These hand painted Whale design seashells are super easy to make! You don’t have to be an experienced painter or crafter to make them. You only need a few basic supplies. We made our’s with a plump whale design but you could also do tropical fish, dolphins, stingrays, etc.
You’ll need large 4″ to 5″ wide clam shells to make them. We collected them from the beach. Wash them in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap and then rinse clean. Lay them outside in the sunshine to air dry. They need to be completely dry before painting on them. We recommend using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap because it does a great job at removing sand, debris, and fishy odors.
Each seashell was painted with 2-3 coats of paint for the background. The purple one was first base coated in yellow, then orange and purple over the top while the paint was wet. In other words, muddling the colors together and letting the first 2 colors peek through in small spaces. The second seashell was base coated in 2 coats of turquoise acrylic craft paint. Let them dry until the paint is no longer tacky, about an hour or so.
Hand draw a whale shape onto a piece of paper and cut it out to use as a template or you can cut out a whale shape from a child’s coloring book or print one out by using an image search via Google. Make sure you resize it to fit onto the shell. Trace around the shape with a pencil. Keep it simple!
Use black acrylic craft paint to make the whale. You want to be generous with the amount of black paint that you’re using so that you can get it done with 1 or 2 coats. Make sure you paint over the traced pencil lines to cover them up. Let dry for 2-3 hours or until the paint is no longer tacky.
Take the seashells outside and spray them with 1-2 light coats of a clear acrylic spray sealer. We used one with a glossy finish. Make sure you spray the painted and unpainted sides. This will protect the painted surface and the seashell for years to come! You can display them inside your home or take them outside to add a pop of color to your flower gardens, front porch, back deck or swimming pool area. Cute and so easy to make!
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
These are so cute . The colors just pop and the whale design is wonderful. My granddaughter would love to make these shells.
Great niece loves to paint shellls and put them in her flowerbeds by her playhouse.
That is so cute and your art is so good with even edges. You are good.
I love the colors used in designing these shells. Such a fun craft to do with family. I would enjoy this!