Hand Painted The Grinch Crab Shell Christmas Tree Ornaments

Over the years I’ve posted dozens of hand-painted seashell designs on the Two Classy Chics blog. For the most part I like to paint on large clam shells or oyster shells. However, last month I did something different. I painted The Grinch on a crab shell and he turned out great! This new Grinch ornament is for my daughter to hang on her Christmas tree this year.

Let me backup just a little bit. When we were down at the shore in October we grabbed dinner from her favorite seafood restaurant. I saved several of the crab shells that night. I washed them in warm, soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap, rinsed with clean water and then left them air dry. Crab shells are fragile, so you do need to be careful when working with them. Make sure all of the “insides” have been removed!

To make The Grinch you’ll need to base coat the crab shell with 2-3 coats of green acrylic craft paint. Allow for 45 minutes of drying time between each coat. Let it thoroughly dry for several hours to allow that base coat of paint to cure.

Using a paint brush and red acrylic craft paint….I added the red hat at the top as shown in the photograph. I did have to use 2 coats of red paint. Let dry.

Next…I used Betem Acrylic Paint Markers to do all of the facial features and design work. These are NOT regular markers, they’re markers filled with acrylic paint. They have a medium tip and a fine tip (dual tips) which makes them perfect for this project. Add all of the design work and facial features as shown in the photograph. Then let it dry overnight to let all of the paint cure.

To protect the painted finish and to further preserve the crab shell…brush 2-3 coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer over the entire shell…front and back. Allow for 1-2 hours of drying time between each coat. Then let it dry overnight. To finish up, use a small dab of Gorilla Glue to attach the white Pom-Pom onto his hat. Cut a 6″ long piece of clear fishing line and tie it into a loop knotting the two ends together. Glue that at the top of his hat on the back of the ornament. Let dry. He’s now ready for hanging.

* 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!