My grandson loves anything that has to do with the solar system, rockets, outerspace, etc. He’s just amazed by the fact that there are things thousands of miles up into the sky that he can’t visible see. While he enjoys cars and trucks like most boys…he’s passionate about spaceships, rockets, space shuttles, etc. Who knows, maybe he’ll grow up to be an astronaut one day.

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Last month I sat down and painted some seashells to reflect his passion…outerspace. The 3 rockets were painted onto oyster shells while the solar system was painted onto a clam shell. These are easy designs and can be quickly adapted to be painted onto smooth river rocks aka kindness rocks too.

Wash all of the seashells in warm soapy water using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap. It’s the best for removing sand, grime and fishy odors. I let them soak for 30-60 minutes in the soapy water. Rinse with clean water and then air dry for 1-2 days. They need to be completely dry.

Use acrylic craft paint and a paint brush to do the background colors. One rocket has a white background, the second a sky blue background, the third a country blue background and the solar system seashell has a dark blue background. I used 2 coats of acrylic craft paint with 30 minutes of drying time between coats.

Now for all of the design work. This is easier done using BETEM Acrylic Paint Makers. They have dual tips, a medium tip on one end and a fine tip on the other end. There’s no mess, no priming, no drips and no foul odors. They contain acrylic paint!

To get started use a pencil to lightly trace out the design. I free-handed it, used no pattern at all. Very simple shapes. Once that is done…use the Betem Paint Markers to color in the design. Just like a coloring book page. The paint markers dry fairly quickly, usually within a few minutes so just keep working to color in the design without touching any wet areas. I used the medium tip for the larger areas and the fine tip for outlining and writing words.

Let all of the seashells dry for several hours to let the paint “cure”.

Use a foam brush and Clear Mod Podge Sealer to seal the paint by brushing on 2 coats of Mod Podge allowing for 30 minutes of drying time between coats. I recommend sealing the unpainted side of each shell too. This will protect the painted finish and the shell for years to come.

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