Over the past 12 years I’ve posted 150+ painted seashell designs on the Two Classy Chics blog. You can find designs that are seasonal, holiday related, animals, flowers, or designs that are just colorful and fun! With that said, I’m often asked about EASY designs that any skill level could do. Well, today…I’ve got 3 designs that are easy to make. You can make them in any color combination that you like.
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You’ll need clean clam shells that measure 3″ to 5″ in width. We collected them from the beach and washed them in warm, soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Rinse with clean water and air dry for 1-2 days. They need to be clean and dry before painting on them.
Star off by base coating the seashell in your desired color. You can do the entire shell in that color or split it into two. Think about the color scheme that you want to use and colors that work well together. These designs are simple because all you’re doing is making dots and circles. That’s right…dots and circles!
We used acrylic craft paint and a paint brush to make the circles but used a black acrylic paint pen to outline those circles and to make the polka dots. Using a paint pen gives you better control and the best thing for outlining or writing wordage. You can follow the patterns in my photograph or come up with your own.
Tips – Limit the color choices that you’re using on one shell. Make sure those 2-3 colors work well together. Let the base coat thoroughly dry before decorating it with circles and dots. You can make all of your circles the same size or vary them but don’t use too many different sized circles at one time. You want a cohesive look. Don’t be afraid to mix 2-3 colors together and swirl them around on the shell to come up with your own unique color pattern when base coating. The purple shell has swirls of pink within it.
Once the seashells are completely dry you need to seal them using Modge Podge Clear Sealer and a foam brush. I like to give them 2 light coats of Modge Podge to seal the painted design. You’ll need to allow 30-45 minutes between the 2 coats. If you’re going to be displaying them outside…I recommend sealing the unpainted side too…so that you’re protecting the seashell 360 degrees around.
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