Craft Project: Painted Raccoon Design Seashells

Two years ago I started posting my hand-painted seashell craft projects here on the blog and so far…they’re some of our most-popular posts! I love crafting with seashells because they’re FREE and just need to be collected off of the beach. They’re some of the most inexpensive crafts that you can do. I keep the designs simple, so that kids and adults with no painting experience can do them.

Craft Project: Painted Raccoon Design Seashells

Large Clam Shell (at least 4″ wide)
2 Oval-Shaped Seashells
Acrylic Craft Paint (gray, black and white)
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towels
E-6000 Adhesive Glue
Old Newspaper or Plastic Tablecloth
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer (glossy finish)

Lay newspaper down on your work surface. We opted to use gray acrylic craft paint with a metallic finish to base coat our large clam shell and the 2 smaller oval-shaped seashells. You can use matte-finish paint if you can’t find metallic. You’ll want to base coat the front and backs of all shells with 2-3 coats of paint. Let dry.

Using the black paint you’ll want to paint the raccoon’s inner ears by just painting a tear-drop shape. Paint 2 oblong stripes across the front of the clam shell to serve as the stripes that surround his eyes. Let dry.

You’ll need to use the white paint to make an oval shape to serve as his muzzle and use that same paint to outline his eyes as shown in the photo. Place 2 medium-sized oval shapes in the black painted stripes to form his actual eyes. Once the muzzle has dried add an egg-shape with gray inside the painted muzzle. Let dry.

The last 2 painted features you need to do are adding his black nose, mouth and eye ball. Make sure the previous layer of paint has dried before adding this facial features. Let dry.

Use the E6000 Adhesive Glue to attach the oval-shaped smaller shells to the back of his head. You need to be “generous” with the amount of adhesive that you’re using. If necessary, use a little bit of tape on the back of your seashell to hold them into place until the glue has dried. This adhesive takes 4-6 hours to dry, so you’ll need to be patient, I let mine dry overnight.

Lay an old plastic placemat or tablecloth down outside on the ground or on a tabletop surface. Lay our finish Raccoon Seashell on top. Spray the shell with a light coat of the clear acrylic sealer and let dry. Flip them over and spray again. If you’re going to display them indoors, one coat is enough. If you plan on displaying them outdoors, you’ll need to spray on 2-3 coats. That’s it, you’re done!

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