Zentangle Designs Painted on Oyster Shells Seashells

Oyster shells are something that I often pick-up when I’m walking the beach. If you don’t live near a beach…you can often obtain oyster shells from local seafood restaurants and fish markets. When working with them…try to get ones that are a minimum of 3″ long. You want to wash them in hot, soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. It’s great for removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water and air dry overnight.

** Post contains affiliate links.

Zentangle is about doodling. Some artists do Zentangle in black and white colors, neutral tones or in bright, vivid colors like the designs that I’m featuring today. It’s all about what you like! What appeals to you!!!

Take the clean oyster shells outside and lay them down on a plastic drop cloth. Spray them with 1-2 light coats of white paint. Let dry. Flip them over and paint the other side. Let dry for a few hours. This serves as your base coat and allows for the other colors to really POP once applied.

I like to use a pencil to section off the shell. I then color-in the sections with my desired color. I do all of this using Acrylic Paint Markers. You’ll find various brands out in the retail marketplace but I prefer using BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers and Tooli-Art Acrylic Paint Markers. Both can be purchased from Amazon. Once you have the sections colored-in…time to doodle!

Using a black fine-tip paint marker or a white fine-tip paint marker…doodle inside each section. I like to make each one different. You can doodle elaborate designs or simple ones. I tend to keep things simple because that’s what appeals to me. I like to outline all of the sections using a black fine-tip paint marker. Let all of the paint dry for 4-6 hours to allow it to cure.

You’ll want to seal the paint by applying 1-2 light coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer on top. I like using the one that gives them a glossy finish. If you don’t want to brush it on…you can take them outside and spray them with 1-2 light coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer. Let them dry for 2-3 days to allow everything to cure if you plan on displaying them outside. If you’re going to display inside…you only need to let them dry for 1-2 hours.

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!

* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!