Hand Painted Colorful Bugs Seashell Clam Shell Designs

Over the summer I was busy collecting clam shells from the beach and painting them. I belong to a Facebook group that paints seashells and then leaves them where-ever we go for others to find. Sort of like a fun treasure hunt. Except…we don’t tell others where to look! I often leave them in parking lots, local parks, on park benches, sidewalks, beaches, boardwalks, walking trails, etc. public places so they can be found!

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One design that was very popular over the summer were these colorful bug seashell designs. You can paint them any color that you like with any type of pattern. I often used simple polka dots! We painted 3″ to 5″ wide clam shells but you could do these same designs on smooth river rocks too!

You want to start off by painting the head. Then paint the 2 wings. You may need to use 2 coats of acrylic craft paint to get the coverage that you need. Let thoroughly dry. Next…the fun part. Decorating them!!!

To keep things quick and easy I elected to use acrylic paint pens that I purchased from Amazon. The ones that I use have dual-tips. One tip is a fine tip and the other tip is a medium tip. I use those to make the facial features, antannae, polka dots, etc. You’ll want to use a black one to section off the head and wings like shown in the photograph to help them stand out. Let all of the paint dry until it’s no longer tacky.

Take the painted clam shells outside. Spray them with 1-2 coats of a clear acrylic spray sealer. Allow for 30 minutes of drying time between coats. Once dry, flip them over and spray the other side. You want to seal (preserve) the entire seashell. They can be displayed inside or outside of the home.  These are the type of bugs that I like!!!

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