onto a smooth grey stone with a tiny brush
One dot at a time
Illustrative AI image: three painted bird stones resting in a woven twig nest
Home, tweet home
Illustrative AI image: a glass bowl of wet pebbles with stones painted as orange and white clownfish
Fish out of water
Illustrative AI image: stones painted as small green cacti with pink flowers, planted in a little terracotta pot
A very calm cactus
Illustrative AI image: six marbled swirl stones drying on a tray
Swirls drying
Illustrative AI image: three smooth round stones painted with colourful dot-mandala patterns
Dots in gold
Illustrative AI image: five little painted bird stones lined up on a driftwood shelf
Perched in a row
Illustrative AI image: a garden path of pebbles with painted white pebbles arranged like a small dinosaur skeleton
A pebble dinosaur strolls by
Illustrative AI image: a smooth stone painted as a little coral and teal bird
Finished and proud

Questions

Good to know

Do I need to be able to draw?

No drawing skill is assumed. Birds, cacti and clownfish are mostly a few simple shapes, and the format is planned to be friendly to first-timers. We will share how it works when dates are announced.

What stones are used?

Typically smooth river-style stones. The exact stones and how many you get are confirmed to waitlist members when the session is announced.

Can I keep my stones?

That is the plan: what you paint is meant to go home with you. Details are confirmed to waitlist members.

Can I display them outdoors?

Garden and shelf display ideas will be shared with members. Sealing and weatherproofing details are shared with waitlist members, and nothing here is a promise until it is confirmed.

Can I bring a friend or a group?

Yes, please ask your friend to join the waitlist too (tick "With a friend" in the form) so we can keep you both posted. Group arrangements are discussed with members once dates are set.

Is it for kids?

The workshop is planned for adults aged 18 and above.

Are the dates set?

Not yet. The waitlist comes first: members are told the dates, venue and price (if any) before anyone else.

What should I wear?

Something you do not mind getting a little paint on. Details on cover-ups are shared with waitlist members.

How will I be told?

By email and SMS, using the contact details you give in the form.

Who do I contact?

Write to welcome@manilaopenhouse.com or text or call 0917 719 0009 (replies in business hours).

What happens to my data?

It is used only for the waitlist and updates about this workshop, in line with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173). It is not sold, and you can ask to see or delete it at any time.

Join the waitlist

Be first to paint

Rock Painting is waitlist-only for now. Tell us a little about you and we will write with the dates and next steps. There is nothing to pay to join the waitlist.

  • Dates announced to waitlist members
  • Venue shared with waitlist members
  • Adults 18+ (planned)

Questions? welcome@manilaopenhouse.com or 0917 719 0009 (business hours).

What would you like to paint or do?

Rock Painting is a planned Hive Workshops waitlist page. Imagery is AI-generated and illustrative. The outline is indicative: dates, venue, price, materials and facilitators are shared with waitlist members once confirmed.

Rock PaintingDates announced to waitlist members
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