Fun Hand Painted Seashells for Summer Decor

It’s fun putting out some new things to mark the Summer season. I decorate my home in a coastal cottage style and change out my accessories to coordinate with the season. Last weekend my granddaughter (age 13) and I sat down to paint several seashells. They had a nice pop of color and can be brought out year after year to decorate.

You’ll want to use 4″ wide or larger clam shells. You can do these same designs on large, smooth, river rocks too! Make sure they’re washed, clean, and dry!

All of these designs were made using acrylic craft paint and/or acrylic paint pens. You’ll need a paint brush, water dish, and paper towels. If you’re painting with kids you may want to put something down to protect your surface (table, desk, etc.) as kids can be messy painters!

The first seashell has a tie-dye type of background that was made by muddling wet paint together. Base coat the entire seashell generously with light pink paint. While it’s still wet you’ll want to muddle through red, dark pink, and lavender colors. Keep brushing until you get a nice tie-dye look. Let it dry for about an hour or until the paint is no longer tacky.

Starfish are super easy to paint, no pattern or template needed. This starfish was made by my 13 year old granddaughter using a paint brush and black acrylic paint. She wrote the word Starfish underneath it using a black paint pen with a medium-tip. Let dry for 2-3 hours.

The Seahorse and Dolphin shells were made in a similar way. The background was made using aqua, medium blue, and light blue paint colors muddled together while wet until she got a pattern that she liked. It looks like ocean water which is never the same unified color.

She used a pencil to draw on the Seahorse shape and Dolphin shape. She used black acrylic paint for the Seahorse and silver metallic paint for the Dolphin. She outlined the Dolphin with a black paint pen. Let them dry for 2-3 hours.

If you want to protect the painted finish for years to come…take them outside and spray them with 1-2 coats of clear acrylic spray sealer. This will protect the painted surface from chipping, cracking, and colors from fading. You can then use them inside or outside your home to decorate.

I personally like placing them on my front porch, back deck, around the swimming pool area, in flower beds and lining the steps coming up to our side door. They add a POP of color and really look cute. You can find 70+ other designs of painted seashells right here on our blog!!!

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