Heading to the beach for summer vacation? Live at the beach or nearby? Time to take a beach walk to collect medium-sized clam shells for this seashell craft project. Make sure you wash the seashells in warm soapy water, rinse with clean water and air dry overnight before you start painting on them. If you find that they have a fishy odor…wash in Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. It does a great job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors.
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Base coat each clam seashell with your desired color of acrylic craft paint. You can use the photograph as reference on the beachy designs that we made. You may need to do 2 coats of paint to get the desired coverage. Let the paint completely dry…1-2 hours depending on temperatures. I like to speed it up by running a desk fan on my craft table which cuts down the drying time dramatically!
NO pattern or template was used to make any of these designs. Use a pencil to lightly sketch your design onto the seashells. They don’t need to look perfect. These are great beginner’s designs and easy to replicate.
To keep it simple I used BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers to color in the designs. These paint markers have dual-ended tips. A medium tip (perfect for coloring in the design) and a fine tip (perfect for outlining, facial features and adding wordage). These paint markers require no priming, no drips, don’t clog up and no foul paint odors. Plus, they dry fast!
Once you’re done painting on the clam shells you need to let the paint FULLY dry. This can take a few hours.
You need to seal the paint by using one of the two methods below:
1. Spray Clear Acrylic Sealer – Spray 1-2 light coats across the shell. You’ll need 30-40 minutes of drying time between coats. This will need to be done outside!
2. Clear Glossy Mod Podge Sealer – This can be brushed over the painted surface using a foam brush or paint brush. I recommend 1-2 coats with 45-60 minutes of drying time between coats. This can be done inside your home.
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