Jellyfish from a half shell, tentacle lines down the sidesPink, purple, white. Dome up: purple spots on top; wavy white lines run down to the rim. Liner brush.
Bowling ball with the three pores as finger holesOne bright color, white. One color over the whole shell except the pores; a white swirl around it. Sponge.
Nest of crossing twig lines with blue eggs in the bottomBrowns, pale blue. Bowl up: short crossing lines all over the outside; three eggs painted inside. Liner brush.
Bear cub with the third pore as its noseBrown, cream, black. A cream muzzle around the lowest pore; small round ears painted high on the shell. Round brush.
Ghost in white with the three pores left darkWhite. Two coats over the whole shell, stopping at the rim of each pore: eyes and mouth stay dark. Flat brush.
Green visitor from space with huge eye ringsGreen, black, white. Green all over; tall black ovals around the eye pores; the mouth pore left small. Flat brush.
Hedgehog whose spines are the fibers left on the shellCream, black. Smooth only the pore end and paint it cream; the two upper pores are the eyes. Small brush.
Monkey with two pores as eyes and the third as its mouthTan, brown, black. A tan face patch around the three pores; a round ear painted on each side. Round brush.
Owl with wide rings around the two eye poresCream, orange, brown. Cream rings around the upper pores; the third pore is the tip of an orange beak. Round brush.
Pirate, a black patch painted over one upper poreRed, black, white. A patch and strap cover one pore; a red bandana with white dots over the top. Paint pen.
Seal pup with whiskers fanning from the mouth poreGray, white, black. A white muzzle around the lowest pore; three whisker lines to each side. Liner brush.
Sleepy face yawning through the third poreAny skin color, white, black. Closed-eye crescents over the upper pores; lips around the lowest one. Paint pen.
Sloth, a brown stripe slanting down from each upper poreCream, dark brown. A cream face patch; the two stripes slant outward like a sloth's eye marks. Round brush.
Swimmer in goggles with a snorkel from the mouth poreAny skin color, blue, yellow. Goggle rings around the eye pores; a yellow tube curves up one side. Paint pen.
Whistling face, the third pore as pursed lipsWhite, black, red. White ovals around the eye pores; pursed red lips around the lowest pore; two black notes. Paint pen.
Half shells: animals, bowls and planters 16
Beetle from a half shell in shiny greenGreen, black, gold. Dome up: a black line splits the wing cases; gold dots along it; a black head band. Round brush.
Crab from a half shell, eyes painted at the front rimRed-orange, white, black. Dome up: two white eyes on the front edge; claws reach around the sides. Round brush.
Display bowl with a gold band at the rim, inside left bareGold, one dark color. Bowl up: one flat color outside; a gold band a finger wide; the inside unpainted. Flat brush.
Frog from a half shell, mouth along the rimGreen, yellow, black. Dome up: the cut rim painted yellow as a wide mouth; two eyes high on the dome. Flat brush.
Hanging planter with a zigzag band under the rimThree colors. Bowl up: a zigzag band a finger wide below the rim; dots above and below it. Paint pen.
Jellyfish from a half shell, tentacle lines down the sidesPink, purple, white. Dome up: purple spots on top; wavy white lines run down to the rim. Liner brush.
Kiwi fruit half: green inside, white core, black seed ringGreen, white, black. Bowl up: the brown outside stays as the skin; pale lines run from the core to the rim. Round brush.
Ladybug from a half shell with a line down the domeRed, black. Dome up: one black line from front to back; three spots each side; a black front edge. Round brush.
Little boat hull with a waterline and portholesRed, white, navy. Bowl up: red below a white waterline, navy above; three portholes each side. Tape, flat brush.
Mouse from a half shell with a painted string tailGray, pink, black. Dome up: pink ears on top; eyes and a nose at one end; a tail line around the rim. Round brush.
Nest of crossing twig lines with blue eggs in the bottomBrowns, pale blue. Bowl up: short crossing lines all over the outside; three eggs painted inside. Liner brush.
