My little project, the Tim Rock thing
So, the other day, I kind of got this idea stuck in my head. Needed something simple to do, you know? Hands-on, away from screens. And somehow, the thought of making a pet rock popped up. Yeah, a rock. Decided to call him Tim. No real reason, just felt right. So, Tim Rock became my little mission.
First thing, obviously, was finding Tim. Couldn’t just grab any old piece of gravel. Went down to the park, the one near the creek. Spent a good while just wandering, looking down mostly. Lots of rocks, but none felt like a ‘Tim’. Needed one with a bit of character, smooth-ish but not too perfect. Found this one, finally, kinda grey, fit nice in my hand. That felt right. So, picked it up and took it home.
Back home, the prep started. Gave Tim a good wash. Had some dirt stuck in little crevices. Used an old toothbrush, got him nice and clean. Let him dry out completely on the windowsill. While he was drying, I rummaged around for supplies. Found some old acrylic paints I had from ages ago, a couple of small brushes.
- Washed the rock.
- Let it dry fully.
- Found paints and brushes.
Painting Tim
Alright, time for the creative part. Which wasn’t much, really. I wasn’t aiming for a masterpiece. Just wanted to give Tim a bit of life. Decided on simple. Painted a base coat, maybe a light blue? Let that dry. Then, the tricky part – trying to paint a simple smiley face. Sounds easy, but painting on a bumpy rock is harder than you think. The brush doesn’t glide, you know? Had to dab more than paint. Got the eyes on, then a simple mouth.
It looked… okay. A bit goofy. The paint wasn’t super even because of the rock texture. But hey, that was part of his charm, right? He looked like a Tim. A slightly lopsided, happy Tim. Definitely one of a kind.
Let him dry again, properly this time. Didn’t want to smudge my handiwork. Once he was all set, I just sort of looked at him. This rock I’d spent an hour or two fiddling with. Felt kinda satisfying, making something tangible, even if it was just a painted rock named Tim.
Now Tim just sits on my desk. Doesn’t do much, obviously. But it’s a nice little reminder of that afternoon, just taking time to do something simple and silly. Didn’t cost anything, didn’t solve any world problems. Just found a rock, painted it, called it Tim. That was the whole adventure. Sometimes that’s enough.
