These hand painted dragonfly, caterpillar and butterfly clam shells are easy-to-make! You don’t have to be a professional artist to make them. All of the designs shown in my photograph were hand drawn, no pattern or template needed. However, if you feel you need a template do a Google image search for a dragonfly and butterfly. Find one that you like, resize it, print it out and there ya go…a ready-made template.
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You’ll need 3″ to 5″ wide clam shells collected from the beach. Wash them in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Rinse with clean water, air dry overnight.
Base coat the clam seashells in your desired color. I used 2 coats of paint with 30-40 minutes of drying time between coats. Use a pencil to lightly sketch the design onto the seashell. They don’t need to look perfect!!! Imperfection is beautiful too!
I used BETEM Acrylic Paint Pen Markers to color in the designs. They contain acrylic paint and have dual-ended tips. A medium and fine tip. There’s no priming, leaks, drips or foul paint odors, plus they dry quickly! The medium tip is great for coloring in areas while the fine tip is great for outlining and writing wordage. They’re easy-to-use and affordable. I buy them from Amazon.
Always start coloring in the larger areas first. Then the smaller areas. Add the details like dots, lines, etc. on the top. Then outline the image in black using the fine tip. If you want to add wordage, use the fine tip for a nice crisp design. I also recommend using contrasting colors that POP off the background color of the seashell. Let all of the paint dry until it’s no longer tacky.
Seal the painted surface using 1-2 light coats of Clear Glossy Mod Podge Sealer. I allow 30-45 minutes of drying time between coats. This will help to protect the painted finish. Plus, you can display them inside or outside of the home. They’re great designs to be displayed in your garden and add a nice pop of color!
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