Hand Painted Safari Elephant at Sunset Seashells

This hand painted Safari Elephant Seashell is really easy to make! It can be made by older children and/or adults. You’ll need large clam seashells and acrylic craft paints to make it. Don’t have seashells laying around? You can do the same design painted onto a smooth river rock or other found object too!

For the elephant we simply used Google to find a FREE elephant template that we liked. We resized the image and then printed it out. Used scissors to cut out the shape.

Make sure you wash all seashells in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Why Dawn? We found that it’s the best liquid dish soap for removing sand, debris, and fishy odors. If you have stubborn gunk on the shells use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to losen it up and then rinse with clean water. Let shells thoroughly dry before painting on them.

You will need 3 acrylic paint colors to make the sunset colored background. Paint the entire shell with a bright yellow colored paint. Be generous with the amount of paint that you’re using. While it’s still wet you’ll want to “muddle in” the orange paint, overlapping it onto the yellow and blending it in so that there are no sharp lines or edges. Next you’ll “muddle in” the red colored paint overlapping it and blending it in on the orange. They should be layered with yellow on the bottom, then the orange, followed up with the red like shown in the photograph. Let the background thoroughly dry.

Take a pencil and lightly trace around the elephant template that you made (explained above). Use black acrylic craft paint to paint in the entire design, making sure you cover the pencil marks. Be generous with the amount of paint that you’re using. Let dry.

If you want to protect the painted finish you need to take the painted seashells outside and spray them with 1-2 coats of a clear acrylic spray sealer. Make sure you spray both sides of the shell. Let dry for a few hours.

These hand painted Safari Elephant Seashells can be displayed inside or outside of your home. They look great displayed outside in your flower beds, on the front porch, back deck, in window boxes, around the swimming pool, etc. Inside your home they can be used as a paper weight on a desk, displayed on wall shelves, bookcases, etc. Use your imagination and get creative!

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