Ancient stories carved into rock have always fascinated me. Sadly, I don’t exactly have a cave wall handy in my neck of the woods. So today we’re bringing that magic to the craft table with a kid‑friendly twist. We’ll be turning scrap cardboard into ancient faux stone petroglyphs.
This easy, budget-friendly project is wonderfully tactile and just messy enough to keep little (and not‑so‑little) hands busy. And you can happily weave in a history lesson (or two) while they explore symbols and textures.
Whether you’re planning a STEAM-inspired activity or a rainy-day craft, they’re a fun way to create a collection of ancient treasures.
And when you’re done, the faux stone petroglyphs can be turned into decor pieces that look like they’ve travelled through time to land on your walls.
So…. what’s a petroglyph?
A petroglyph is a picture or mark carved into rock. Many, many moons ago, people used these carved symbols to tell stories or record something important. You’re welcome to download these “5 Fascinating Facts About Petroglyphs“. It’s a freebie with love from me to you.
In this tutorial, we’re borrowing the texture and storytelling idea of petroglyphs to make our own faux stone keepsakes. But before we get there, do me a favor and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
What you need
- Cardboard scraps
- Black Cotton Waxed Cord
- Masking tape (optional)
- Permanent marker
- Glue
- Air-dry clay
- Paint or glaze
Making the Faux Stone Petroglyphs
There are two parts to this tutorial.
- Making petroglyphs stamps with cardboard and cord
- Using the stamps to create faux stone artifacts
Step 1 – Making petroglyph cardboard stamps
We’ll start by turning cardboard scraps and waxed cord into simple raised stamps inspired by petroglyph symbols. The cardboard stamps will do all the hard work in the next step. To make them reusable, I wrapped my scraps in masking tape to protect the cardboard and make them easy to clean.
Draw petroglyph-inspired symbols onto the cardboard scraps. Keep the designs simple and bold. Petroglyphs are all about abstract people, animals, spirals, sunbursts, wavy lines, circles, zigzags, and perfectly imperfect geometric shapes.
Use a fine tipped glue like B7000 to trace the symbols and glue the waxed cord down. Little people may need help with this step. If your glue gun skills are better than mine, you can use that.
Don’t worry to much about getting it exactly right.
These petroglyphs stamps are all about simple shapes and playful storytelling,
Leave the glue to dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Step 2 – Creating faux stone artifacts
Grab a chunk of air-dry clay and condition it between your fingers. Flatten the clay out so it’s about 5mm thick (1/4”) and wider/bigger than the stamp.
Press the petroglyph stamp firmly into the clay. Tear away any excess clay to create a lovely jagged edge.
Gently lift the cardboard stamp off.
Place the stamped petroglyphs on some foil or a baking tray and leave to cure. If you want to speed things up, you can bake the air-dry clay in an air fryer.
Once cured, paint or stain the petroglyphs to resemble faux stone. I mixed a little burnt umber oil paint with turps for mine. Watered down craft paint will also work. You can even use powdered food colouring. This tutorial will show you how.
And that’s all there is to it. Glue the faux stone petroglyphs to pallet scraps to make little works of art that can be hung on the wall.
Or add a leather cord and a few handmade beads to make wearable art.
They make lovely keepsakes, gift tags, bag charms, and keyrings too.
The possibilities are endless.
What would you do with yours?
If you like the idea of making faux stone petroglyphs, don’t forget to pin the tutorial for later.
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Love ancient-inspired crafts?
This project uses petroglyph-inspired designs, but I’ve also made an Egyptian-style cartouche using a simple craft foam mould and plaster of Paris. It is a fun one to try if you enjoy making your own ancient décor.
Oh, and if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you.
And if you want to read more about petroglyphs have a look at these.
And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love and laughter. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
Last update on 2026-08-16 / Source Amazon Affiliates