Sea bowl with one fish painted at the bottomBlues, orange, white. Bowl up: blue swirls around the inside; one orange fish in the deepest part. Round brush.
Snail, one spiral from the top of the dome to the rimBrown, cream, orange. Dome up: the spiral turns four times; cream between the turns. Liner brush.
Spider from a half shell, eight legs painted to the rimBlack, white, red. Dome up: four leg lines down each side; white eyes in front; a red mark on the back. Liner brush.
Turtle, shell plates painted over a half coconutGreens, yellow. Dome up: six-sided plates over the dome; a yellow rim line; a head painted at one edge. Liner brush.
Whale from a half shell with a spout painted on topBlue, pale blue, white. Dome up: a pale belly band above the rim; white spray lines at the top. Flat brush.
Whole-coconut pictures 12
Ball of yarn with strands winding every wayOne yarn color, a darker shade. Bands of curved lines cross each other all over the shell; a loose end. Liner brush.
Bowling ball with the three pores as finger holesOne bright color, white. One color over the whole shell except the pores; a white swirl around it. Sponge.
Dragon egg in overlapping green scales, gold on each tipTwo greens, gold. Rows of scales from the pore end to the far end; a gold dab on the tip of every scale. Round brush.
Kiwi bird with the husk fibers as feathersBrown, cream, black. Leave the fibers on; a long cream beak painted from one pore; a small black eye. Liner brush.
Meteor with flames trailing away from the pore endDark gray, red, orange, yellow. Gray craters at the pore end; flames sweep back over the rest. Round brush.
Moon, the three pores as its deepest cratersPale gray, dark gray, white. Pale gray all over; darker rings of different sizes; the pores as deep craters. Sponge.
Palm island wrapped around the shellBlues, tan, green. Sea around the lower half; a tan island with two palms; a sun on the far side. Flat brush.
Rings of dots growing outward from all three poresWhite, two bright colors. A ring of dots around each pore; more rings widen until they meet. Cotton swab.
Tennis ball with its white seam looping around the shellYellow-green, white. Fibers left on as fuzz; one white line loops around and joins itself, as on the ball. Liner brush.
Treasure map with the X between the three poresTan, brown, red, blue. A coastline around the shell; a dotted path ends at a red X between the pores. Paint pen.
Tropical fish wrapped around, tail meeting noseYellow, blue, white. The fish circles the widest part, with blue stripes; water lines above and below. Round brush.
Wild-haired monster with fibers left long on topPurple, white, black. The lower two-thirds purple; one big eye and a toothy grin; fibers left above. Flat brush.
How it works
A coconut shell has three pores at one end, marks that look so much like a face that they gave the coconut its name. These 40 designs start from the pores, a half shell or the whole brown shell.
Read the full guide
Two eyes and a mouth, ready made
Twelve designs are faces built on the three pores. Sloth, a brown stripe slanting down from each upper pore needs two colors, and Ghost in white with the three pores left dark needs one. Kiwi bird with the husk fibers as feathers leaves the shell rough on purpose.
Half shells and whole shells
Dome up, a half shell is an animal: Turtle, shell plates painted over a half coconut. Bowl up, it is a display piece: Nest of crossing twig lines with blue eggs in the bottom. Twelve more wrap the whole shell, such as Bowling ball with the three pores as finger holes.
Questions and answers
What are the three holes on a coconut?
Germination pores. The hard shell has three at one end, and the sprout pushes out through one of them. The name comes from the Portuguese word coco, head or skull, after the face the three marks suggest.
What paint do you use on a coconut shell?
Acrylic paint is fast-drying and most kinds become water-resistant when dry. How a paint takes to a rough, fibrous shell is a question for its label: we do not test paints.
What can you make from half a coconut shell?
An animal or a display bowl. The Half shells group holds 16: ten animals with the dome up, such as a ladybug, a crab and a jellyfish, and six bowls, planters and a boat hull. None is meant for food.