The Monacrch butterfly is one of the most colorful butterflies in North America. Traditionally they’re known for their vivid orange color with black and white markings. Their average lifespan in the wild is 6-8 months, so they don’t live long. They’re known for migrating and traveling long distances.
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In honor of the beautiful Monarch Butterfly I decided to paint one onto 4″ and 5″ wide clam shells seashells to add to my garden yard art. They add a pretty pop of color in my flower garden. Surprisingly, the design was a lot easier to make than what I thought it would be!
First things first. You need to base coat your 4″ and 5″ wide clam shells with 2 coats of white acrylic craft paint. Allow for 30-45 minutes of drying time between coats.
Do an image search through Google to find a simple Monarch Butterfly shape that you like. I resized the one that I found and printed it out. Used scissors to cut out the shape from the printer paper and now I had a template! I used a pencil to trace around the shape onto the seashell.
Color in the image using an orange acrylic paint pen marker. I like using BETEM Acrylic Paint Pen Markers. They come with dual tips (a medium tip and a fine tip) and in beautiful colors. No priming is needed, no drippy messes and no foul paint odors. Plus, they dry quickly! After the orange color has dried…use the fine tip on the black acrylic paint marker to do the body, wings and all of the outlining. If you want to add wordage, do that now. After the black has dried you want to use the fine tip on the white paint pen marker to add the tiny white dots. Let dry for 2-3 hours.
To finish up you need to seal the paint. I like to use the Clear Glossy Mod Podge. I brush 2 coats on both sides of the seashell allowing for 45 minutes of drying time between coats. If you want to add a little extra-fine sparkly glitter (like I did) you want to sprinkle that onto the Mod Podge while it’s still very wet. Let dry for several hours.
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