These hand painted kitty cat seashell designs are easy to make! You don’t need to be a professional artist or crafter to make them. The designs were painted on small 2 to 2 1/2″ wide clam shells. To keep things simple we used Acrylic Paint Pen Markers which give you excellent control when adding facial features, outlining, etc. You can use traditional acrylic craft paints and a brush if you choose to do so.

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The seashells need to be washed in warm, soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Why Dawn? It does the best job at removing sand, debris and fishy odors. Rinse with clean water and let them air dry. They need to be completely dry before painting on them.

We base coated each shell with 2 coats of paint. One in a light beige color and one in a blue color. Let dry.

Use a pencil to free hand on the kitty cat design using our photo as a guide. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Matter of fact, I like them better with small imperfections. Use Acrylic Paint Pen Markers with medium tip and fine tips to paint the kitty cat. We did one in a light brown and one in black. Once they dry you go back and add the facial features.

Once the shells are done you need to seal-in the paint. We brushed on 2 coats of clear Modge Podge with a Glossy Finish. (allow 30 minutes of drying time between coats). This protects the painted finish and gives the seashells a nice glossy finish.

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These adorable tropical fish designs were hand painted onto smaller sized clam shells, oyster shells, mussels and even a broken piece of a whelk shell. Painting on seashells is a fun hobby that I really enjoy. I normally paint on large clam shells, so this project is a great way to use up all of those smaller seashells that I had lying around. They’re bright and colorful…fun to make!

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You’ll need a variety of smaller sized seashells (scallop shells, oysters, mussels, clams, etc). Wash them in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. Rinse with clean water and then air dry.

Next is the fun part…decorating them with craft paint! We used a combination of acrylic craft paint with a paint brush and BETEM Acrylic Paint Markers. For the larger areas we used the craft paint and brush…the design work was done with paint markers.

You can paint them any color combination that you like. Mix and match. Bright colors and Neons look great when paired with 1-2 darker shades. You don’t need to get fancy with them. Once you’re done decorating them let them dry for a few hours.

To seal the paint you need to brush 1-2 coats of Clear Mod Podge Sealer across the seashells to seal-in the paint. I like to use a foam brush to apply it. Let dry overnight.

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