Looking to add a few little winter decor accents to your home? If so, I have an easy arts and crafts project for you today. These hand painted clam shells seashells are the perfect little accents for bookshelves, tables, used as wall art, etc. You don’t have to be a professional painter or crafter to make them. If you don’t have access to seashells…you can paint the designs on top of ceramic tiles or smooth river rocks.
You can find 450+ painted seashells and river rock designs on the TwoClassyChics blog.
** Post contains affiliate links.
For this project I painted the designs onto large 4″ wide clam shells seashells that I collected from the beach. Wash them in warm, soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dishwashing Soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, dirt, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water and air dry overnight.
Base coat the seashells with 1-2 light coats of white acrylic craft paint. Let dry until the paint is no longer tacky.
Patterns: Do a Google Image Search to find free templates and clipart of ice skates, snow mittens and snow flakes. Resize the image you choose to fit onto your seashell and print the image out. You’ll be using the image as your template. Cut around the image. Place it onto the seashell and trace around it using a pencil. You just need the outline.
To do all of the design work I used a pack of BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers that I purchased from Amazon. They have dual-ended tips (one medium and one fine), require no priming, no dripping messes and no foul paint odors. They’re very easy to use. Paint markers contain PAINT and aren’t kiddie markers.
Use the acrylic paint markers to color in the designs. To get the designs to really “pop” I like to use the black fine-tip paint marker to outline the design as shown with the ice skates and snow mitten. Use the blue fine-tip paint marker to do a snowflake similar to the one that I made. Once you have the design work done…you can color-in the background if desired or leave it a plain white. Let all of the paint dry.
Finishing Up: You need to seal the paint one of two different ways.
1. Mod Podge Clear Sealer – I like to brush-on 1-2 light coats using a foam brush. Allow for 30-40 minutes of drying time between coats. It goes on white but dries crystal clear. I like using the one that gives them a glossy finish.
2. Acrylic Spray-On Clear Sealer – This comes in a spray paint style of can. You can get matte, semi-gloss or glossy finishes. This will need to be used outdoors due to the fumes. Spray-on 1-2 light coats, allowing for 45-50 minutes of drying time between coats.
You can’t see it in my photograph but all three seashells have a micro-fine irridescent glitter on them. I sprinkled it on while the Mod Podge was still wet. You can add the glitter or omit it.