These southwest cactus desert scene painted seashells are so pretty! The best thing about them is that the design is easy-to-make and you don’t have to be a professional artist to make them. That’s right…this design is for any skill level and for older kids ages 10 up to senior-aged adults. The design depicts a Saguaro cactus during a colorful sunset.

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We painted the design onto 4″ and 5″ wide clam shells that we collected from the beach. Wash them in warm, soapy water with Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Why Dawn? It’s the best for removing sand and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water. Air dry for 2-3 days (quicker if you air dry outside in the sunshine during a warm day).

The background was made using a combination of acrylic paint colors: yellow, orange, and dark red. Squirt 2 drops of yellow at the bottom edge of the shell, then 2 squirts of orange in the middle and 2 quirts of dark red at the top. Starting at the top of the shell and with the dark red color…swiril the orange and red together. You want a gradient…dark red, dark orange, medium orange and then orange yellow at the bottom. You mix and swirl the colors together while wet until you get a pattern that you like. Let dry for 60-90 minutes or until the paint is no longer tacky.

Next is making the cactus. Use black acrylic craft paint and the paint brush to make a small section of the desert floor (ground) at the bottom of the shell. Then make a verticle line about the width of a popsicle stick (depending on the size of the clam shell). Now you want to add the arms to the cactus. I found that less is best. In other words, don’t over-load the cactus with arms. They shouldn’t all be the same size…so vary that to make it look more realistic.

Optional: You can add a moon up in the sky or make them without it. My photograph shows it both ways to give you an idea on how it may look. Let dry.

Time to seal the paint. I like using Modge Podge Clear Sealer and a foam brush. I brush 2 coats of Modge Podge over the entire front of the shell (the painted side). Let dry. Flip the seashell over and add 1 coat to the unpainted side to just help preserve and strengthen the clam shell. Let dry.

These gorgeous painted seashells can be displayed inside or outside of the home. They look gorgeous outside in your flower beds, garden, displayed on a front porch, back deck or around a swimming pool.

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