We have several readers who have been loving our hand-painted clam shell and seashell designs that we’ve been featuring the past 3 years. Painting on seashells is an affordable hobby that allows anyone to be creative. You don’t have to be a professional artist to make the designs that we feature! They can be easily completed by older children, teens, adults and senior.
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Today we’re sharing two different Christmas Reindeer designs that were hand painted onto clam shells. We used 3″ to 4″ wide clam shells collected from the beach. Wash them in warm, soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, debris, and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Air dry for 1-2 days.
Design 1 – Base coat the shell with 2 coats of a bronze metallic acrylic paint. Allow for 40 minutes of drying time between coats.
Design 2 – Base coat the shell with 2 coats of a light brown acrylic craft paint. Allow for 40 minutes of drying time between coats.
All of the design work on each shell was done using BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers. They’re not regular markers! They contain acrylic paint. Each marker is dual-top (a medium tip and a fine tip). They require no priming, no drippy messes and no clogging. They’re may favorite!
Refer to the photographs to add the facial features and antlers using the BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers. When layering one color ontop of another color allow for 20 minutes of drying time (example would be the eyes). Do the white portion first, then the black or blue color and then finish up with the white inner dot. Allow all of the paint to thoroughly dry.
Protect the painted surface by coating each shell with 2 coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer in a Glossy Finish. Allow for 30-45 minutes of drying time between coats. Then let them dry overnight. It protects the painted finish from chipping, cracking and the colors from fading.
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I am having difficulty in deciding which design I prefer. Each reindeer is different , but cute , so I might make them both!