When walking the beach I see a lot of people just walk by the broken seashells not giving them a second look. Personally, I see beauty in broken shells and love to collect them for my various art and craft projects. The broken shells you see in my photograph are pieces of whelk shells, large moon snail shells and a chipped up oyster shell. After I’ve painted them, you can barely recognize that they were once broken seashells!

If you enjoy painting on seashells or crafting with seashells…you’ll find over 175+ 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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Collect the broken shells. Once home you want to wash all of them in hot soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. It does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Let them air dry overnight.

Lay a plastic drop cloth or plastic bag down outside. Spray them with a flat white spray paint. Don’t use a spray paint that has a semi-gloss or glossy finish. It needs to be FLAT. Spray each side 1-2 times with light coats of white paint to serve as the base coat. This will help the colors “pop” once applied on the top…plus make for a nicer painting surface.

You can decorate and paint them in whatever style appeals to you. You can totally free-hand your design or lightly sketch it on the top using a pencil. I did a Zentangle design on 3 of the broken shells and just a simple design on the other two. You don’t need to be a professional artist to make these!

Last month I painted several in solid colors and then went back and wrote inspirational words and quotes on them. They were a gift for a friend who has them displayed in a basket on her desk.

If you want to keep the painting and design work simple…skip the paint brush and use BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers and Tooli-Art Paint Markers to color-in and outline your designs. I used both sets when designing these and I love how they turned out.

Let all of the paint dry. Once dry you need to seal the painted design by brushing on 1-2 light coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer. It goes on white but dries crystal clear. It will protect the paint from chips, cracks and will help to keep the colors bright and vivid. Let dry overnight.

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Painting and crafting with seashells is something that I enjoy doing. I’ve been working with shells for over 30+ years. I use them to make windchimes, garlands, Christmas tree ornaments, centerpieces for tables, party favors, candle holders, trinket dishes and they’re great for outdoor yard art! You’ll find over 150+ seashell craft projects right here on the TCC blog.

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Zentangle is an art form that anyone can do. It’s basically doodling and doing abstract type of art on a surface. You can paint on a variety of different things: ceramic tiles, smooth river rocks, art canvases, seashells and more! I was first introduced to this type of art back in 2017 and have loved it ever since. Great for beginners and those with experience.

Recently I’ve started painting on 4″ to 6″ long Whelk Shells. Some people call them Conch Shells but they’re really Whelk Seashells that I’ve collected from the beach. When collecting shells…ONLY take empty shells! You never want to kill an animal to just obtain a shell. EVER!!! Please make sure they’re vacant and ONLY take a few!!!

Wash the whelk shell in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. It does a great job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse thoroughly with clean water. Lay it out to air dry overnight.

Take it outside and spray it with 1-2 light coats of white acrylic paint. You need a white base layer which will help all of the colors “pop” once applied onto the seashell. Let dry.

Section of areas on the shell in various shapes or odd shapes like shown in the photos. I do that with a pencil. You can use a paint brush with acrylic craft paint or acrylic paint markers to color in each section. Work your way around the entire circumference of the shell until you have that completed.

Now it’s time to doodle and decorate it! You can do your doodles all in one color or in multiple colors. Do what appeals to you. There are really no rules when you’re making your own art. I like to use BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers and Tooli-Art Acrylic Paint Markers with fine tips to do all of the doodling, shading, coloring and outlining. Let the pain dry until it’s no longer tacky.

You need to seal the painted design to protect it from chips, cracks and from the vibrant colors from fading. You can spray 1-2 light coats of a Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer over-the-top or you can brush-on 1-2 coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer. I like using ones that give them a glossy finish. Let dry for 1-2 days to allow everything to cure.

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