Paint seashells for use in crafts.
While seashells are beautiful in their own right, sometimes chips in the finish or dark colors don't match the look you're going for. If you prefer brighter colors but love the shapes of seashells in your art, try painting them. Designing seashells with paint gives them new life and allows you to customize them to your d cor.
Instructions
1. Place fresh seashells in a bowl of lukewarm, soapy water. Gently scrub and swish the shells around to get rid of sand and dried seaweed clinging to the shells. Not only do these things prevent the paint from sticking, they're unsightly.
2. Rinse your seashells twice to get rid of the soap residue and let them dry overnight on thick dish towels. Since shells are porous, they require a long drying time. Shells with water in the pores won't take paint very well.
3. Choose the seashells you want to paint. Large shells with rough, chalky surfaces work best. They offer the most room for intricate designs and the rough surface will take paint easily. White bivalve shells, sand dollars and large snail shells work well.
4. Sketch your desired designs onto the seashells with a graphite pencil. Keep your lines light and create your designs to flow with the shape of the shell. Utilize stripes, dots, flowers or scrollwork that follows the striations in the shells.
5. Slowly add tempera paints to your designs with a fine paintbrush. Add one color at a time, allowing each color to dry for about an hour before adding the next one.
