Hand-Painted Shark Themed Seashells Party Favors

My grandson has a birthday coming up in a few weeks. This year he has requested a shark themed birthday party. My daughter is in charge of ordering the party decorations, pinata, the birthday cake, etc. I was put in charge of coming up with some take-home party favors. We’ll be sharing a few ideas over the next few weeks. These painted shells would be cool party favors for an outdoor barbecue or backyard pool party too.

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First up…I made these adorable hand-painted shark and ocean themed seashells by painting the design on large 4″ and 5″ wide clam seashells that we collected from the beach. You’ll want to thoroughly wash them and air dry them for a couple of days before painting on them. Each painted shell will be used as a place setting at the party and each one varies slightly in design with different wordage. Example: Shark Week, Shark Bite, Great White Shark, Shark Bait, etc.

Hand-Painted Shark Themed Seashells Party Favors

Large, Clean Clam Seashells
Blue Metallic Acrylic Paint
Silver Metallic Acrylic Paint
Red Acrylic Paint
White and Black Acrylic Paint Pens – Medium Tip
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towels
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer, Glossy Finish

Base coat all of the seashells with blue metallic acrylic paint. I had to base coat all of them with 2 coats of paint to get the coverage that I needed. Let dry for 2 hours or until the paint is no longer tacky.

Use silver metallic paint to make the shark’s head. I did a fattened tear-drop shape. I did have to use 2 coats of paint, allowing 30 minutes of drying time between coats. Let dry until no longer tacky. Use red acrylic paint to make a half-circle shape for the mouth. Let dry.

Using the black paint pen outline the shark’s head and mouth. Make accent lines above and below the mouth as shown in the photograph. Use the white paint pen to make triangular shaped teeth and the same color to write your desired wordage (see above for some ideas). Let dry for 2-3 hours or until paint is no longer tacky.

Take your painted seashells outside. Spray them with 1-2 coats of clear acrylic sealer. I like using the glossy finish but you can certainly use a matte finish. Let dry. This extra step will protect the painted surface from chipping or cracking. You’re done!

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