Hand Painted Capiz Shell Zentangle Design Suncatchers

Zentangle is a popular art form that anyone can do. It’s great for beginners and can be done in a wide variety of different surfaces. You can learn about the Zentangle art form by visiting one of the best websites HERE. You will also find great how-to videos over on YouTube. With that said…use the basics of Zentangle to come up with your own unqiue painting style.

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Last month I decided to make a few homemade suncatchers using 5″ diameter Capiz shells. These type’s of seashells are flat and often come in a round or oval shape. I buy them from Amazon when I need them. You need to prep the shell’s surface before painting on it. Wash in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Rinse with clean water and then lay it out to air dry. Once it has dried…take a little bit of alcohol over it. I use a cotton ball dipped in alcohol. Let it dry again. This preps the surface for painting.

Take them outside and spray with 1-2 light coats of white spray paint. You want to use one that gives you a flat finish. Don’t use semi-gloss or glossy. You can opt to hand-paint by using white acrylic paint and a paint brush. Allow for 30-45 minutes of drying time between coats. This is necessary if you want the colors that you’ll be applying on top…to really POP!

Use a pencil and sketch on the design. I like to make one focal point (the flower) and then section off everything around it. You don’t need a big focal point…you don’t need even-sized sections. Again, make this doodling art form your own! After sketching it’s time to color-in the design with paints. I use a combination of BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers and Tooli-Art Acrylic Paint Markers. I like using the BETEM for coloring in the sections. I like using the Tooli-Art fine-tip black paint marker for doing the doodling and outlining.

When doing the design work take your time. Doodling is about what you feel at that moment. You can do bold or soft, you can do vivid colors or tone it down with neutrals. Pastels your thing? Yeah, you can do that too. I don’t believe in copying other people’s work…so do what naturally appeals to you. Work in sections until all of the design work has been completed. Let it dry for 4-6 hours to allow all of the paint to cure.

You can seal the design by one of two different methods:

1. Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer – Spray 1-2 light coats of a clear sealer on each side of the Capiz shell allowing for 1 hour of drying time between each coat.

2. Mod Podge Clear Sealer – I like using one that gives it a glossy finish. Brush-on 1-2 coats of clear Mod Podge Sealer allowing for 35-45 minutes of drying time between coats. It goes on white but dries crystal clear.

Thread a 1/8″ wide by 7″ long ribbon through the hanging hole at the top. You can also use clear fishing line if you like a more clean look. These can be hung up as suncatchers, little home decor pieces or use them as Christmas ornaments during the holiday season.

If you enjoy painting on seashells or crafting with seashells…you’ll find over 150+ seashell craft projects right here on the Two Classy Chics blog! We will be sharing more seashell craft projects in the future too!

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