These earth and nature inspired seashell designs are really easy to make. You don’t need to be a professional artist or crafter to make them! The design work on 2 of them was constructed by using vinyl self-adhesive decals. The third design uses self-adhesive scrapbooking embellishments. Other than that…you’ll a few additional art supplies. Enjoy crafting with seashells? Check out the TwoClassyChics blog for over 400 easy arts and craft projects that use seashells!
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For this project I used 3 medium sized clam shells. Don’t have access to seashells? You could do the same designs on smooth river rocks or stones. Always wash them in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dishwashing Soap. Dawn does the best job at removing dirt, grease, grime and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Lay them out overnight to air dry.
You can shop your local craft supply store or Amazon for self-adhesive vinyl decals. I used one that featured a hot air balloon and one that featured a globe (planet earth). These vinyl decals have cut-out areas so you can color-in them in with your paints. You’ll want to select a pack with decals that will fit onto the shells…so double check your measurements before ordering. They’re so easy to use and they’re affordable to buy!
Base coat all seashells and rocks in your desired base coat color. I like to apply 2 coats so that I get good coverage. I like to brush-on the color using acrylic paint and a paint brush. Let the paint dry until it’s no longer tacky. Next, apply the vinyl decal onto the shell. Smooth it down so that there’s no wrinkling.
BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers – are double-tip acrylic paint markers that require no priming, no clogged tips, no drippy paint messes and no foul paint odors. Each marker has a medium and a fine tip. Use the medium tip to color-in larger areas and the fine tip for the smaller areas. The fine tip is great for writing wordage too!
Use the acrylic paint markers to do all of the design work…coloring in the open areas of the decal, adding simple elements like clouds, flowers, bumble bees, whatever. You can use them to write wordage too! I like to add a simple quote or saying to the bottom of each design. I think it finishes them off nicely and gives meaning to the design.
The third seashell I used a self-adhesive pack of scrapbook embellishments that I had leftover from another projects. Even though they have self-adhesive…I do add a little bit of Gorilla Glue to the foam pad on each embellishment because I want them to permanently stay on the shell. The adhesive on the sticker embelllishment isn’t strong enough. Let the Gorilla Glue dry.
You need to finish up all of the pretty painted seashells by adding a clear sealer top coat. You can spray one on (outdoors) or you can use a product called Mod Podge and just brush it on (used indoors). I like using sealers with a glossy finish. It really makes them shine beautifully! That’s it, you’re done!
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