I created the background collage paper by printing a greyscale public domain sheet music onto tissue paper using a laser printer. Glue pieces haphazardly over the pebble with a matte decoupage medium and allow to completely dry.

I applied black paint through a masking tape stencil for the crib scene, and gold paint for the text. The gold is applied in two layers – a basic gold paint as a background and then the super metallic version. Outline the gold text with a black paint pen, dry and seal with triple thick spray gloss varnish.

This was technically the trickiest to teach. Getting a smooth gradient for the background was difficult, but when using lots of layers and blending it is achievable. Start with the lightest blue at the bottom and blend to the darkest with the tiniest hint of black right at the top. Bear in mind you will need a contrast between the silhouette and the lightest blue.

Once dry, apply the masking tape stencil and fill in the silhouette (black) and the star (yellow). Dry and remove the tape. Dab a white dot in the middle of the star with a paint pen. Apply the mask (the other part of the design) over the silhouette and then use triangle shapes made from strips of masking tape to create the light rays with a very light, sponged layer of white paint. Add the star field with white paint pens of varying nib sizes.

Seal with triple thick gloss varnish.

This one took a bit of tweaking to get to where it was more easily reproducible by non-artists. The eventual method starts with painting the pebble with the background colour – it may take a couple of layers to get even coverage. I then popped it into the laser and scored the text outlines directly onto the pebble.

Fill in the text outlines with your chosen paint pen. I emphasised the ‘t’ with the gold. Outline with white for a bit of contrast.

Finish with a layer of triple thick gloss spray varnish, and an optional puff of iridescent clear ultrafine glitter onto the wet varnish.

For Good Friday, the pebble reflects the abuse by the Roman soldiers before Jesus’ crucifixion – the robe, the crown of thorns and the sign ‘Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews’.

The verse is Isaiah 53:5 [NLT]:
‘But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.’

Paint the background colour and dry. I cut the stencils from white vinyl so that I could transfer them safely with transfer paper complete with the little bits. Apply and paint the text first, then dry, and remove the stencil. Place the crown of thorns and do an initial layer of yellow and dry before a layer of metallic gold. I recommend taking up the stencil pieces while the paint is still wet, or waiting until it is absolutely dry – anywhere in between and it tends to peel up. Seal with triple thick gloss spray varnish.

For Easter Saturday, a more subdued, darker design. The starkness of the empty crosses against a setting sun.

I didn’t find a Bible verse more suitable than a line from a well-known worship song ‘In Christ Alone’:
‘There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain’.

I started by painting the centre of the pebble yellow, drying it and adding a circular mask. I built up concentric rounds of blended yellow to orange and aimed to blend this into the blue blacks. Of course, I created green shades which really didn’t work. After lots of faffing about, I dried everything and ended up using coloured pencils to create the blend I wanted between the sun and the sky.

I added the silhouette using a masking tape stencil and black paint, drying before peeling away the tape and tidying up the edges with a paint pen. I used a white coloured pencil to pick out the edges of the crosses and hillside with a bit of backlight.

Finish once more with triple thick gloss spray varnish.

And it’s a bright, celebratory pebble for Easter Sunday!

I painted the pebble in deep yellow (which required several coats – try undercoating with white first?), before scoring the text with the laser.

Using strips of masking tape, make the rays and sponge paint with different shades of yellow. A thin layer of paint dries enough to overlap with the tape without smudging the previous ray.

I coloured in the lettering with a purple paint pen and then outlined in white. A bit of touching up here and there is inevitable but makes a huge difference. Cover with the triple thick glaze as before.

The verse for this pebble is a reflection on what Jesus’ death and resurrection means to Christians – Romans 8:1 [NLT]:
‘So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.‘